Tuesday, January 22, 2013


A Call for a New Citizenship

Before I came to the City of Eau Claire, I was aware of the Civic Engagement process and all the work being done with Clear Vision. I truly believe that an actively engaged citizenry is important to addressing the existing and future challenges facing our community.  Effective and enduring civic engagement requires the development and adoption of a community-wide, problem-solving skill set offered to our citizens.

Unfortunately, not all of our citizens are committed to the engagement process.  This is a call for a new citizenship for our City. This new citizenship should represent all of Eau Claire from our many different occupations, cultures, and perspectives. This new citizenship must remember that government is of, …  and by, ….. as well as for the people. It is a democracy whose politics is our common public work: where citizens are as prudent in deliberation as we expect our representatives to be; where public problem solving takes the place of private complaint; where all give life to liberty and where rights are complemented by the responsibilities that make them real. A citizen democracy turns blame of others into self-reliance and mutual aid. It transforms passive clients and consumers into active agents of change in our communities. It seeks structures to the public and to community and civic associations, and the renewal of government and civic institutions alike as sites for public work.

This new citizenship speaks from the vantage point of a 'third sector'—that vibrant array of voluntary associations, religious congregations, schools and colleges, the free press, professional groups, and community organizations that mediate between government and the market and that span the space between private life and the world of mega-institutions. It encourages the civic dimension of every identity—the renewal of the citizen-politician, truly "civil" civil servant, civic professional, civic-minded businessperson, religious leader, union activist, community organizer, and citizen-soldier.  

I would like to share with you a quote Martin Luther King, Jr. when he explained the purpose for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August of 1963.

"In a neighborhood dispute there may be stunts, rough words, and even hot insults; but when a whole people speaks to its government, the dialogue and the action must be on a level reflecting the worth of that people and the responsibility of that government."

We need to commit ourselves to a common citizenship that honors difference and incorporates diversity. From the myriad of races, cultures, and communities of interest, we draw shared values rooted not in sameness but in the common ground of our shared tasks and obligations to future generations. We shall regard our diversity as a strength. Citizenship is a bond that holds potential to unite people of radically diverse backgrounds, ages, and viewpoints. It allows us to enter public life with equal dignity, no matter what our social or economic status.

The New Citizenship calls on all of us to reassert common agency and to repossess democracy. We need to continue to invite our fellow citizens to make Eau Claire a community of choice and provide a home not only for us, but for generations to come.

In closing here is another quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.

"There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

Friday, January 4, 2013

Welcome to 2013


As we enter into 2013, I wanted to share with you this story that I read on a friend’s  Facebook page, regarding a farmer and his donkey.
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

The moral of the story is:
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

As we begin this new year, I would like you to remember five simple rules to be happy:
     1.  Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
     2.  Free your mind from worries - Most never happens.
     3.  Live simply and appreciate what you have.
     4.  Give more (that one extra degree).
     5.  Expect less from people but more from yourself.