The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - but really just the good stuff about being on the CCB
It has been an interesting and reasonably eventful first term as an elected member of the Cromwell Community Board (CCB) - but there must have been some good stuff or I wouldn't have decided to stand again - surely!
So I thought it was timely to think back through to being fresh and a wee bit naive at the beginning of my three year term in October 2016 and actually think about the things that have been rewarding, where connections have been made or progress forged - I think it is probably always best to start with some good stuff - we can all too easily focus on the things that have frustrated, angered or upset.
Three years ago the Big Fruit reserve was under construction, one side of the mall had been repaved and beautified, the Cromwell Memorial Hall was just about ticked off for a major renovation and stage 5 of the Gair Ave Estate was being considered for development. The Cromwell Community Board found itself with four fresh faces around the board table and that was about to set the 'cat among the pigeons' to say the very least - it is of course a risk that we run in every election cycle. I think for a couple of months there Cromwell was probably quite concerned that nothing would ever get done again.
So, what is it that I feel good about as this current term comes to an end and I put myself back in that very unprotected space of standing for public office and leaving what I and the current CCB have done to be judged by our community.
I have always endeavoured to conduct myself in a way that will hold up to public scrutiny. By that I mean that I take care to consider my point of view and how I will express it, that I don't feel compelled to agree for the sake of agreeing, but that I will form my initial opinion, be prepared to debate it, defend it or change my mind based on further information or new perspectives and that I understand my governance role - which ever way the vote goes at the end of the day - it becomes the decision of the board and as a board member it is then my obligation to back that decision. This is one of the things I think I can be proud of throughout this three year term.
I am really grateful for the opportunity to take on some liaison roles in the community and was thrilled to be given the opportunity to work alongside the Cromwell Youth Trust and the Cromwell Museum Trust. These are both amazing examples of the community doing great things for itself. They are both trusts that very sadly lost important, pivotal figures with the loss of both Edith McKay and Sharon Booth to cancer. Both far too young and both with multiple community connections that left big shoes to fill. The trusts have survived and are still doing fabulous things. It has been a privilege to attend their meetings. They are both groups among many others in Cromwell that deserve our respect for the work that they do.
I have learnt so much about all sorts of things that I never thought I would know about like verges, tree roots, road naming policies and I have found out just how slow the wheels of local government turn, the bureaucracies and technicalities of decision making. I have a deep respect for the council officers who bring us reports for consideration and discussion that have taken weeks and sometimes months to prepare so that we have all the information that we need to debate the issues and make decisions or ask for more information and send them back to the grindstone until the next meeting.
The piece of work that I am really proud that our community has embarked on is the Eye to the Future Master Plan. Having the opportunity to look into the future and consider what is important for Cromwell, what our bottom lines are for development. Planned and sustainable development is something I have been concerned about for quite some time and I know this concern is shared by many in our community. There is very little doubt about the need to consider how we will accommodate growth and it has been really valuable to have those conversations in the community and around the board table. This work is by no means complete and the realities of some of the considerations that might now need to be made are likely to require ongoing difficult conversations and decisions. The strategic vision provided by the Master Plan will give us a good starting point and I am really keen to be part of ongoing work to get the next stages of this work off the ground - including the provision of an arts and heritage precinct and a reinvigoration of our tired town centre. Thinking about what comes next will form my next blog post in the next few days.
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| Fresh faced and naive - Anna Harrison 2016 version |
Three years ago the Big Fruit reserve was under construction, one side of the mall had been repaved and beautified, the Cromwell Memorial Hall was just about ticked off for a major renovation and stage 5 of the Gair Ave Estate was being considered for development. The Cromwell Community Board found itself with four fresh faces around the board table and that was about to set the 'cat among the pigeons' to say the very least - it is of course a risk that we run in every election cycle. I think for a couple of months there Cromwell was probably quite concerned that nothing would ever get done again.
So, what is it that I feel good about as this current term comes to an end and I put myself back in that very unprotected space of standing for public office and leaving what I and the current CCB have done to be judged by our community.
I have always endeavoured to conduct myself in a way that will hold up to public scrutiny. By that I mean that I take care to consider my point of view and how I will express it, that I don't feel compelled to agree for the sake of agreeing, but that I will form my initial opinion, be prepared to debate it, defend it or change my mind based on further information or new perspectives and that I understand my governance role - which ever way the vote goes at the end of the day - it becomes the decision of the board and as a board member it is then my obligation to back that decision. This is one of the things I think I can be proud of throughout this three year term.
I am really grateful for the opportunity to take on some liaison roles in the community and was thrilled to be given the opportunity to work alongside the Cromwell Youth Trust and the Cromwell Museum Trust. These are both amazing examples of the community doing great things for itself. They are both trusts that very sadly lost important, pivotal figures with the loss of both Edith McKay and Sharon Booth to cancer. Both far too young and both with multiple community connections that left big shoes to fill. The trusts have survived and are still doing fabulous things. It has been a privilege to attend their meetings. They are both groups among many others in Cromwell that deserve our respect for the work that they do.
 |
| Click here to check out the Cromwell Youth Trust Facebook page |
The piece of work that I am really proud that our community has embarked on is the Eye to the Future Master Plan. Having the opportunity to look into the future and consider what is important for Cromwell, what our bottom lines are for development. Planned and sustainable development is something I have been concerned about for quite some time and I know this concern is shared by many in our community. There is very little doubt about the need to consider how we will accommodate growth and it has been really valuable to have those conversations in the community and around the board table. This work is by no means complete and the realities of some of the considerations that might now need to be made are likely to require ongoing difficult conversations and decisions. The strategic vision provided by the Master Plan will give us a good starting point and I am really keen to be part of ongoing work to get the next stages of this work off the ground - including the provision of an arts and heritage precinct and a reinvigoration of our tired town centre. Thinking about what comes next will form my next blog post in the next few days.
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