I hear there\u2019s a movement afoot to tar and feather me and run me out of town for my yes vote on the barn.\u00a0This is disappointing on a number of levels, the most important being\u00a0the chilling effect it may have on Avon residents\u00a0considering a future\u00a0run for town council. Why volunteer to serve the community\u00a0when you may\u00a0be eviscerated in public \u2014 and private \u2014 by those on the opposing side of a vote you cast? Or worse yet, those with a personal ax to grind taking advantage of a contentious community issue.<\/p>\n
The biggest challenge of being an elected, even in a little\u00a0town like ours,\u00a0is considering all perspectives \u2014 even those delivered on a bed of insults \u2014 before\u00a0determining a course of action. We need to listen hard\u00a0to both the\u00a0shouts and the whispers, but\u00a0at the end of the day,\u00a0 our task is to take the time to dig deep on each issue and vote our conscience. I\u2019ve heard people criticize electeds who change their position on an issue, like that\u2019s a bad thing. If they are doing their homework,\u00a0giving serious consideration to the opposing view, and are\u00a0not beholden to a puppet master,\u00a0it is inevitable that will happen from time to time. And that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n
Another concern is the single-issue focus. There are a handful\u00a0of decisions\u00a0which previous councilors have made in the 26 years I\u2019ve lived in Avon that made my hair stand on end. Despite this, I always\u00a0respected their body of work and dedication to the community and\u00a0assumed they exercised due diligence in making those decisions.<\/p>\n
We\u00a0may not have done a good job at keeping constituents up to speed on everything we are working on\u00a0at the town of Avon. It\u2019s a full plate of operational and\u00a0aspirational goals all governed by prudent fiscal management, our primary responsibility. Top of mind for me: attainable housing for the \u201cmissing middle,\u201d long-term drought planning, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction, water quality, first-class\u00a0municipal services, Opportunity Zone initiatives and investments in infrastructure and programs to ensure Avon continues to thrive as a year-round\u00a0tourist and worker-based economy.<\/p>\n
The town of Avon is home to 6,500 full-time residents and 3,500 part-timers. Of our 3,600 registered voters, 1984 cast ballots in the Avon election in November. More than 50 Avon residents took the time to provide\u00a0input on the barn. By my count, we also\u00a0heard from more than\u00a030 people who\u00a0live outside Avon\u2019s boundaries who felt compelled to weigh in on the future of the barn.<\/p>\n
Thanks to each of you who contributed to the dialogue on the barn. Regardless of the barn\u2019s ultimate fate, and despite the low blows\u00a0 \u2014 yes, it really hurt being compared to Trump \u2014 I value and give full\u00a0consideration to everyone\u2019s input. Stay engaged!<\/p>\n