Vision

The Marina City Council finally passed the City’s 2012-13 budgets this past week. On several levels it’s a good thing, especially since there were not any significant cuts that would further affect the level of service to our community. On the other hand, the budget was completely void of a vision for the future of our City.

As a result of the budget decisions, the City will maintain the status quo. This means we will remain understaffed in key areas, thus resulting in a continuation of our endless pothole battle, building maintenance deferred, and staff shortages in the key areas of Recreation, Finance, Planning, Engineering and Economic Development. In other words, there is no forward vision for our City.

The City simply cannot move forward with any conviction without a vision for the future. We need new revenues and new jobs- it’s as simple as that. The approved budget does not address these issues. The current Mayor expressly removed a new airport manager from the budget. This is a position critical to the development of the airport as an economic driver of jobs in Marina. The current Mayor also removed the funding for both the Development Services Director and an Economic Development manager, the key people responsible for bringing new businesses and jobs into the City.

While I am not advocating solving every issue out of one budget that is still drawing on our reserves, it does not get fixed without looking to the future and knowing what you want to accomplish. There are key areas that need attention now and others that need to be addressed as soon as possible. This budget did neither.

It’s been four years and we have yet to see a vision for Marina. So let me suggest a start. Let’s concentrate on growing our revenues now so that we can fully fund our core services first. By funding key personnel positions, we put the City in the best place to create new revenues and to move forward. We will then use these new revenues to find the permanent solutions needed for the future. It’s a simple vision, one that can be acted on now. It is a vision that will show results quickly and one that we can afford today. So let’s make it happen!

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4th of July

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

On this July 4^th week perhaps it’s time that we all take a few moments to truly think about the words that we speak when we recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

We may disagree on the details of some political policies or how we accomplish this program or that one but we do so as one nation. In our Country we have the right and responsibility to speak our minds - to work together no matter how uncomfortable the process. We have a tendency to forget that.

There are events that happen from time to time that remind us of this. Unfortunately many of them are tragic but certainly not all. As we watch some of the Olympic trials this week we can think back to many chants of “USA!, USA!” that came with so many events in the past like the 1980 US Hockey team, the entire 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles or even the latest accomplishments of Michael Phelps. We celebrate them together as one nation.

We seem to spend far too much time looking for the political differences between us and not enough time on what we have in common. We take great pride in finding these divisions and using them as a wedge but I truly believe that our desire to seek liberty and justice for all is a common trait among us. How we get there is a question solved by discussion, diverse opinions, understanding and compromise. It’s not dictated or mandated by any one individual, group or organization. It’s worked through and resolved by each and every one of us on a daily basis. Sometimes the process is not pretty but it has worked for well over 200 years and we are not about to give up on it now.

So enjoy the holiday this week and take a moment to recite the Pledge of Allegiance as you see the flags flying around your neighborhood. Then think about what it means to you.

Happy Birthday America!

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