Let’s Respect the Process

An Editorial by Dave Freneaux

    Good, productive and well organized things do not happen spontaneously.  It is May and the first meeting of the 2011 Christmas Festival organizing committee took place Tuesday at noon.  Cooking in Central just happened last month yet the Cooking Board met this week and volunteers have already been recruited to organize Cookin’ 2012.  The Mayor’s City Services Committee began meeting last October and worked for seven months to hire IBTS as Central’s new City Services contractor.  Hundreds of people, working intentionally, set processes in motion to accomplish these large tasks.  Let’s Respect the Process.

    I could name many efforts, events and organizations that could serve as examples of processes that work, including the City of Central itself and the Central Community School Board.  Ordinances, policies, rules and procedures are constantly being considered, updated, refined and adopted which are intended to improve our City and Schools.  Anyone attending any one meeting in these processes may indeed fail to see the direction or purpose of any one decision, but the process moves steadily along and makes gains every month.  Let’s Respect the Process.

    We have become accustomed to getting everything we want RIGHT NOW.  Microwaves, emails, texts, overnight shipping and fast food joints have fooled us into believing that intentional and well planned progress is not immediate enough.  In fact, every example in the last two paragraphs supports the concept that well organized things do not happen spontaneously.  Let’s exhibit a little patience and willingness to work, and let’s Respect the Process.

    Having been immersed in raising children and being involved in all of their activities for all of their lives, I sent them off to college, looked around our new City, and found there were dozens of ways to get involved in the process.  I also found that every group involved in intentional and well planned efforts welcomed any volunteers who were willing to help the process along.  No closed doors, only people glad to have the help.  However, there were successful processes in place in these groups, so I did have to learn to Respect the Process.

    So the point of all of this is?  If I don’t like the way the City Council handles an issue, I should go talk to Council Members…that is the process.  If the School Board is considering an action with which I disagree, I need to voice my opinion at a School Board meeting and speak to my School Board member…that is the process.  If I want an explanation of why an elected official spoke or acted in a certain way, I should call or email the official, and they should respond…that is the process.  If I dislike an ordinance or feel a new ordinance needs to be written, I should find a Council Member willing to sponsor the ordinance…that is the process.  So the next time anyone is tempted to complain about something in Central, please consider first exploring what processes are in place for jumping in and becoming a part of the solution.  Let’s Respect the Process.