Residents Time: Where Civility, Ideas Reign

I have written about civility before, yet after the Feb. 23 MVF Board of Directors meeting, I find I must write about it once again.

First and foremost, I would like to thank those who came before the Board during Residents Time for being polite and friendly. We may not all be on the same page, yet we are all neighbors within the Village. I do, however, have to voice my absolute disgust at one resident’s rude comments to a member of the MVF staff at the meeting. No one—whether a resident, a member of the staff or a Board member—should be treated with anything but respect during a meeting, or at any other time, for that matter. In the future, as the presiding officer, I will ask the person who is uncivil to leave the meeting and not return. The Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors is charged with maintaining parks and recreational facilities, running various programs appealing to different age groups, meeting government officials at the state and local level, communicating with residents and ensuring the financial soundness of the MVF.

The Board wants to hear from residents on all manner of topics. We need to know your ideas, concerns, suggestions and recommendations. One of the best outcomes of February’s Board meeting was that two award-winning communications professionals, Dick and Kathi Rabil of Slice Design, came forward to offer their thoughts on the Communications Committee’s plans for branding and marketing Montgomery Village. They have offered some great advice from a professional and resident perspective to assist us in choosing a brand direction. Thank you, Dick and Kathi.

Open Meetings

All of our meetings are open to the public, including the MVF Executive Committee and Board meetings, committee meetings and work sessions. At each meeting, there is a Residents Time, which provides residents with the opportunity to ask questions of Board or committee members or offer comments.

Residents Time

Here is the way Residents Time is conducted:

1. Residents sign up before the meeting to speak. The sign-up sheet is on a table near the door, along with a copy of the agenda.
2. When the meeting is called to order, the presiding officer opens Residents Time. Each residentwho has signed in is given five minutes to speak.
3. When the list of residents is finished, then the presiding officer asks if anyone else in the audience wishes to speak. Those who wish to speak are invited to do so, again within the five-minute limit. Occasionally, when we have a special presenter or a distinguished visitor, such as a member of our state delegation or County Council member, the Board adjusts the agenda and takes the guest first. That happens a couple of times each year.

In all of our upcoming meetings, it is my hope that we will conduct the meeting with the utmost civility and focus on the issues. We look forward to seeing you at our meetings.

Next Meetings

The MVF Executive Committee will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 12 in the North Creek Board Room, 20125 Arrowhead Road. The MVF Board of Directors will meet on Thursday, March 22 at 7pm also in the North Creek Board Room; the MVF Annual Meeting will begin at 8pm in North Creek Community Center. Residents are welcome to attend. In the meantime, if you need to reach me, you may do so by e-mailing at RobertHydorn@aol.com.

This article originally appeared in the March 2 edition of The Village News.