Commission Impossible

Some folks might think I'm writing this blog entry to discuss the contest between recreation and preservation interests in Chico. Not so.

The title for this entry is a little catchy, maybe even provocative. But it has to do with a different battle. This one occurred a couple of years ago between the Teen Titans (young superheroes) and their nemesis Slade. On one of our many missions to Bidwell Park my son(5) and I staged this photo to capture the titanic struggle. The Titans won of course, they always do.

It was this kind of play in the park that led me to the world of commissions and boards. I had an interest (actually a few), and a desire to learn more. Not to mention I wanted to ensure park users like me had a voice.

A couple of years ago I started attending city meetings. It all started with the Park Master plan. At the first meeting somebody read a poem. I think it went something like this....

"We love the park,
the park is fine,
I feel the bark,
and warm sunshine,
the air is clear,
and very near,
the squirrels jump,
and the rabbits….well you get the picture.

And for the record that's not the actual poem. There was a poem however, and not a particularly good poem. Everyone clapped, and city staff ran out to make copies of the poem for attendees. Everyone appeared happy. As for me, I was just confused. My brother is a nationally known professional poet (seriously, he wrote a book “How to Make A Living as a Poet"). Had I known it was a “poetry slam� I would have come prepared.

Anyway, I stuck with it and attended virtually every Master Plan meeting. I think there were 500 or so, and each one was 6 hours long. Then came the Park Commission rehash of the Master Plan. There were 750 of those, each was 12 hours in length.

The point of this diatribe is essentially the point of this blog. I’ve attended a bunch of city meetings.

The most controversial events in these meetings eventually make the news. A lot of other interesting (and potentially controversial) information never leaks out of the city process. I want this blog to get that information out to the public. There’s always a little more to the story than what hits the paper.

I’ll be attending Council, Commission, and Board meetings in an effort to get just a little more information out to the public. Ask me questions, and I’ll see if I can find the answers. If the city doesn’t run well, or bad decisions are made, it’s partly because of a complacent populace. I hope covering issues the city is discussing will prod a few citizens into showing up downtown and saying their piece.

And lastly, not everything that happens at city meetings is grist for the “peeved� mill. The city staff and volunteer officials make Chico work. When I see some good tough work I want to make sure the appropriate people get credit.