The Future Belongs To Those Who Show Up

I’ve spent enough evenings at City Hall over the last several months since taking over The Bugle that I don’t really think about it anymore when I grab my notebook and head out the door. It’s just part of the process.

Most nights it’s a mix of council members, a few staff, and, at best, a handful of residents who decided that whatever was on the agenda was worth their time. There’s usually a quiet murmur before things begin, council members catching up or asking a quick question, and then everyone settles in and the work starts.

It has yet to feel dramatic, though drama is not what I would expect.

When I covered the discussions about the new City Hall, the conversations stretched across months. There were practical questions about costs and long term needs. Nobody stormed out or gave a speech that will end up in a history book. People asked questions, sometimes circled back to the same concerns, and eventually a decision was made because the people at the table had to make one.

I saw the same thing during the talks about downtown improvements with the Downtown Development Authority. Progress came slowly, in fact, it's still moving along. It came because certain residents, in this case, local business owners, kept showing up, even when the crowd was thin and the topic was technical. You could see the fatigue some days. You could also see the commitment.

A couple weeks ago I reported on the two open seats on the City Council and the opening on the Planning Commission. Those vacancies are chairs that will be filled by whoever is willing to step forward and take on the responsibility.

Around the same time, we covered the closing of the Chamber of Commerce. That story stayed with me. This iteration of the Chamber had been part of the community for fourteen years, organizing events and supporting local businesses. In the end, it wasn’t a scandal or a single bad decision that shut it down. It was the slow reality that there weren’t enough people able... or let's face it, willing to carry it anymore.

That’s the part of community life we don’t always talk about; though we're pretty committed to keeping it in the spotlight here at The Bugle.

Things continue when people invest in them. Participation dries up when people condemn loudly what they are unwilling to improve. When residents shrink from the hard work of construction, yet are tireless in the easy work of contempt.

From where I sit, literally in the back row most nights, it’s clear that the future of Cedar Springs is shaped by whoever decides to be present. Not in a grand, sweeping way, but in constant, practical decisions about budgets, zoning, services, and priorities.

The fact is...the future belongs to those who show up.