As I engage in my work in the community I am reminded again and again by those that I would call “people in positions of power and influence” of the Vision 2010 statement and then of the 2020 statement, but always by those who were involved in their writing. Otherwise the “ordinary” (I use that word with some reticence) citizens of Corvallis probably couldn’t care less about either one.

Does either represent the “will of the people”? I suspect not. It is the consensus of what I think is the relatively small number of citizens those involved in the processes of writing them. I don’t discount them for that or their work, but simply remember that most people probably can’t tell you a thing about either one or even recall hearing of them.

I think that many many people can agree that two of the issues we face are jobs and housing. We have lost jobs and now have fewer jobs than we did a decade or two ago. We have a significant lack of what I call affordable adequate housing for people who are middle income earners and lower waged workers. When I moved here to work in Corvallis I was shocked at home prices. Good for home owners and for property investors. Not good for a lot of working class people.

I remain convinced that affordable working class housing is a critical issue for Corvallis and that job creation isn’t going to happen in any significant way until homes become more affordable. But, I am not convinced that “the people” want job creation. Job creation means more traffic, possibly more non-local retail, more stress on public transportation, threats to green open space, and what some consider the desired liveability of Corvallis.

I think that I can talk about the problems more easily than I can talk about solutions!

In other words you can violently disagree basing your case on the facts as you know them, but you remain within the organization even if your case isn’t adopted by the organization.

I’m not sure that is fully transferable to a community. Granted, a community is an organization, in a sense. But, Corvallis, like any city lacks shared vision and values. Corvallis doesn’t have a mission as an organization (at least a good one) does. When you’re a voluntary employee or member of an organization then you buy into its vision and values and mission or you are a square peg in a round hole. I think a city is different than that and we see it in Corvallis all the time. People continue to live here even if they disagree or even if they are apathetic about issues.

So, I agree that our constant striving for consensus and reluctance to seriously confront some brutal realities hinders the city in moving forward. But, the direction in which we are moving (what our vision is as a city) isn’t shared widely enough in order for Collins’ remarks to be as relevant to us.

I think people want lower crime, clean air and water, less traffic, parks, places to buy what they need and want at reasonable prices, jobs and job security, good healthcare and schools and affordable housing in whatever price range means “affordable” for them. But is that sufficiently shared to paint a vision for Corvallis? Isn’t that what any city wants?

So we state our cases “violently” and with all the facts we can muster and decisions are made. But, then what? Many key issues are settled at the ballot box or in court and not in city council meeting discussions or on a website or at a civic club meeting.

So I am somewhat pessimistic that even violent serious disagreement with clear statements of fact can lead a community forward unless there is some overarching sense of purpose and vision in the wider community shared by enough people to make a difference. Do we have that vision? I don’t know.