The Mayor's State of the Borough Address

The Borough Newsletter arrived yesterday and in it is Mayor Keller's "State of the Borough" message. I am glad it was included as I was unable to attend that meeting in February.

In the address the Mayor challenged the citizens to participate in government by closing with the following, "Will you answer the call or cower from the challenge? If you cannot or will not help, please support and dare I say encourage those who do."

His address, which included references to the borough's accomplishments in 2006, made two assertions that I found interesting, one in the beginning and one later on:

"This 'State of the Borough' message points no fingers or assigns no blame for the successes or failures of the past year. Neither would solve a problem nor mend the gashing wounds that seem to persist as 2007 marches toward another Spring."

"And finally, you as citizens, must agree to do your part in a positive way. Since early September 2006, we have repeatedly advertised trying to fill four vacancies on our Shade Tree Commission and our Recreation Board. No one has stepped forward. Sadly others in our community choose to cowardly criticize and personally attack those who volunteer and those who serve on Council, hiding in the anonymity of Internet gossip sites rather than volunteer their own time to do some tangible good. I ask that the same energy be put into worthwhile causes and constructive efforts and not the nameless internet bashing that is ongoing."

While I've followed Council for over a year now, I'm not certain what 'gashing wounds' are persisting, but I do know that he couldn't possibly have been referring to this site as it is neither gossip based, nor does it permit personal attacks.

The focus of the address is what got me and on a second reading it came together for me as he noted:

"We stand at a crossroads here tonight and each of us must make a decision. Are we doers or do we prefer to be sayers? Do we choose to be contributors or decide instead to be critics? Do we identify with those whose agenda is pro-active to be being part of the solution to our problems or do we prefer to question the motives and the methods of those who sacrifice their time and efforts to make our charming little Borough just a little bit better."

This statement specifically the comment in regard to "question the motives and the methods" is what I believe drove the other remarks. The landscape has changed and so too the way business must be done. It strikes me as an attempt to regain control and act without fear of response or reaction by the community.

I specifically decided to begin spreading the word about NewsOverCoffee through the borough, because it had more, well-established networks for word of mouth to work. As a result, I focused on borough topics and coverage and then spread it out to the School District and Townships to reach the entire Nazareth community. In doing so, attention was brought not only to the main issues that would be highlighted in the Morning Call or Express-Times, but the minutiae that is often only known by those in attendance. A public conversation on these topics, published for anyone to read, brought to light what is being planned, what is being approved, and how much it costs. This had not happened before and it changed the environment in which Council worked.

The new building proposal raised many people's emotions and flames were fanned as it was revealed that meetings were being held in violation of the state sunshine law. To the Council's credit, they passed a motion to open all meetings as a matter of procedure (this was also announced in the newsletter). Had people have fallen in line and not questioned and criticized the motives and methods of the building committee, this motion would never have been considered nor would the violations have been known.

The line between a personal attack and an attack of a person's idea is not always clear, particularly when you are involved in the issue. I've tried to allow as much input as possible, but have also deleted comments I felt were inappropriate. Filling vacancies is always a challenge, because people's time has become a premium. Informing people of the mission, work, and expectations will help recruit interested volunteers. The Downtown Association was concerned with filling a Board, yet twelve have stepped forward and over twenty were at the last meeting. People are out there and want to help, but it is not ever going to be easy. You must not only get them involved, but you must keep them engaged and enthused.

What concerns the mayor as a weakness is, to me, a strength of this community. People who care and are engaged, who want to question why, and who take time to learn and consider the issues and challenges we face are much more beneficial than those who are apathetic (and yes there are those, too).

I appreciate the service of those on our Council as well as the mayor. I've spoken with many of them throughout the year and can say they are looking out for the best interests of the community. It is often a thank-less job that requires many hours and much thought and consideration. I seemed to have gained a tone of concern rather than optimism in the address and it may derive from being on the inside looking out as opposed to being on the periphery taking a broader look in.

What do you think? Is there need for concern? Is there too much discussion and not enough action? Have we become apathetic and/or negative? How can we encourage more people to get involved and serve on committees and commissions? Would like to hear your thoughts and ideas, and yes, you can post them anonymously, but do so responsibly.