Everyone in public works appreciates a beautiful bridge so I am passing on a link to the “16 Incredibly Colorful Bridges” post at the Color + Design Blog. This site is offering up inspiring photos/images of beautiful bridges from around the world and includes a color palette lifted from each image. Thanks to @bashley over at Twitter for passing this along.
Poor Jack, he could never get hold of me on the phone. Little surprise. We both work in construction and spend most of our day lining up work and crews, securing materials, overseeing projects out in the field, and dealing with the general problems that arise each day on a construction site. With all that, who’s got time to play phone tag. But when Jack needs to get in touch with me over a project his company is building for the city, he needs an answer right now. On a construction site time is money and problems don’t wait.
I have to give Jack credit. He has patiently put up with this through the years, usually working through my secretary or other city employees who could track me down to find the answer. Why was I so hard to get hold of? Because communication takes time, and Jack is not the only one trying to reach me. Over the years, I have wrestled with how much time to spend talking on the phone and listening to voice mail. If I took care of 100% of all calls, I would never have time to actually work – my whole day would be spent on the phone. I really needed some way to communicate with people like Jack who are just looking for a quick answer, but who need it right now.
Then I got my new phone with an unlimited texting option. And then I asked Jack if he would mind trying to text me instead of calling. He took to it right away, and we have been successfully communicating for many weeks now. In fact, by using this method, Jack now has a better connection to me than anyone else on any other project. I can be in meetings with developers and the mayor and still answer Jack’s questions immediately.
Sometimes our texts consist of only one word, but sometimes only one word is needed to get the message across. For example, one day he texted “KFC.” Because we are in the process of deciding which contractor will pave the alley behind the KFC restaurant, I knew he was asking me what we decided.
Now Jack and I are not the typical text user – we are both in the over 45 crowd and grew up with rotary dial phones. But Jack, like many contractors, is a focused man of few words, and I think he would agree that texting fits his communication style and works as a successful communication solution. Now I want to ask other contractors, “Do you text?”
Recently I read a blog about the need for the federal government to rebrand their Uncle Sam image. Well, after watching the way government at all levels is accepting more and more responsibility for fixing everyday problems faced by Americans, I think I have a suggestion. Instead of Uncle how about Dad or Mom?
Why am I suggesting such a crazy idea? Because government is bailing Americans out of having to pay for their mortgages like a parent would help out a child who got in over their head. Because people fighting with their neighbors approach city hall to ask for help in getting along and resolving disputes like they would go to mom or dad over a fight with siblings. Because people don’t check out the rules before they make a decision to purchase homes or launch businesses and then expect city hall to sort out the mess.
Often I wonder why this is happening. Why are people turning more and more to government for help with issues and problems that in the “old days” were handled privately? Sometimes I think it might be the movement of folks away from childhood friends and family. Without a strong family or community connection perhaps people do not get the advice and help that was offered when people used to live and work in the same small town all their life. And so they turn to the only “person” who will help: the government – usually the local government. But lately the state and federal government are stepping in to help out too.
So this brings up the next question: is this what we want from our government? Obviously the people who are asking for help and receiving it must want it. But should government accept this parental position? In our city, officials seem to be accepting this responsibility more and more each year. The reason is that we care a lot about our citizens and businesses so we want them to be happy and successful. And if our citizens are doing well, the community will reflect that.
Of course there is a significant cost to all this which leads into the need to set limits on how far government steps into this parental role. With which issues and problems should the government assist and should cost be figured into the decision? And are citizens willing to pay more taxes to get this personalized care? I would be very interested in hearing from others on their feelings about this or their own experiences dealing with this issue.
In the end, I don’t think the federal government will abandon the Uncle Sam image, but maybe we can get a newly elected position at the local government level. I suggest City Mom or City Dad.
A few weeks ago, I was introduced to Greever Wemyss (Second Life name) by a mutual friend who realized we both have an interest in local government and its use of Web 2.0 and virtual worlds. After a few discussions, we decided that we would create a Second Life group that is specifically focused on local government to work in parallel with our involvement in the Real Life in Second Life Government group. We felt it was important to create this additional group to avoid cluttering up the other group with specific issues that might not interest those in state and federal government.
Our first meeting will be Mon., Sept. 8, 2008, at 1:00 p.m. EST. in the Civic Forum area on Public Works Island. We will start with an open agenda. Anyone working in or having an interest in local government is encouraged to stop by and contribute. If you can’t make the meeting, you can also join the group MuniGov 2.0 in Second Life to receive notices of future meetings and meeting minutes.