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<br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Council Meeting Minutes <br />February 11, 1997 <br /> <br />Page 3 <br /> <br />State of the City Address. continued <br /> <br />Point #1 is that we must not underestimate the importance of any single decision we make <br />as an individual or as an elected representative of our neighbors. More directly to the <br />point, every citizen must realize that every contribution you can make is potentially more <br />significant than you can imagine. Had I not joined the Jaycees, or had I not agreed to <br />seek election, had I not been appointed to the City Council in 1978, I might not have had <br />the opportunity to serve our City for twenty plus years. While some might disagree, <br />hopefully most of you will agree that the results have been positive. I will always be <br />thankful for the confidence that Jim and Roger placed in me. I want to especially note <br />Roger's contribution to our City as he retires this year from Planning Commission. Thank <br />you, Roger. <br /> <br />Point #2 is that regardless of our differences of opinion, it is possible to govern with <br />civility and decorum. Before and after the 1977 election it was not uncommon to have <br />serious differences of opinion at the Council table but a common occurrence to download <br />the tension and emotion over a pitcher of beer at the old Muni. Those days are gone, but <br />we have established a tradition of disagreeing without being disagreeable <br />in our relationships with each other in the interests of moving our community forward. <br />This tradition is not present in all communities nor in St.Paul or in Washington. It is a <br />tradition we must preserve and demand in our community discussion. It is heartening that <br />we are finally hearing similar sentiments expressed in St. Paul and in Washington. <br />Point #3 is that we need to continue our focus on long term advantage for our City, not <br />short term political gain or satisfaction of individual interests. I believe our downtown <br />redevelopment is an illustration of this principle. Roger Williams is among those who <br />began before I did on redevelopment of the old downtown. Some said it couldn't be done, <br />but, it happened! <br /> <br />Several years ago the Council adopted a Mission Statement and three Goals. Our Mission <br />reads: "By Working in Partnership with Our Citizens, We Are Committed to <br />Guaranteeing That Their Investment in New Brighton Will Be Protected and Will Be <br />Returned to Them in Financial and Social Dividends." There are several key messages <br />imbedded in this statement. One is our commitment to involving our citizens in our City <br />business. Another is our recognition that our homes and our businesses, for most of us, <br />represent the most significant financial and emotional investment that we will ever make. <br />These commitments will be respected as we make decisions for our City. <br /> <br />Another message is our commitment to investing and gaining a return on our investment, <br />not simply spending the available tax revenues and the enormous reservoir of energy at <br />our collective disposal. We recognize the difference between spending and long term <br />investment. Our goals capture the key areas of our commitment. We have numerous <br />achievements from 1996 to celebrate. Let me cover just a few in the interest of time <br />tonight. I'll cite them by goal area. <br /> <br />State of the City <br />Address <br />