Historic Harwich

A Conglomeration of Thoughts

A Conglomeration of Thoughts

Odd time this week with ideas galore running through my head. When I get to a point like this, I look to Michael Michalko's book, Thinkertoys, which I have mentioned before. In addition, however, I hearkened back to my earlier days in management to the days when Peter Drucker was popular. I learned about him when I took a course in job finding where I was taught to recognize that wherever I was hired, I would be joining a "corporate culture". Drucker believed that corporations are inhabited by intelligent, rational, hardworking people of goodwill, but often have outdated ideas, narrow conception of problems, and internal misunderstandings. This, in my mind, poses the problem:  How to effect change. I hope our new town planner is aware of what Peter Drucker says.

This all started several weeks ago and continued until Sunday night, the night before the Harwich Annual Town Meeting. In particular, I was nervous about the outcome of the vote on the $50k for the exterior renovations of the old rec. building (O.R.B.) on Sisson Road. At the same time, I continued to have guilt feelings about the failure to convince the public and, in particular, the Board of Selectmen, to rally around the mixed-use development project that fell on its face and, at present, is taking a circuitous road back (Humpty Dumpty is still cracked); the failure to raise an outcry from the public about the tepid response to the Harwich Center Initiative; failure to recruit members for the newly-formed Friends of the Harwich Cultural Exchange Centers, Inc.; failure to find a winning strategy for marketing the vision of the renovated O.R.B. and its historic place in the Harwich Historic District. It felt like my brain was putting out static, like an old-time radio.

 Food for Thought

I looked closely at the progress of the South Harwich Meeting House as a large group of people gradually brought their project along at an excruciating pace and realized that they, too, struggled with the same concerns about historic preservation. Their dedication to their cause has been/is magnificent.

I have watched, and worked closely with Gerry Loftus, Chair of the Housing Committee, with support from Dave Purdy, as they struggled over the past five years to achieve affordable housing in the town. I see the Gomes Way Project rising out of the ground and another project on Depot Road and Rte 28 nearly ready for occupancy. I feel devastated by the defeat of the buy-down program.

I see the new police station construction moving along, the result of a dedicated committee working with Chief Mason.

I have seen the efforts of the school department to produce a first class learning environment and the incredible successes of unsung heroes within that department.

I have watched the successes and struggles of the children at all levels and I realize how great the Town of Harwich is when viewed from the "ground" up.

Then, I saw the dispute between two committees, the Agricultural Committee and the Conservation Committee over a farmers market location. Ugly.

 Going to the Masters: Michalko and Drucker

So, what did Michael and Peter do for me? I was attracted to a chapter in Tinkertoys entitled Brutethink, in which Michael states, "the human brain cannot deliberately concentrate on two separate objects or ideas without eventually forming a connection between them. No two inputs can remain separate in your mind no matter how remote they are from each other."

An Epiphany of Sorts

After town meeting, I concluded that I had just witnessed the townspeople voting on a disparate list of articles arranged in no observable order, or priority, except that there were groupings of related articles, like the CPA articles. It might be said that the budget review process took care of the priorities. Then,  the "brutethink" idea hit me. Keep in mind that I have not thoroughly thought this through, but I think I'm headed in a right direction.

          As far as I can see, the five operational priorities of the town, not necessarily in priority order are safety, education, historic preservation, environment, and human services. All of them have a role in determining the heart and soul of Harwich; all should operate under a set of common values which, at this date, I know not what they are. In my mind, these priorities shift in order from year to year because of funding concerns, but the values do not change.

Confusion About Values

            I have pointed this out before, that, as the ongoing business of the town is conducted, I have no sense whatever of what the BOS is thinking, what they believe in, or what they are willing to go out on a limb for. At the same time, I have no sense of what the overall values are of the town. All of the departments have mission statements, but somehow, they are not generated by an overall system set of values. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg, values from the top down or the ground up? Who is leading the pack?

 Thank God for the Internet

I've done a little research on the Net. I think it is a worthy exercise and I encourage you to spent some time with this.

Here are a few links that will help this along. If you are interested in what I'm trying to say, follow these for a second or two or more and try to apply the same to the public sector.

 1)   http://www.ecitele.com/AboutECI/Pages/Corporate%20Values.aspx .

     This company talks about "respect for the individual, team spirit, innovation, integrity, and our customers (citizens). They conclude their list of values with this:

"In all our activities we constantly conduct ourselves respectfully to promote our common goals. We are committed to these values and truly believe that if we adopt and implement them, we will lead the company to success in the future and derive a lot of fun and self-achievement in doing so."

2) http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/shared_values.html .      

 Here they give an overview of what a successful corporation can do. They talk about losers, too.

3) Keep this definition in mind for "core values": Operating philosophies or principles that guide an organization's internal conduct as well as its relationship with the external world. Core values are usually summarized in the mission statement or in the statement of core values.

Finally,

• 4) http://www.sog.unc.edu/pubs/electronicversions/pg/pgfal01/article3.pdf .

     This link covers the public sector, an excellent article about how public problems are solved. The best example of how Harwich solved the dispute between two committees is shown by the Agricultural Committee withdrawing. They couldn't make their case because the Conservation Committee stood its ground on the matter of use. The committee that should have made the decision, namely, the BOS, failed to address the problem in light of a value system. Instead, they stepped back. Unusually, a similar thing happened in the matter of dealing with the bids on the mixed-use housing project when the bidders withdrew. Is there a pattern here? Another example, the Harwich Cultural Council couldn't make its case and were led down a golden path for over two years due to lack of consideration for the values involved. Another, the Housing Committee couldn't get the buy-down program because it got trampled by an $8,000 IRS tax deal orchestrated by the president followed by terribly weak support from the BOS. Was this business conducted according to a value system? I think not.

 This doesn't mean that everyone should get their way, it means that we should have CONFIDENCE in the body that is responsible for reminding us and holding steady to the town's core values, but where are these values? In short, there is no compass.

        The problems I have stated show a big problem, a breakdown in the way solutions are drawn. Too many times, the problems are directed out to further study and intentional delays so that time will solve them, instead of judging the merits in light of the values the town holds dear. This is how our leaders need to be evaluated. Why shouldn't they evaluate a request this way. A case in point: The BOS stated that the Recreation Department fullfilled their requirement for more and more data about field useage. In fact,  the Recreation Department got a positive vote because they presented their case for ballfields in light of a set of values. That's why they won, not wholly because they justified a set of numbers.

      We are living in a fast-paced time, but there is no excuse for setting aside, killing time or ignoring values. We need to find a way to express the value system in such a way as to link it to every decision made.

Time to Vote on May 19

The Fire Department is requesting confirmation of the town meeting vote approving the two firefighter/EMTs. I hope voters will approve this based on one part of a value system, i.e. concern for  the value of human life and the potential impact on individuals, families and the environment. 

God bless the Town of Harwich.