What matters to me today is local land use from both sides of the podium.
While I’ve been practicing land use law for 30 years, I’ve only recently begun serving as a Planning Commissioner for my city. With only three meetings under my belt, it can be a very different view from this side of the podium; or not.
When my kids asked about my legal practice, I’d quip that it is one-third legal, one-third government relations, and one-third public relations. I’d also note that I strive to be the “smartest lawyer in the room.” This is not ego-driven. It is my experience that participants in the process may be prone to assert their own version or interpretation of the “law” to support their position. If you want to offer correction in real time, you best be correct.
People are rightly passionate about preservation of community character, the safety of their children, and, yes, traffic. And I remain optimistic that those seeking elected office mostly do so with noble intentions to serve and better the lives of their neighbors. But even I have been taken aback how even a simple proposal can generate such starkly different and impassioned reactions.
In both this nascent public stint and three decades of professional practice, I find resolve in a common grounding approach – principled, transparent engagement can and usually will bring about a just, equitable, and productive outcome . . . eventually. And that applies from both sides of the podium.
That’s what matters to me today in 250 words or less. What matters to you? I’d really like to know.