Town Hall – June 3, 2020

Overcome by Events:

“Getting the cheese off my chest

Open mike Wednesday!

From the email and calls received following Town Hall #3 and recent events, there was strong desire for Town Hall participants to have “time at the microphone.” So, the Town Hall #4  digressed from the published agenda on municipal budgeting and conducted an open the forum for dialog.

Two phrases seemed appropriate: “Overcome By Events” (“OBE”) and “getting the cheese off my chest,” a phrase used by Carl Cain, the soft-spoken, modest & renowned University of Iowa basketball player and Olympian.

The context for the forum was came from Town Hall #1:

Goal: Vibrant, just, communities

Challenge:  To balance public sector services with the ability and willingness to pay for them.

“Polarity Management 101”: We must honor opposing, seemingly conflicting values and find a balance between them. This is best accomplished by recognizing each other’s fears, but focusing on positive aspects of both poles, working together to find an appropriate balance

“7 Keys to a Respectful Meetings”: Listen attentively; Respect opinions of others; Keep an open mind; Give constructive comments, suggestions & feedback; Avoid Personal attacks; Remember the things we have in common; Value people, the process, and the results.