We live in the age of social media, which clearly has its advantages and disadvantages. We can share information and opinions with people we might not be able to otherwise. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, misinformation can start innocently enough but quickly develop into conspiracy theories, creating community divisions and discord.To combat the rumors, it’s always good to go to the source and get the facts!
At February’s Manzanita City Council meeting, Linda Kozlowski, speaking for the Council encouraged anyone with questions to ask a Councilor. Councilors can be reached at their city email address and may be able to answer your question immediately or they may have to do some research and get back to you. If the information requested requires staff research and a public records request, Councilors will be able to let you know. But start first with a Councilor!
February’s Manzanita City Council Meeting was partially focused on gratitude to our first responders who were hard at work during the recent ice storm. We learned that TPUD was working to restore power at 2 in the morning, that Tillamook County Public Works was deicing the streets way before the storm, that Nehalem Bay Fire Rescue fire volunteers creatively accessed a patient in the icy hills of Wheeler! There were so many community volunteers and public servants trying their best to do a good job.
During emergencies we all seem to put aside our differences and come together for the greater good. We focus on solving the problem at hand. We recognize our shared humanity regardless of our politics and help each other out. Let’s do that without an ice storm.
One way we can all do this is to make sure we have the facts from a first-hand source before we share information.
Lucy Brook commented recently on BBQ:
What a great idea, instead of complaining vociferously and perhaps publicly with partial information, you contact a city councilor and have a conversation. After all, they’re steeped in the details of city government and can likely answer your questions and concerns better than anyone else. Especially if the “anyone else” is using partial or biased information. Which does happen from time to time, not?
And, as Jim Heffernan recently posted on the Tillamook County Pioneer, let’s use a Civility Pledge in talking to each other about issues where we have differences. Civility doesn’t mean we don’t disagree and discuss those disagreements but that we recognize each other as neighbors, not enemies.
If you have questions about Manzanita City issues, go directly to the source. Send your questions directly to a Councilor. We look forward to hearing from you!
We now have a group email address you can use to send a message to all 5 City Council members: citycouncil@ci.manzanita.or.us
Individual City Council members email addresses:
Kathryn Stock (kstock@ci.manzanita.or.us)
Linda Kozlowski (lkozlowski@ci.manzanita.or.us)
Jerry Spegman (jspegman@ci.manzanita.or.us)
Brad Hart (bhart@ci.manzanita.or.us)
Tom Campbell (tcampbell@ci.manzanita.or.us)
