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Health & Fitness

A Forum for Public Discussion

I got in trouble a few months ago by retweeting a quote a friend of mine had tweeted.  The quote was:

 “When someone tells me "no," it doesn't mean I can't do it, it simply means I can't do it with them.” ― Karen E. Quinones Miller

I added the following: “…yet.”

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My intent was to point out that there is always room for education, illumination, and debate especially in the realm of public discussion and policy.  I intended to point to the fact that there is always something to learn, and perhaps to teach.  I was instead chastised for encouraging the act of trying to get someone to change their mind.  (I still think I was right!)

Some time ago, I and a few others began the process of getting an area council established for Waban.  Both Newton Highlands and Upper Falls have benefitted from having a group come together to discuss issues affecting the village and to come up with solutions together as a community.  As we walked street to street gathering the necessary signatures from 20% of the registered voters in the area, many asked why we would possibly want to insert another level of government into our lives.

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Area Councils don’t supplant City government and – if done well – they will not create village v. village competition (except for sports perhaps).  They have however provided a model for hyper-local engagement on issues and items to be fixed that otherwise might not get proper attention.  They also provide a mechanism for community building and for civic engagement.  They work alongside organizations like the Hyde Community Center, the Waban Improvement Society, and Beautiful Newtonville to bring the hands of the village together to fix the physical things that must be fixed and which are outside of the realm of City Government.

Due to their nature, they also provide a forum in which an individual village’s voice can be developed on critical issues.  Given our experience in Waban, items of high interest and controversy have brought people with wide and passionate interests to the table.  In providing a forum for discussion, the Area Council also becomes a place for education, debate, illumination, and – eventually, if we are very good, and lucky – consensus.

Debate in the public realm can only ever help to move along the community’s understanding of the issues.  It is not about imposing the will of one set of ideas, but of learning from each other and continuing a dialogue of what we want our City to be.

Chris Steele is running for the city-wide office of Alderman at Large, Ward 5.  You can learn more at www.steele4newton.org or by contacting him at steelch@yahoo.com

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