This year’s annual planning “retreat” was a mixed bag.  On the positive side, the reformers were finally able to get the meeting held in Lakewood.  By having a full day session at the Heritage Center’s Visitor Center at Belmar Park instead of a day and half at a Colorado resort, the taxpayers saved thousands of dollars, local businesses benefited from food purchases, Council members did not have take a day off work and several citizens were able to stop by for an hour or two to observe the proceeding.

On the down side, the “retreat” continued the usual practice of trying to foster team building among the new Council members.  There was the standard fare about how great the staff is and how the Council members need to learn how to “trust staff”.  However, this time around, a veteran Council member, fought back by pointing out a democracy depends upon a system of checks and balances in which various parts of the government maintain an arms-length independence.  Council member David Wiechman (Ward 4), noted that the Council members have a fiduciary responsibility to the citizens to be their watchdog and oversee that the professional staff is implementing the Council’s direction.  By trying to get the Council members to feel a part of a “team” creates a sense of loyalty to the Council and staff.  Since it is difficult if not impossible to “serve two masters” this attitude leads to Council members putting their relationship with other Council members and staff before their royalty to the people they serve.  Wiechman’s “trust but verify” speech evidently upset the City Manager who told Council members that her “feelings were hurt”.  This reaction ran counter to the unbiased professional detachment that is required of effective leaders.

The bulk of the meeting was spend on spelling out a long list of blue sky goals and objectives for the next year.  A couple things stood out.  The establishment is planning to do a “housing assessment” study.  While they didn’t go into details it appears they plan to use this study as justification for spending more tax dollars on “affordable” housing (they did spend some time trying to think up new euphemisms to make this concept more palatable.  The second major thing that came out of the meeting was a desire to come with a funding need that could be used to justify putting an issue on the November 2016 ballot to allow the City to keep the TABOR refund that is due to be paid out this year.