We had an expression when I was
in the Air Force ‘nothing is impossible for the person who doesn’t have to do it.”
I’m thinking about that as based on my
attempted 3rd-grade class presidency, I nevertheless offer advice to
our City Council as they continue their budget deliberations.
And, before you ask, no, I didn’t
win that election. And yes, I am aware the greatest thing about unsolicited
advice is there’s no obligation to pay attention to it. With that as prologue:
Norwich is not the only municipality
in Connecticut trying to balance wants and wallet, but somehow that’s of small
solace as the balancing act continues. Across Connecticut, our state legislators
and Governor continue to weigh and measure what services are needed by us, the
citizens, and which ones we can continue to afford.
Everything we buy for our
families has increased in price and that's as true as well for the goods and
services government at all levels. The Norwich City Manager offered his vision
of a budget predicated on protecting the lives and property of residents and
businesses while also developing a plan for long-term economic sustainability.
Now the men and women of the City Council are refining that vision. And if you
have ideas that can make their job easier, this is as good a time as any to offer
them.
If you’ve downloaded and reviewed
a copy of the proposed budget attended or followed along via the City’s
website any of the Department presentations or the first public hearing (the second one is May 13th; write it down if you haven’t already), I
should say thank you, except (and don’t get me wrong about this) it’s our job
as residents to be both informed and involved in how our city works. So, while all
of that is a good start, let’s face it, Norwich is a city of good starts. It’s
getting things to the finish line where we sometimes seem to have difficulties.
An annual budget and the process
of its creation doesn’t define who we are as a city, but it should be one of the
tools we use to shape the priorities, circumstances, and conditions we want as a
city, to grow and thrive. Speaking and (more importantly) listening to elected
officials and to one another, be it via social media comments, letters to
newspaper editors, or at public hearings while developing that financial
road map is critically important especially now because for too many years too
few of us chose to become involved.
If you don’t speak up and
advocate for your vision of Norwich you can’t expect anyone else to do it for
you. And if you’ve decided to remain silent at this moment when your words are
most urgently needed, you deserve what you get. Everything has a price and
everything has a cost in what we do, and perhaps, more importantly, what we choose
to NOT do. Nothing happens in Norwich unless we make it happen, so make something happen.
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