Economic Development
Last Thursday I was sworn in as a new member of the City of Falls Church Economic Development Authority. I swung by City Hall on my way into work and actually took an oath that talked about upholding the Constitution. John Roberts wasn’t there to swear me in - just Veronica (and she didn’t mess it up). Neither was the Lincoln Bible. There weren’t three million people watching. In fact, there were only two witnesses (Veronica and me). As far as I know, there were no inaugural balls held in my honor. I admit - it was a little hokey.
While the swearing in process seemed a little silly, I did take it seriously. The 30 seconds or so it took to go through the process gave me a chance to think about what I was doing - participating. How many people complain about national, state, or local politics and policy? Pretty much everyone. How many people actually participate (beyond voting)? Not many.
The City of Falls Church is a small place. If you hang out around City Hall or stop into the various board meetings you see a bunch of the same faces. These folks actually help make decisions about the City, shape its direction. These people have an impact. Sometimes it’s small things, sometimes it’s bigger things. I wouldn’t say these people are changing the world, but they’re changing the City.
My understanding is that the City is always looking for fresh faces to get invovled. The Planning Commission fiasco aside, most of the boards and commissions in the City are in need of more participation. If you’re interested in a particular area you should check out the schedule and swing by for a meeting. If you’re still interested you should inquire about openings - maybe you can get a spot and have your own swearing in.
Tomorrow night we have an EDA meeting at 6:30pm - come on by if you’re interested.
Andy,
Are you sure that wasn’t Roberts in drag? I agree that there are almost the same faces at most meetings in the city, except when a group disagrees with something, then they seem to enlist anyone they can to speak against it even if they have no appreciation for the facts or the history of how the decision was actually made. We need for many more citizens to become active in community activities and policy making. I’m glad you have joined the EDA and became active in our community. Good luck with your actions on the EDA.
Gary,
Thanks for the response. As I’ve tried to get involved with City activities (or even follow along with them) one thing I’ve realized is that I don’t always know the history of how we got to whatever issue is being addressed. It’s tough because there’s not always an obvious way to get the needed background info. Even if you can find something, it’s not necessarily an objective assessment of the history of the issue.
But I figure you have to jump in somewhere.