Our community is blessed to have the kind and brilliant Larry Dzieza giving so generously of himself! That Larry uses his knowledge and experience with government, budgets, management, analysis to help citizens understand things like the RFA/Proposition 1 is a gift to us ordinary people. And we ordinary people don't get that from our elected officials at all, in my experience.
My City only seems to hear the voices they want to hear--the voices of special interests.
My experience of our City of Olympia elected officials leaves me distrusting and cynical. My experience has been that i can speak up and speak out about what's important to me and us, over and over for years, and talk 'till i'm blue in the face,' and they'll maybe let me speak for two or three timed minutes, but it won't matter what i've said, they will never listen and hear what i, and others, have to say... I can absolutely count on being ignored. Every time.
Above, Larry says so compellingly:
"Regarding improving or maintaining high-quality fire and emergency services, please take this opportunity to learn from the voters. Learn from your own employees. Don’t hire more public information officers or consultants to hone your messaging; they won’t help you improve your listening.
Instead, reach out to those who opposed the RFA and create a community forum for a true dialog unconstrained by vested interests and predetermined outcomes and where the community can talk and learn from each other to find the best means to the end that we all share."
Yet, its wishful thinking on Larry's part (and mine too) that our elected officials will ever sincerely engage with and listen to the voices of the smart and well organized group of people who successfully worked to defeat the RFA because it was so bad! They never have before in my experience. They blow us off systematically and routinely. Our words fall on deaf ears.
WHY? I ASK YOU WHY??
And i'd be willing to bet anybody who'd be foolish enough to take me on that Lisa Parshley and the other City Council members (except Clark Gillman who was the single no vote when the Council voted to send Prop 1 to the voters) would never ever, EVER, "create a community forum for a true dialog unconstrained by vested interests and predetermined outcomes and where the community can talk and learn from each other to find the best means to the end that we all share" for essential fire and emergency service. Believe me.
Prove me wrong, Lisa Parshley, et all...
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