Some things to think about....
What is the actual mission/reason for creating a townshipwide council?
What will we accomplish by it's creation?
Will you and/or your neighborhood association join and participate actively in the council?
Will you have time to attend meetings regularly enough to make it worthwhile for both you and the new council?
Is a 'virtual' organization, mostly 'meeting' online and using email and listservs or even instant messaging to communicate a more viable option for busy community leaders?
Do we all have enough common issues, that we share to bring together such diverse organizations with clearly more parochial concerns needing attention?
How dedicated to the general welfare of the township can you and your organization be?
Would a 'coalition' model be more useful that might bring together associations when and if they share common concerns, and when the matter has been dealt with, might they 'retreat' until either their own situation changes/arises, or their unique expertise is called for to help other Wayne area organizations?
Will a 'council' model create a 'super' group which may make decisions or wield power that is not in the best interests of the whole?
Is a less structured organization better suited to keep everything and every organization on a level playing field? Or is more structure necessary to keep it active and effective?
Does it have any authority over it's members?
What if you disagree with a position taken? Will you let that decision divide it? Or you and your organization from it?
If a group does not step forward and make statements or support positions, there may be no need to organize it at all.
Is an all-township based council redundant in the face of other broad based organizations already in existence? Or will more local decision-making be possible by creation of a council OR coalition model?
I do not suggest that a council is in any way a bad idea or not needed.
I can think of many reasons we may need to organize--in one form or another. And I can think of many reasons why it could be more trouble than it might be worth, in the end, if not planned and executed carefully.
I merely wonder how able we are to create and sustain it.
Perhaps we should just try it and see what happens, but I sincerely hope that we all will remain friends if we can't make it work as we hope it will.
What do YOU think?
What is the actual mission/reason for creating a townshipwide council?
What will we accomplish by it's creation?
Will you and/or your neighborhood association join and participate actively in the council?
Will you have time to attend meetings regularly enough to make it worthwhile for both you and the new council?
Is a 'virtual' organization, mostly 'meeting' online and using email and listservs or even instant messaging to communicate a more viable option for busy community leaders?
Do we all have enough common issues, that we share to bring together such diverse organizations with clearly more parochial concerns needing attention?
How dedicated to the general welfare of the township can you and your organization be?
Would a 'coalition' model be more useful that might bring together associations when and if they share common concerns, and when the matter has been dealt with, might they 'retreat' until either their own situation changes/arises, or their unique expertise is called for to help other Wayne area organizations?
Will a 'council' model create a 'super' group which may make decisions or wield power that is not in the best interests of the whole?
Is a less structured organization better suited to keep everything and every organization on a level playing field? Or is more structure necessary to keep it active and effective?
Does it have any authority over it's members?
What if you disagree with a position taken? Will you let that decision divide it? Or you and your organization from it?
If a group does not step forward and make statements or support positions, there may be no need to organize it at all.
Is an all-township based council redundant in the face of other broad based organizations already in existence? Or will more local decision-making be possible by creation of a council OR coalition model?
I do not suggest that a council is in any way a bad idea or not needed.
I can think of many reasons we may need to organize--in one form or another. And I can think of many reasons why it could be more trouble than it might be worth, in the end, if not planned and executed carefully.
I merely wonder how able we are to create and sustain it.
Perhaps we should just try it and see what happens, but I sincerely hope that we all will remain friends if we can't make it work as we hope it will.
What do YOU think?
