A wise person once said, “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”
In Edmonds, we are taking actions without having a vision. And we do it over, and over, and over again.
Each independent action our mayor and city council take will make a difference, and it will deliver us to a place that is different than today, but is that a place anyone actually wants to go? Many of these decisions will impact future generations, and there is no undo button.
A few recent local issues that have significant impact and significant public interest: housing, the tree code, hiring a police chief, the connector, walkable main street, streateries, bike lanes, the hate portal, the marsh, budgeting, and the list goes on. Are you happy with the process that took place with any of these? I am not.
Each of these would be easier to address if residents, elected officials and staff had first worked together to identify common values and a common vision for the city.
These are just a few of the plans advancing at the same time, but not necessarily in a collaborative or coordinated manner.
- Capital Facilities Plan and the Capital Improvement Program. These are updated annually but identify capital projects for the next six years.There are about 126 separate projects for 2022 identified that range in budget from $455 to $9.7 million.
- The Comprehensive Plan revises population and employment growth forecasts and guides the city over a 20-year time period and guides development in the city impacting neighborhoods, businesses, traffic, the environment.
- Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) plan updated every six years.
- Climate Action Plan.
- Codes are also being reviewed and revised related to trees, multifamily design standards, electric vehicle charging, residential occupancy, bicycle parking, and sidewalks to name a few.
- And, the city just passed a budget.
I believe we need to plan holistically. I recommend we consider these steps:
- First, do a hard stop, pencils down on current multi-year plans.
- Undertake a city-wide visioning process that is driven by identification of community values.
- Create sub-area visioning by neighborhoods.
- Identify priorities based on critical needs (safety/infrastructure, etc).
- Inform the prioritization process by using statistically valid data.
- Ensure that identified priorities align with the vision.
- Ensure that sub-area plans also utilize data and align with the overall community vision and the neighborhood visions.
- Establish measurable metrics of success for each priority so we can agree on what success looks like.
- Identify overlapping priorities to utilize economies of scale and also to prevent unintentional consequences.
- Then, and only then, start looking at potential solutions.
Creating a vision will not be easy. Establishing priorities will not be easy. We will not all agree on either. We won’t always get what we want. As stakeholders, we will have a deeper understanding and investment in outcomes if we participate in the decision-making process and those decisions are informed and made using a meaningful and sincere public engagement process. A robust public engagement process requires easy, accessible and convenient opportunities for individuals to participate in decisions that affect them.
I believe that a process as outlined above will serve us well now and into the future. It might even reduce or prevent the levels of frustration and lack of trust that many residents have been experiencing.
I am constantly amazed at the wealth of knowledge and experience that this community has among its residents. I am also grateful to each resident who runs and serves as an elected, appointed and volunteer member of government, business, and non-profit organizations here. I am also grateful to those who show up and express their opinions and their suggestions. Great things happen when we collectively invest all the brain power we have as individuals … and then borrow even more from each other.
Another wise person once said “The future depends on what we do in the present.” ’d like to see us make some of these changes today, instead of someday.
— By Mike Rosen
Mike Rosen is an Edmonds resident
Outstanding, Mike. I’m afraid we may need to include the possibility that some have a vision that would never sell and would rather not have to explain it?
Mike when we did the Strategic Action Plan a few years ago that was a pretty good “visioning” plan for its time. We had more than 2500 folks involved in many sessions to try and pull some ideas together. If we dust off that plan, assess what has been done and what may still need some action it would remind us all of what kind of things go into things like the SAP. Such a read would give folks some fresh ideas on what’s next. But the format and process was very engaging.
The Civic Round Table has some of the processes you suggest and can also be a starting point. It almost always comes done to more ideas than money and that is where the prioritizing starts to take hold.
Good thoughts Mike.
Mike – thank you for this piece. This was an approach – vision first then action plan to reach that vision- that several of the commissioners on the Citizens Housing Commission tried to get implemented as a starting point in developing recommendations. The approach was tossed aside for a more “action only” approach. The lack of a holistic, values-base in the final CHC recommendations reflects that action-only approach. There are multiple citizen-based groups and individuals who continue to try to get Edmonds on a vision and values approach first as we move towards the Comprehensive Plan Update. Jim Ogonowski has been actively writing and talking about this since the formation of the CHC. I serve on the Board of the Alliance of Citizens for Edmonds [the Alliance, ACE]. The Alliance is ready to share in this vision and values work as well.
Mike,
Thank you for your thoughtful and well written piece.
The Mayor and his previous “gang of four” appeared to approach every decision in an ideological manner, rather than the wholistic, vision centered approach you propose.
The result has lead to conflicting policies, and a sense of a “ready, fire, aim” chaotic approach.
Hopefully, with Neil Tibbot being seated in the new year, we can move to the more vision centered approach as you suggest.