Trash talk and all: Taking lessons from council meetings | OUR CORNER

On Mondays, you’ll likely find me sitting in the back row of the council chambers, listening to a Renton City Council discuss local politics.

I listen to committee presentations, public comments, special hearings and the chitter chatter of everyday city dealings. I watch officials construct, deconstruct and reconstruct policy that’s meant to enrich the lives of residents.

One time I listened to a council talk about garbage for one hour. They talked about garbage. For. One. Hour.

I’m a 20-something-year old learning very slowly how to be an adult. I just didn’t realize how much garbage was involved in adulting.

Turns out our readers had a lot of feelings about garbage. Some were angry. Some were concerned. Some were straight-up crazy. The issue affected their everyday life, so rightfully, the story mattered. The implications of how the garbage was handled mattered. Garbage mattered.

More than learning about garbage matters, I’m learning what really makes a productive, healthy community.

I still haven’t wrapped my finger around the golden answer. But I have learned this – there is a fine line between choosing what benefits you right now, and what benefits the community in the long run.

As an unmarried millennial in the infant stages of adulthood, it is easier for me to think about the community as a whole and vote for measures and/or candidates who will benefit the entire city. If I were married with little nuggets running around a house, my priorities would likely shift. I might be inclined to put my family’s well-being before my city’s.

At the council meetings, I’ve observed council members and city officials grapple with the same dilemma. As public servants, they have to serve their residents and do what’s best for the city as a whole. However as residents, they have their opinions on what benefits them.

For example, is more economic development the answer for a vibrant city? Sure, it brings in more jobs and generate more revenue. But does it overlook the residents who are suffering the most? What about our moral obligation to provide for those who don’t have the resources to thrive?

What’s the right answer? How do you prioritize the needs and wants of a large, diverse population? How do you take care of all the people you serve in the most responsible way?

I don’t know.

What I do know is this – a productive, healthy community is built upon people who care.

People who care aren’t necessarily the answer. They often butt heads and disagree and fail to keep the peace. Caring often blurs into crazy and incoherent. Perhaps that’s why we need democracy.

However, it is people who care and who work tirelessly for the benefit of all residents who shape the heart of our communities. It is the people who sit in the tension of ‘what serves me’ and ‘what serves all of us’ who are able to make the tough but important decisions. Teachers, social workers, business owners, public servants, thinkers, doers, motivators and problem-solvers who resist apathy and dare to dream for a better tomorrow are the ones who are able to pave the way to that tomorrow.

Strong cities are built upon citizens who care.

Leah Abraham, staff writer for the Renton Reporter, can be reached at 253-678-3148 or labraham@rentonreporter.com.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in Opinion

Robert Whale can be reached at robert.whale@auburn-reporter.com.
The key thing is what we do with our imperfections | Whale’s Tales

I have said and done many things of which I am not proud. That is, I am no golden bird cheeping about human frailties from some high branch of superhuman understanding.

Robert Whale can be reached at robert.whale@soundpublishing.com.
Grappling with the finality of an oncologist’s statement | Whale’s Tales

Perhaps my brain injected a bit of humor to cover the shock. But I felt the gut punch.

Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Legislature back in session next week | Cartoon

State lawmakers return Jan. 8 to Olympia.

Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Santa doesn’t drive a Kia | Cartoon

Cartoon by Frank Shiers.

Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Salute to veterans | Cartoon by Frank Shiers

On Veterans Day, honor those who served your country.

File photo
Why you should vote in the upcoming election | Guest column

When I ask my students when the next election is, frequently they will say “November 2024” or whichever presidential year is coming up next.

Robert Whale can be reached at rwhale@soundpublishing.com.
Here’s a column for anyone who loves their dog | Whale’s Tales

It is plain to me in looking at dogs small and large that a decent share of them are exemplars of love on Earth, innocents who love unconditionally and love their chow.

Robert Whale can be reached at rwhale@soundpublishing.com.
Please protect your children from BS spreaders | Whale’s Tales

Among the most useful things I studied in college were debate, and… Continue reading

Email editor@kentreporter.com.
It’s time to change Kent’s City Council elections to districts | Guest column

If you were asked who your city councilmembers are, would you have an answer?

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.
Dear government: Hold your horses when regulating trucks | Brunell

Next to gasoline and diesel, natural gas also has the greatest number of refueling stations.

Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Mariners get red hot | Cartoon

Cartoon by Frank Shiers