Silence Is Over-Rated

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 13^th; 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.