Resident or Citizen? (January Newsletter)

In the midst of the current political climate, I was privileged to go to an Encinitas Town Council meeting… by the way, you are pre-invited to the same in your town, and you should go. Let me say, democracy is very alive and very healthy at the local level.

I attended our meeting because the Town has been facing challenges with the cycling community and shared road policies. The Council was nearing some decisions in Leucadia which might make everyday use of all 2-wheel vehicles safer, so I was all in.

I did not understand that there were far more issues on the agenda. One was to appoint a new Council member to a recently vacated post. There were 8 self-nominees. Each had 5 minutes to present themselves, followed by a 3 minute opportunity for supporters to state their case.

One of the supporters of Kellie Shay Hinze, the ultimate winner, said the following: “Kellie has the ability to mobilize people. She converts residents in our community, to citizens.”

What a simple, yet profound statement, “convert resident to citizens.” It caused me to think about my town and my involvement. It also helped focus my eye on the Community of Businesses in our Sport and Active Lifestyle space here at SDSI. There are quite a few business residents… and there are quite a few citizens as well. It’s easy to know where we each fit.

Our SDSI challenge in 2019 is simple: we are looking for more citizens to jump in and help us create commerce, new companies and new jobs in San Diego. So, if you’ve got a business or community leader in mind, even if you’re not sure if they’re a fit, send us a message and let us know. The more members we have, the more GOOD we can do! As Lou Holtz said famously: “It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing!”

-bob

View the full January newsletter HERE