Skip to main content

An Insider’s Game


Here’s the question:
 


CA is soliciting responses to an online survey.

Take just 10 minutes to complete our survey, and add your voice to the creation of CA’s next 5-year Strategic Plan.

But, since they posted it on social media, people are giving them a piece of their minds in the comments section. I don’t know if any of that will be used as a part of CA visioning process. But it was pretty enlightening for me.

A majority of the suggestions asked for things that CA doesn’t do. For example: issues of public safety, road paving, housing development, businesses in Village Centers. This suggests to me that one of the Columbia Association’s biggest challenges continues to be the lack of community understanding. It’s going to be difficult to develop new generations of Columbia leadership, for example, if a large chunk of the populace doesn’t have a basic grasp of how the whole thing works.

Do I know how to make that happen? No. CA spends a lot of time pushing out its message on social media on any number of fronts. You can sign up for a weekly newsletter or go to their website if you have a question. Still, knowledge of CA still feels like an insider’s game to me. And that’s a big problem.

Having a local newspaper would help, of course. I don’t think it’s the be-all and end-all for this particular problem, however. Do realtors hand out an easy to read cheat sheet which breaks down CA vs Howard County roles when folks buy a house in Columbia? Do landlords do the same with tenants? It might help. 

How can the Columbia Association make a meaningful five-year plan when so many Columbia residents don’t have the information they need to make educated suggestions? It seems as though the same folks who already know will dominate. This is a great example of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. 

I’m not a big fan of online surveys but I did complete this one. If you live in Columbia you ought to consider giving them your two cents. While you are at it, perhaps you could make some suggestions here on how CA can make sure more folks are more knowledgeable about this Columbia bubble we call home. 


Village Green/Town² Comments


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more