At the end of 2013, Sonoma City Council took another stab at setting goals for itself. The 2014/2015 goals can be found on the City’s website, and we encourage you to take a look.
Whether we agree with the goals or not, Council’s purpose in setting them was to keep itself focused throughout the year on accomplishing things that need to be done and, just as important, that residents of the City want them to do.
That last part was a serious shortcoming of the goal-setting process. For while City residents were invited to participate, only a ludicrously small number did. Two (2), to be precise.
Whatever the reasons for poor participation, in the interest of good government it only makes sense for the current Council — three of whom are brand new — to re-open the goal-setting process and earnestly solicit the ideas and input of City residents. Until that happens, neither Council nor the public can be confident that what Council is doing is what residents expect of them.
A re-opened process could also be an opportunity to correct another very serious shortcoming of the current goals, namely, a lack of specificity. The current goals are not at all clear as to what specific things Council intends to actually achieve. They are more in the nature of hopes and aspirations than tangible targets whose accomplishment can be clearly seen or measured.
From experience, we all know that “Lose weight this year” isn’t a serious goal. “Lose a pound a week for 20 weeks, as measured by the bathroom scale ” is a specific goal with a clear measure of progress: Same time each week, get on the scale and look — it happened or it didn’t.
That’s not the case with Council’s current goals. For example, one such goal reads: “Implement and practice Smart Growth Strategies; review design standards that encourages (sic) social, civic and physical activity.” Can anyone coherently explain exactly what that means, how to measure achievement or what success would look like? Does “Balance City Character” mean more, or fewer, tasting rooms around the Plaza?
Where does the balance get struck and how will we know?
This lack of specificity permeates the goals, leaving room to read whatever one wants to see there, when often there’s no there-there at all. That’s not fair to residents of the City, nor is it fair to Council members, new and old, that they be judged by such vague ‘standards.’
The election of three new faces on Council presents a fresh opportunity to revisit and strengthen the Goals by making them more explicit and more measurable — with help from constituents.
To that end, we invite you, our readers, to send us specific things you think Sonoma City Council should accomplish in 2015. $20/hr. minimum wage ordinance?” Rent control? Ban leaf-blowers? Ban smoking? Allow boating on the duck pond? You decide.
While you’re at it, let us know what you think the County Board of Supervisors should do, and the Sonoma Valley Unified School District school board, too. We believe all elected representatives want to be responsive to the wishes and aspirations of voters and this is a chance to help them do so.
Send your ideas to Letters@sonomasun.com or mail to The Sun at 1051-F Broadway, Sonoma CA 95476. Include your name and address, which we won’t publish if you don’t want us to
It is always easy to criticize elected officials on the performance of their duties and responsibilities. But in fairness to them and the hours they devote to public service, they can’t do the job we expect of them unless they first clearly understand what it is we expect. We hope you will accept this invitation to tell them.
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