A note on community.

It's beyond absurd when anyone who works so hard to force their own will upon a community without input or consensus from that community responds to any criticism with claims of anti-community bias, negative outlook, and/or cynicism on the part of others. Using personal friendships and political clout to dominate proceedings and get one's way is the opposite of community building.

To the extent that certain "community leaders" ever grasp that, broader cooperation and collaboration may be possible. To the extent that they don't, conditions will continue to devolve. As a matter of that devolution, the only thing for which those "leaders" will be able to take credit is the destruction of potential and the unnecessary and counterproductive imposition of self-inflicted limitations on community strength.

A special addendum for Mayor Gahan: I very much hope that you understand the above in ways that your predecessor, who exacerbated said devolution, did not. A lot of the people currently whispering in your ear don't get it, either. If you pay close attention, you'll notice that their calls are most often not for increased inclusiveness but instead seek favor for their own very limited decision making.

There are numerous examples from around the region and country as to how to facilitate broader participation in community planning and implementation but they have consistently chosen not to employ them, even as they have continued to erroneously insist that they somehow represent community will or "good" sans the communication needed to establish what that actually is. Strong-arm tactics from the mayor's office in support of such absurdity will be counted as such, though I strongly prefer that not be the case and suggest we will all be better off if it isn't.