An adage that I have always tried to live by is to learn from the mistakes of others. This way I could minimize my personal proneness to err and not appear silly in certain situations. Unfortunately, life does not work that way, at least for me it hasn’t and as such I have made and will more than likely continue to make my fair share of blunders.
There are of course mitigating measures I can take advantage of and they do help to some varying degree. I sometimes “bounce” my thoughts and ideas off of my best friend Kate and when she is not around there is always Hershey, our cat. Often times he’s either eating, napping, or sunning himself and can’t be bothered unless it’s dinner time. That comes at 5:00 everyday at which point he’ll agree with anything I say as long as he gets his can of tuna.
Then there is meeting with fellow citizens on Sunday afternoons at the Council Chambers. This is my special opportunity to explore the diversity of topics and conversation with members of the community. I take advantage of this opportunity to solicit the thoughts, opinions, views and sentiments of the people who elected me to office. I normally bring reading material in the event few people show up. Fortunately there are always two or three community members who drop by to bring up a concern, ask for advice or air out a difference they may have with a position I took on an issue.
Some people are pleased with my opinions and views and some are less than pleased. Like most anyone else I enjoy listening to people who agree with me and particularly those who laud me for my views and opinions. I’m also prone to being quite proud of my accomplishments when I receive kudos on how I voted on an issue while seated on the dais. But oddly enough, I especially enjoy hearing from individuals who think I am incorrect, have taken leave of my senses or that I resemble a portion of the anatomy of a horse.
Whatever the dialogue, I keenly listen to these folks and I ask a lot of questions. I do this because I know all too well my view is not always the correct view nor are my ideas always the best approach to take on an issue. We are a community of 30,000 people in Foster City. We are male, female, young and old and every one of us may have an idea, view or opinion on any matter. By seeking out alternative views and opinions I am able to broaden my perspective and viewpoint and respond to the needs of the community with a better understanding.
This need to seek out the voice of the people is one of the most important things I’ve learned in the few months that I have had the privilege to serve you. I say seek because everybody has a different method of communicating. Some folks do it in public forums, some face to face and some in print. And this is a good thing. In a free and Democratic society for the system to work properly all of the people that comprise “We the people. . .” need to voice their opinions.
Our inalienable right to criticize and communicate with all elected servants in any manner is vital to keeping our government aware that they are there to represent the people. I’ll admit my feathers do get ruffled when I get a scathing tongue lashing from someone and I’m often disappointed in myself when I listen to someone who makes less than favorable comments about me, particularly when they’re correct and I am wrong. The fact of the matter is that this is my job, to listen and to try to place all matters into perspective. Then based on all of the available data to make the best decision for all concerned, which is not always as easy as it sounds.
George Soros recently wrote, “The strength of an open society lies in its ability to recognize and correct its mistakes. This is the test that confronts us”. I believe this to be an absolute. It is when we can no longer question our ability to falter and we judge anyone who questions our fallibility that we as a society begin our dissent into secularity and isolationism. It’s easy to listen to those who agree with you. Unfortunately there’s little to be learned there. I think I have learned a lesson from Hershey; it goes like this, you listen to me and I’ll listen to you. Communication is the most powerful tool that we as human beings possess, something we should exercise as often as possible.
I hope to see you at one of my Sunday meetings between 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M at the Council Chambers. Due to the Labor Day Weekend coming up I will not be available on September 3rd, but I will be back on regular schedule the next weekend. My next Council Corner will be about the Foster City Historical Society. Please don’t miss it.
If you have any questions or remarks you wish heard before then please feel free to call me at home (650) 349-2316 or you can contact me my email at jkiramis@fostercity.org.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you.
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