Comments on: LINDEMAN: Give Leaders Credit for Getting Involved

By: Mary Finney

Mary Finney — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:56:06 +0000

Hi Bruce — I am indeed aware of your goal and purpose in writing the above piece. I was simply pointing out that persons who are elected or appointed to make decisions for a community were not forced to do so. Your failure to address the current tense relations between many town citizens and their elected agents, to me, was glaring and significant, and I felt compelled to comment.

And Donna — I’ve only been reading the Cape Charles Wave for a few weeks, but I am happy to say that I have not encountered any remarks that were ugly, or any personal attacks. I absolutely agree that we can and should exercise our 1st Amendment Freedoms in a polite and civil manner, and I am glad to see that done here.

By: Bruce Lindeman

Bruce Lindeman — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:42:33 +0000

If anyone needs it, here’s a link to the town’ web site. Specifically, the link is to the application to serve on a town board, such as the planning commission. Come on, get in that arena!

http://www.capecharles.org/documents/20100325-Boards-CommissionApplication.pdf

By: Donna Bozza

Donna Bozza — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:58:53 +0000

Well said, Bruce. It’s so easy to sit on the sidelines and pitch those tomatoes; more of us should get involved. There is a difference between holding public officials accountable to their responsibilities as we should, and getting down and dirty with ugly, personal attacks. It’s sad we see way too much of the latter.

By: Bruce Lindeman

Bruce Lindeman — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:32:09 +0000

Hi Mary — My thoughts weren’t about the honesty and/or openess of our town leadership. That was not my goal in writing this piece.

My thoughts were about us all getting more involved in helping to shape the decisions that affect our town. Whether I agree or nor with groups such as OSCC, at least they are creating dialog and trying to prevent what happened with the old HIgh School from occuring again. It’s action.

We can hold our leaders to task. We can impact who leads through our vote. We can shift the dialog by simply showing up and voicing our concerns and getting rules, code, and even laws changed if they are working against us.

But, doing all of the above requires action and it requires mass. These are things we can do and should do.

By: Deborah Bender

Deborah Bender — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:57:25 +0000

When and if our our Mayor and current town council (with the exception of Frank Wendell) actually start to listen to what the residents have to say, then and only then would I get involved. I do plenty of volunteering for OSCC and Cape Charles Christian School both of which I have a dog in the fight. My husband’s father graduated from that Historic old school on June 1, 1944 and my grandson attends the Christian School.

By: Mary Finney

Mary Finney — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:17:36 +0000

Mr. Lindeman makes a good point here: serving in an elected or appointed position is not an easy job (at any level), and is often thankless, or worse. Those who step up and take on that responsibility deserve to be commended. However, it is the DUTY of each and every elected (and appointed) official to be honest and open with the community that he or she serves. In reading this piece, I noticed that Mr. Lindeman has avoided addressing that most important point. While it is certainly a noble task to encourage citizens to become involved in the workings of their local government, I feel that this is not the problem or the issue here. In fact, I will argue that those who speak out in disagreement (I’m sorry to see them referred to as “critics” here) ARE involved and ARE participating. There is a time and place for everything; perhaps now a little complaining is justified.

By: Roger L. Munz

Roger L. Munz — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:01:34 +0000

Bruce, I for one applaud your idea, and realize that often it takes a village to accomplish many of life’s worthwhile things. And perhaps the town administration would open up for the residents, and, as a new year’s resolution, become more transparent. Many of the problems this past year stem from the lack of openness and the town’s perceived need for secrecy in most all matters. This being the case, it becomes very difficult to work with the town due to the lack of a willing dialogue. I firmly believe there are many town residents ready and willing to take up this challenge, to think outside the box, and express new ideas in a joint town and resident taskforce. But this must be a two-sided effort if any progress can be expected. Dare we hope for a brighter future?