Appointment time!

'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the city, budgets and appointments were ready and folks were darn near giddy.

Okay, maybe not "giddy" but it was the best I could come up with for the rhyme.

Tonight, the Mayor and Council will review applications for appointments to our Boards and Commissions. There are some outstanding applications. Our neighbors are extraordinary. It is a great sign for our community that so many are willing to volunteer their services and ideas to help our town thrive.

This is a chance for people to both come together and work together. It is exciting. Civility and consensus are not as easy as complaints and rancor, but I know they are worth the effort.

Friday at the RRC committee, we had some great discussions about some of the thorny issues facing us. Things like: How do we better support ourselves year round? What can we do to get ready for the future way that embraces who we are? And in a town that is notoriously expensive, how do we find affordable options for everything from housing to lunch? It was a good and honest discussion. Our committee is a group with varied backgrounds and experiences and it is exciting to try to think through things together. I left the meeting hopeful.

This is how it begins.

Tonight, I hope some of those who feel like they are on the outside are invited in to join us in the hard work of shaping next steps. Cheers and congratulations to all our city's appointees new and old. There is a lot of work to do and I know we can do it together!