Friends and neighbors, This email list has huge value. This is where we put our ideas on the table and all can discuss them.

I offer a couple ideas that might help us keep it effective. At our face to face meetings people agree to standards of conduct that make our meetings respectful and productive. A couple of those are: We discuss ideas, not people. We focus on our common ground: our love of Nob Hill.  Individuals who post on our email list generally observe standards like this. We’ve seen hundreds of posts where we learn and develop solutions.

When we focus on people or engage in harsh rhetoric instead of ideas we pay a price. People leave the list. People who have stepped up and worked, when they come under harsh criticism, they pull back. People who are considering getting involved, when they see harsh rhetoric, say, “Why would I want to be part of that?” In each case we lose their contribution. We lose opportunities. 

Neighborhood associations have very real limits on power; no employees, no police power, no authority over city resources. What we have is soft power; advocacy. Nob Hill’s board and neighbors are good at this. But a handful of people can only do so much. A larger body of people can do more. Keep stepping up. We can address problems on our own too. 3,000 households are stronger than a few dozen. We can each do our part. We can treat one another well. That’s the kind of community I want to be part of.

#VivaNobHill

Gary Eyster