THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 23, 1995 TAG: 9503220152
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: John Pruitt
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
Tuesday morning, after a video presentation depicting Suffolk in glowing terms, Mayor S. Chris Jones asked an audience of business leaders if they had comments or questions.
You'd think, in a session called the ``State of the City'' address, somebody would have a question.
Blame it on the time of day - the Chamber of Commerce event was at 8 a.m. - the lull of the video, with its sweeping aerial views of the city; the rush of the audience to get on the job. Blame whatever you wish, but isn't it strange that not one person, in an audience of business leaders, had a question for Suffolk's mayor, city manager, City Council members or any of the several top city staffers on hand?
Maybe times have changed so much that our own agenda so preoccupies us that there's room for little else, but these sessions certainly don't have the pizazz of like meetings some years ago. There were questions then, not just a passive audience that ate breakfast, chatted with tablemates and kept peace while city leaders assured them that Suffolk was in good hands.
You'd have thought Tuesday that we were mousy kids terrorized by one of those mean-spirited sisters in movies about Catholic schools: open our mouths, and we'd be sorry.
It's not that I expected a raucous audience; I just didn't expect everyone to be numb. There are plenty of issues that affect business, from tax rates to the quality of our schools, yet no one ventured a question.
I may be wrong, and I hope I am, but I suspect the reluctance reflects complacency. Not disinterest, just not interest.
And if that can be true in this audience, people whose companies at least in part flourish or falter on city decisions, how much truer it must be for everyday Joes.
Don't misunderstand. The people with leading roles in Tuesday's meeting illustrate the community benefit of citizen involvement. And many in the audience also take very seriously their commitment to public service.
But I suppose I wanted some signal that we were in a community forum - not a group of property owners discussing tax rates because it affects our wallets; not a neighborhood association focusing on our immediate surroundings; not a union lobbying for higher wages.
I wanted a signal that the emphasis was on community, unified by concerns beyond our individual little circles and searching for something the video declared Suffolk has: a vision.
I think that declaration is premature. Very premature.
If not, then whose vision is it? Who shaped it?
And what better forum to begin discussions leading to that vision than a ``State of the City'' presentation? It won't happen, though, in an eat, watch-the-video and go-home event. ``Visioning'' is a real mission, not a sideshow.
As I said in a recent interview about Suffolk's needs, I'm convinced that Suffolk has visionaries; I worry that there isn't a forum for those outside officialdom. And when I attend a meeting like Tuesday's, I fret that those who already have proven their savvy through business achievement don't take the opportunity to ask probing questions, especially when there are others in the audience so capable of seeing the possible answers.
There's a real role here for the Chamber of Commerce: fostering discussion about Suffolk's future - not just by members who will come to a staged breakfast meeting but by diverse citizens, with diverse ideas, who will join ongoing discussions.
Neither the Chamber nor City Hall has a lock on ``visioning.'' It's everybody's job. It's all about community. MEMO: Comments? Call 446-2965. by CNB