By Rob W.
The Township shut off comments on their Facebook page, as they often do when things start to heat up, and sometimes even when the comments are not the problem at all. People noticed. A lot of us think cutting off public input is the opposite of what we need right now. Facebook is one of the easiest ways for residents to speak up, even vent, without having to wait for a meeting or hunt down the right email address.
The Mayor just did a podcast from a lazy river. Creative? Sure. But when property taxes just went up ten percent and it looks like it could happen again, seeing the Mayor floating around with another township employee while many residents are at work busting their hump is not exactly the best look. Imagine working on a roof all day, taking your 25 minute lunch break, and pulling out your phone to see that video. Meanwhile you are struggling to live here and you cannot get from point A to point B without sitting in a mess of a traffic jam. It sends the message that the day to day struggles of many residents are not a top priority.
We do not have to act like the town is perfect. There is no reason to pretend everything is fine because nobody feels that way. The gaslighting for many is getting old. People want to be heard. Even if comment sections can get messy, at least they give taxpayers a voice. If this was any other business or industry, ignoring your customers would never fly. That is a big part of why people get so frustrated with government and why trust is so hard to rebuild once it is lost.
What would actually help is being real with the public. Share the wins, but also be upfront about the frustrations. Explain the plan for the future and how it will benefit everyone. Acknowledge what is going wrong just as much as what is going right. That builds trust and makes people feel like they matter.
A little more listening and a little less muting could go a long way toward keeping the community on the same page and maybe even getting everyone paddling in the same direction.
