Solutions vs. Complaining
As you read my Council Corner, I have left the country (not the building as Elvis did, nor did I get sent away). My wife and I are in Europe for vacation celebrating our 30th anniversary, so I wrote this prior to leaving.
What are you doing on October 11, 2017 at 6:30pm? I’d like to invite you to come join your fellow residents and City staff in the Lagoon Room at the Recreation Center to participate in our third installment of Foster City’s Community Dialogue Series focused on transportation and mobility.
I know what you are asking – “Is this going to be another gathering of residents who will be told the same old message – traffic is not our issue, therefore change your habits and enjoy your quality of life.”
This meeting will be designed to give you a general overview of our transportation and mobility system and solicit your feedback on ways to make it stronger for the future. I will kick-off the evening with remarks challenging those who are there with a simple question -
“What are you doing to offer solutions to a Bay Area wide traffic problem?
If your plan is to show up and complain about how much Foster City has developed and that is why there is so much traffic, do us all a favor and stay home. This evening will be all about collaboration. During this meeting, we will share ideas and together we will understand how we can all live with a changing community that is primed to allow the next generation to not only live as we live now, but hopefully even better!
Last month at a dinner co-sponsored by Gilead Sciences and Foster City, we heard from one of their top operational people who spoke passionately about what Gilead’s mission is … that through community partnerships and collaboration, we can work together to promote the well-being and betterment of the local neighborhoods and cities in which we all live and work.
It’s that easy. Do what it takes to get it done. This by all accounts brings great people together to not only fix an issue, but allows great minds to work together and offer solutions. Never once do they complain about failure or that it takes too long, etc.
Since the day I became a Councilmember, I placed traffic, transportation and mobility at the forefront of my agenda for our residents and businesses. Remember, Rome (which is where I am currently) was not built in a day!
During the next few months you will see our City start to add sharrows on the road, along with adding bike lanes – one way to help reduce traffic by providing another method to get around. Hey – this sounds like a solution! This will take place along Beach Park Blvd. from Shell Blvd. to Edgewater Blvd. By the way, riding your bike is not only good for traffic, it’s good for your health. This is the point I am trying to make - show up and be part of the solution, not the problem.
So often when I receive e-mails, they are usually about an issue and how upset someone is at this or that. When I e-mail back to a person, I try to ask for a phone conversation to assess the real issue.
Almost 95% of the time we end up finding solutions after talking it out and going through the facts. I encourage all of you reading this to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
If that sounds harsh, it’s because it is. It’s time to realize how good we have it in Foster City and the Bay Area and that this did not happen because of complaining. It took real people to value what we have and strive to make it better. Now we need to embrace the future and put all our minds together to allow the next generation to enjoy what we have built.
For my friends of the Jewish faith – Happy New Year and L’Shana Tova. May this year be a sweet year.
I hope to see you October 11 or sooner.
If you wish to comment or share your thoughts, please contact me at gpollard@fostercity.org or (650)286-3505.
Gary
