I've been pondering whether to send in the green sheet, that invites us to tell the CAC our "ideas, reactions and questions on the Strategic Vision." "You may mail this page back to us by October 8 if you wish," it tells us.
I generally try not to spend time or energy on futile acts without a good reason. I think most people feel this way.
So the question this morning is, "What good will it do to put words on this green sheet and mail or deliver it to the township?"
So far, the impression I've gotten from the Strategic Vision Committee has been that it is not receptive to any ideas, reactions or questions that do not support its Vision as it has been set forth in its Draft Vision document. I arrived at this impression by way of the following:
1. A couple of months ago, a committee member told a group of my neighbors that the committee was not going to change anything in its draft.
2. Although postcards were handed out to those who attended the recent Town Forum, no further effort was made to encourage people to write down questions, or to collect the postcards, at least during the time I remained at the forum, which was longer than the vast majority of attendees.
3. Much of the "answer" portion of the Q&A at the Town Forum consisted of what appeared to be prepared lectures complete with Powerpoint slides which did not necessarily relate to the actual questions asked, and which seemed designed to bore people to death by going into a lot of detail on points that were not being questioned. This strategy seemed to work. People left in droves before the Q&A session ended.
4. One committee member was seen tossing a stack of handouts we brought to the Town Forum into a trash can. Her response to the comment that the handouts weren't where they had been placed was to pretend to look for them unsuccessfully, including looking in the same trash can into which she had tossed them.
This, along with the questions I asked at the Town Forum, tells me that the committee already has an idea of what my ideas, reactions and questions are.
But there were many other people who came to the Town Forum and left without asking a question, and this leads me to wonder whether their ideas, reactions and questions will ever be known. I know there were a lot of people who looked at this blog in the days prior to the Town Forum - over 100 within just one 24 hour period.
So if any of you are still reading, please do fill out the green sheet and send it to the township. Or, better yet, go to the comment form on the township website and voice your thoughts.
If you mail in the green sheet, the instructions say to mail "by October 8." October 8 is a federal holiday and there will not be any mail pickup or delivery on that date. But I am sure that the CAC will accept your input if it is postmarked on October 9.
So please exercise your right to voice your opinion on these issues.