In the past several decades, every disease and body part, every behavior and social issue, has developed a support group.  Those tasked with the lofty goals of managing large corporations or countries have ‘think tanks’ that spend countless hours brainstorming.  Book groups, parent groups, and groups for every sport or cultural activity abound.  Where once the fabric of our communities was the neighborhood pot-lucks and coffee on the front porch, the new model for social strategy appears to be the ‘support group’!  AND..that brings me to my OWN support group, and ACCOUNTABLILITY for my use of taxpayer funds to improve my knowledge, increase my ability to serve, and afford me the opportunity to showcase Golden and network with others about common issues.

Going into my 6th year as an elected official, ie City Councilor, in Golden, that ‘support group’ has been prominent via the Colorado Municipal League (CML) at the State level, and National League of Cities (NLC) at the National level.  These two entities are the support system for learning and networking for thousands of community elected officials who choose to serve.  Over the past 5 years, I have attended 3 of the NLC Congressional Conferences in Washington, DC, 5 of our State CML conferences, and, most recently, the NLC Congress of Cities in Orlando, last month, where I received a Certificate for Leadership Training at the Bronze level.  Each time that I attend, I have provided to fellow Councilors and Staff a brief statement of my education.  SO..WHAT DID I LEARN IN ORLANDO?

1. Connecting transportation and land use is not a ‘straight line’ and involves moving people, not just building roads.
    
2. Sustainable communities have higher density housing within ¼-1/2 mile from the downtowns and transit centers.
    
3. Local action moves the world.
    
4. A ‘community index’ includes the environment, the economy and the society.
    
5. ‘Inclusive cities’ means different things to different communities.  In Selma, Alabama, it is still about civil rights.
    
6. ‘Going green’ is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ effort.  It takes citizen input, like our Sustainability Committee, to engage folks and come up with the perfect fit for Golden.
    
7. Teen issues are most often the last to be addressed.  There is a Mayor’s Youth Council idea afloat to help educate and engage these future leaders of our communities in the city operations and plans.  How about a ‘green teen’ movement in Golden?
    
8. Solutions are not found….they are CREATED.
    
9. Complaints, without offering solution options, are ‘whining’.
    
10. BANANA…….Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything!  (Not really a good frame work for planning responsibly!)
     
11. Al Gore underestimated climate change.
     
12. You can see a space shuttle launch from any place in Orlando, 60 miles from the Cape!
     
13. Citizens and Councils should focus on what they want, rather than what they don’t want.
     
14. If you attend enough of these conferences, in addition to the education and experience, you will never need to buy another pen or pay for any scratch pads!
     
15. Finally, CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS!  36% is tone, volume inflection, 57% is non-verbal posture and facial expression, and only about 7% is the words you utter.  Think about what you have to say, and do it in 60 seconds or less! 
     
16. If you are not already connected to the Mayor’s e-newsletter, please e-mail Jacob to get on the list to receive pertinent city updates and information at jsmith@cityofgolden.net.

With that, I will close by WISHING YOU ALL A WONDERFUL AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON, AND A HEALTHY NEW YEAR.

Karen Oxman, Mayor Pro-tem, District 2 Councilor
koxman@cityofgolden.net