In My Opinion Democracy is no picnic...

Democracy is no picnic. It’s a job, we all have, and that has to be done. Voting is essential, but democracy needs something beyond the one-day infusion of our efforts. To quote John Gardner “ The citizen can bring our governmental institutions back to life, make them responsible and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else can do it.” The concept of “for the people, by the people” slips away quite quickly, when “the people” aren’t present in our local government. After observing the AuTrain Township Board and Zoning meetings for five years, I can firmly conclude that AuTrain citizens aren’t much a part of our government processes and decisions. The three-minute time limit given to citizens to approach the AuTrain Township and Zoning boards has become perversely used to exclude citizen participation. As I communicate with citizens of AuTrain, I often walk away thinking ‘that person would be amazingly helpful if they were at our Township Board meeting’. New uses for our township hall including youth oriented activities and senior citizen activities, better planning, an improved transparent government, and yes picnics, all start at the AuTrain Township Hall at the AuTrain Township Board meeting. Lets put challenges like saving taxpayer money on the agenda, with citizen input incorporated. I’ll bet you have some thoughts.