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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday,June 22,2015 <br /> Page 23 <br /> Lisa McCormick, 2950 Wheeler Street North <br /> Ms. McCormick expressed appreciation for the thoughtful contributions provided <br /> by Councilmember Laliberte as well as the points brought out by individual coun- <br /> cil members tonight. <br /> Under effective governance, Ms. McCormick expressed her total agreement, not- <br /> ing culture references by several Councilmembers. As a member of the commu- <br /> nity, Ms. McCormick expressed her frustration at times to fully understand com- <br /> munity and civic engagement, opining that sometimes they appeared to be at <br /> odds. <br /> Without going into too much detail, Ms. McCormick referenced a personal inci- <br /> dent this week causing her to pause and consider the current Ethics Code, and <br /> lack of mention in the Mission Statement about a code of professional conduct. <br /> Ms. McCormick opined that this involved not only involved interpersonal interac- <br /> tion between Councilmembers,boards and citizen advisory commissions, but also <br /> should include those parties and their interaction with the public. Ms. McCor- <br /> mick opined that it was important to her to be assured as a citizen if she interacts <br /> with a board member or commissioner, she would receive courteous treatment. <br /> While appreciating the transparency efforts, and in her personal review of staff <br /> reports and staff presentations, Ms. McCormick noted the need to provide a re- <br /> view of financial implications as part of that information, especially impacts to in- <br /> frastructure and CIP,both important aspects. <br /> Ms. McCormick expressed appreciation for tonight's discussion, opining things <br /> were moving in the right direction. However, regarding accountability being ad- <br /> dressed at the next election as suggested by Councilmember Laliberte, Ms. <br /> McCormick stated she would prefer not to wait until them and as with conduct, <br /> people be held accountable as part of being challenged to be better. <br /> Kathleen Erickson, 1790 Centennial Drive <br /> Ms. Erickson expressed concern, specific to community engagement efforts, that <br /> often it seems like the only time the City was interested in that involvement was <br /> when seeking help clearing Buckthorn or building a playground, or serving on a <br /> task force or commission. Ms. Erickson opined that it needed to start in the <br /> community and not just be a City Hall culture, but a recognition that each neigh- <br /> borhood had its own culture as well; and encouraged the City Council and staff to <br /> make themselves aware of the flavor of each neighborhood. While not necessari- <br /> ly perfect, Ms. Erickson opined that people lived where they did for a reason, but <br /> often when speaking to the City Council at a public meeting such as this, it felt <br /> like the City Council and staff were light years away from understanding what the <br /> neighborhood valued and what they didn't want to lose. Ms. Erickson asked that <br /> community engagement not be thought of as "drive-through government" cruising <br /> through their neighborhood, but by expending effort to find out who they were. <br />