Appreciation

It was Albert Schweitzer that said “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us”. In my mind this is the definition of appreciation and it is with this thought in mind that I look forward to the next couple of weeks.

First on the list is my father’s birthday. It’s the perfect time to say the things I don’t necessarily say throughout the year. It’s his day and the time to let him know how much I appreciate all the things he has done for us over a lifetime.

In Marina, we have others that we get to acknowledge over the next couple of weeks starting with our Teachers. For many, many years the Marina American Legion has held an event, unique to our area that is designed to recognize the great job our local teachers do within our community. After all, who among us can’t think back to a teacher that somehow helped change our own lives? We as a community want to thank those that are changing the lives of our children today and Teacher Appreciation Day is our way of expressing our gratitude for a difficult job well done.

A bit later in the week, we as a community get the honor of acknowledging our Public Safety Officers. The annual Marina Public Safety Appreciation dinner again, is our community’s way of recognizing the often thankless job our Public Safety Officers do, day in and day out. So often we take for granted those that answer the call for help and those that protect us – this is Marina’s way of letting them know that we appreciate all that they do for us.

That will bring us to Mother’s Day. Here, not unlike the thoughts I expressed for my Dad’s birthday, we have the opportunity to appreciate all the things Mom has done for us. We thank them for the countless, thankless hours doing the things that Mom does each and every day that help and support their families. It also lets us pause and remember those Moms that we have lost but that we never let go from our hearts.

I am sure that there are many people in your own life that you appreciate but do not always acknowledge. Perhaps you can take a moment or two over the next couple of weeks and show them just how grateful you are that they are a part of your life.

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Springtime

Now that the taxes are done, Easter is over, the late season rains are giving way to flowers and baseball season is finally underway - it’s clear, springtime is here. Perhaps it’s time to take a brief break from all things political and look around our community.

It’s really not hard to see that there is far more that we have in common than what drives us apart. Springtime represents new beginnings, new starts and new growth so let’s celebrate those things.

Let’s take a moment and…

watch the kids playing baseball and softball and remember the spring days we played.

walk around our yards, gardens and neighborhoods to see what’s new this spring.

participate in the community events that bring us together like Earth Day and the Wind         Festival.

It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day struggles and not see the things around us that bring a smile to our faces. It may seem a bit corny or silly to remind us to stop and smell the roses but if we don’t take the time now, when will we?

There is plenty of time to comment on politics, on who is doing what and who is not but maybe, just maybe, if we remember the lessons of spring we can reduce the divide just a bit, mend a fence or two and discover that we really do have more in common than we think.

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Time for a dialog

The next few months will be very important for the City of Marina. We have heard comments like this before but what happens in relation to our City’s budget over these months is critical to our future. Our City budget must be approved by the end of June which means we have three months to get it right.

We know that two years ago the citizens of Marina voted to tax themselves to maintain the current level of service within our community (Measures M & N). That successful vote cut our structural deficit in half. Since that time our City Council has done nothing to narrow the remaining gap with new revenue. As a result they will have several difficult decisions to make this budget cycle - mainly on the level of service we as citizens want and/or demand going forward.

This is the time to open a major public dialog within our community to define what we as citizens expect from our City government. Let’s be clear. This has to go well beyond our Police, Fire and Recreation services. This dialog must also include:  the services our Public Works department does to maintain our streets, parks and public facilities; our City’s Finance department; our Planning, and our Building departments.

It takes a lot of departments to run a City, regardless of its size - and that means people. Over the past few years the City of Marina has shed many of these people to the point where we are, by most estimates, at the bare minimum of service we can provide our citizens. If that is the case, what services must we cease to provide in the future?

If we as a community decide that we cannot eliminate any of the programs and services that are currently provided, then what steps are needed to properly fund them? What can, or must, our City Council do to shore up our City’s balance sheet to provide the services for all the citizens of Marina?

This is the dialog we must have from here. I for one will be very interested in hearing what you think and what services and/or level of service you want to see from your City. It is important to share these thoughts with our City officials because this budget cycle may well define what Marina looks like for years to come. So I urge you to write letters to the editor and to your Council members, go to City Council meetings, or simply talk to your Council members when you see them, and let them know how you feel. Now is the time for this dialog - not after the decisions are made.

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