The Mayor’s Week in Review: April 1-7

The flip side of  “Hooray!” is “Thank You!”

I’ve been fond of giving a “Hooray” now and then for the many wonderful things that happen around town. If that’s part of a coin toss, then the other side of the coin is equally positive; it says “Thank You.”

There’s something about the end of each quarter that provides a time for reflection. I’m always amazed when April 1 hits – I mean, April already? Where does the time go? Anyway, I took a look back at the last 4 months of writing and I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment right now to say “Thank You” to three people. I typically start this column by sharing my personal thoughts with you ... once fondly referred to as my version of a fireside chat, so to speak. Then I like to talk about what’s been happening in the city, more or less in line with the city’s core values, and our key initiatives – and here I really say “Thank You” to Jim McCann, our City Manager, and Angel Bernal, our Chief of Police, for providing ideas, including safety tips (which is really my top priority as Mayor). Finally I like to remind folks of some great upcoming events, and Linn Walsh, our Assistant to the City Manager, deserves the “Thank You” here for always keeping my finger on the upcoming pulse. 

While I’m at it, I want to say “Thank You” to the Easter Bunny for making so many kids happy at Mill Valley’s “Eggstravaganza” last week, and as always I can’t “Thank You” enough times for reading and commenting on this column – it keeps it coming, frankly. And as sit here on a plane heading back east to be with my folks and see my brothers as we move out of the home we grew up in - I really want to say Thank You to all of them, and all the other parents and siblings out there, who have the potential to create this warm fuzzy thing we call a “family” and which distinguishes us from so many of the other species. And finally, speaking of family, what I love about Mill Valley is that it’s one too.  It’s a real privilege to be part of it, to experience it, to enjoy it. It runs because we have great employees – and “Thank You” to them too.

Our Mill Valley Family priorities:

As you may be aware, in 2012 the City Council established nineteen priority projects through a strategic planning process to support our Mission Statement, Core Values, and to implement key issues for the Fiscal Years 2012-2014: Priority Projects. These are the ones we are focused on for the second quarter of 2013:

• General Plan: I am harping on this just about every column because after safety, it is the single biggest priority we have right now. By June we want a draft General Plan released, we want it blessed by the General Plan Advisory Committee, showcased for review and comment at a Community Meeting, and sent on its way for formal public hearings before the Planning Commission.

• Watershed Management and Flood Control: We want an update on the Southern Marin Watershed Program and the (long long overdue) Stetson Engineering report introduced to the City Council.

• More green: We want the Electric Vehicle Charging Station project bid and installed, and establish a timeline for our Renewable Energy SEED Projects.

• Second units, basement and FAR: We want to finalize our Zoning Ordinance updates regarding second units, basements, and FAR amendments. 

• The Masters of Mill Valley: We want to improve the financial health of our golf course operations, starting with the Parks & Recreation Commission’s review of the recommendations from the Golf Course Advisory Committee.

• Pension and OPEB Reform: We want to reaffirm our commitment to pension reform (and controlling costs associated with other post employment benefits) in a formal Council Resolution.

• Supporting the Arts: We want to continue supporting the Arts and evaluate the needs of the Arts Commission by asking Jenny Rogers, our Recreation Director (who also happens to be on a first name basis with the Easter Bunny), to provide recommendations and a schedule for preparation of a Strategic Plan.

• Supporting our Schools: We want to begin developing a facilities joint use agreement with the School District. 

That is one healthy list – might was well swing big and hope we get 75 percent of it done.

About town:

It's Spring Break! Enjoy some of your time off at the Spring Break Film Festival at the Library:

• Kiki's Delivery Service: 4/8 @ 2:30 p.m.
• Rise of the Guardians: 4/9 @ 2:30 p.m.
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: 4/11 @ 2:30 p.m. (Hooray!)
• Pixar Short Films Collection: 4/12 @ 2:30 p.m.

Poetry World Series – 4/14 @ 7 p.m.: To kickoff the baseball season, MVPL will host its second “Poetry World Series,” in which two teams of up-and-coming Bay Area poets (including Keith Ekiss, CJ Evans, Dean Rader, Melissa Stein, Julie Bruck, and Rebecca Foust) will take turns “batting up” to a poem topic “pitched” to them. Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) and Rebecca Handler will host the event and a panel of big name judges (including Brian Murphy, sports-talk radio show host of KNBR’s Murph and Mac show, Jewelle Gomez, writer, activist and author of the double Lambda Award-winning novel The Gilda Stories, and Oscar Villalón, longtime former Chronicle book editor and McSweeney’s publisher), will score each “batter’s” reading. The winning team takes the series title. Register here: Game on! Poetry World Series

Other Meetings:

• Planning Commission: 4/8 @ 7 p.m.
• Art Commission: 4/9 @ 6 p.m.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee: 4/10 @ 7 p.m.
• Emergency Preparedness Commission: 4/11 @ 7 p.m.

Stay Informed: The Public Works Department has a new "Current Projects" page to help residents stay informed of important infrastructure and improvement projects. Sign up here for email notifications and Twitter updates: Stay Informed on DPW

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Smile.  We have so much to be grateful for. 

Andy

P.S.: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  --Maya Angelou