When you're in school you are graded for how successful you were in a particular subject. The same goes for how you perform on your job. If you were to grade our City Council and city planners, what grades would you give them? Here's a couple of areas I have thought about and perhaps you have additional ones. These are in no particular order.
A=Excellent, B=Above Average, C=Average, D=Below Average, F=Failure, NA=Don't know, not applicable
1. Does our City Council spend your tax dollars appropriately? __
2. Overall, does the City Council make sound financial decisions? __
3. Does the City Council communicate clearly and understandably to their constituents their decision-making process? __
4. Does the City Council illicit citizen feedback and utilize that in their decision making? __
5. Does the City Council always base their recommendations on present moment facts and sound data? __
6. Have they met with you personally or held neighborhood chats regarding your concerns? __
7. If they saw you on the street would they recognize you? __
8. Is our City Council a "can do it yourself" kind of governing body? __
9. Is our City Council attuned to the to the pulse of the businesses on Main Street? __
10. Has the City Council ever reached out to you for your advice/opinion? __
11. When you've emailed or phoned your councilor did you receive (or not) an immediate response? __ Explain:
12. Are city councilors well versed in Keene's history? __
13. Does our City Council take Keene's historical imperative into consideration when making decisions? __
14. Does the City Council treat all Keene citizens equally when considering citizen's requests/issues/problems? __
15. Is the City Council relying too much on consultants and the hope that grants will offset the taxpayers financial burden? __ Explain:
16. Is our City Council forward in their thinking about future needs, re. affordable housing, homelessness? __
17. Do our city planners abide by the current Master Plan as it is currently written? __
STEPHEN SERAICHICK
Keene