Campaign season is upon us and I guarantee you will hear the words “community character” often. Take a breath and think about what that really means. To me, Encinitas community character is about kindness, integrity, and open minds. We are a center of healing arts practitioners.
We are an outdoor destination. We have a community full of wonderful, well-educated, interesting, creative, innovative people.
The community character I support is treating each other with compassion and contributing positive energy to this amazing city we are privileged to live in.
As you contemplate the upcoming elections for city council and for mayor, listen with an open mind to all the candidates. Listen for their values, their vision, their collaborative capacity, their effectiveness.
Actively support whichever candidates resonate with you, and speak out about why you prefer him or her. Compare and contrast honestly, based on reality, based on facts, based on track records. That’s how the democratic process should work.
I ask you NOT to believe everything you read. There are negative forces that make up stuff to create drama. Don’t go there. Don’t tear down the other candidates thinking it makes your favorite one look better. It doesn’t. It makes the whole election process feel yucky. It makes people stay away, and nobody wins then. I honor anyone brave enough to stand for office. It’s not an easy thing to do. Be grateful that you can vote. Most people reading this will never run for office. So be glad someone is willing to work hard to win a seat, and then to work hard for all of us.
If we can keep this campaign season positive, we will lay a foundation for the Council and mayor to work together. So I ask us all to take a deep breath.
Think about how you feel when you first glimpse the ocean on a bright sunny morning. Think about how nice people are. How blessed we are with great shops, restaurants, a lagoon and open spaces, a magnificent library system, and so much more. That is the Encinitas character we should all be working to support and expand. Kindness, connection, and caring. I invite you to engage in the campaign in a positive way.
We will all be better for it. That is how we protect Encinitas community character.
Lisa R. Shaffer is an Encinitas City Council member.
2 comments
Appreciate the spirit. Agree: keep the campaign season positive. Thank you & regards.
The General Plan defines “community character”. It’s pretty simple if you ask me, And, nowhere in the General Plan do we see the words compassion (although it is always nice to be compassionate ), nor do we see “positive energy” (whatever that really means). Yes, there will always be people who want their opinions and stories heard. And, sometimes they don’t know exactly how to articulate those thoughts, without being called negative names. So, I suggest that the City Council begin to act compassionately, have some positive energy, and say nothing negative about citizens, in our out of Council chambers. So far I don’t see that happening with certain council members, Lisa. It is best to practice what one preaches. That would be a good start.
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