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 The event began Friday evening with an orientation of sorts, and a
review of an online survey conducted by the Center for Governmental
Studies (CGS) at Northwestern Illinois University.
Present for the Friday night meeting were aldermen Michelle Bauer,
Jeff Hoinacki, Kathy Horn, Todd Mourning, Marty Neitzel, and Steve
Parrott. Also on hand were Mayor Keith Snyder, city administrator
Clay Johnson, city clerk Susan Gehlbach, and city of Lincoln
Assistant Police Chief Paul Adams and Fire Chief Mark Miller. Katie
Davison of the CGS served as the moderator for the event.
The evening began with a call to order by Snyder, roll call by Susan
Gehlbach, and opening comments by Johnson. To get the group started,
Johnson read a quote from Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War
serving under President Abraham Lincoln. “There can be no greater
madness than for a man to encounter what I do for anything less than
motives that overleap time and look forward to eternity.” Johnson,
said he felt that the quote was appropriate. “We’re kind of crazy
for what we are doing, but we have an eye on the future. I think
that through strategic planning, through a collective vision, that
we can have motives that overleap time and look forward to the
future.”
Snyder introduced Davison. He then asked the group to one at a time
introduce themselves and discuss why they are a part of city
government. He specified the question should address why the
aldermen ran for office or why any attendee is a part of city
government.
Answers around the room echoed an opportunity to serve the community
and be a part of the future of the city of Lincoln. Among them,
Mourning and Bauer noted they were appointed by the mayor. Neitzel
was also first appointed but has since then had successful runs for
the office. Neitzel also noted she was now the senior member of the
council. Horn noted she too was appointed and has had two successful
reelections. Horn noted, “I’ve lived in Lincoln well over 40 years,
I’m very proud to live in Lincoln and very proud of what we do on
the city council.”
Parrott is the newest member of the council. He explained that he
was considering running, when he learned there was an opening on the
Council for Ward 1 due to the resignation of Melody Anderson. He
then approached Mayor Keith Snyder and applied and became an
appointee also.
Hoinacki explained that while working for the Illinois Department of
Corrections in one of the Lincoln prisons he was encouraged to run
by a former alderman who also worked there.
Adams, Gehlbach, and Miller also talked about their reasons for
being with their respective departments. Gehlbach explained her
reluctance to become city clerk the first time she was asked; and
her decision to take the position the second time it came up a few
years later.
Adams and Miller talked about their passion for what they do and
their interest in helping people through their jobs, and in being a
part of the community on the whole.
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Johnson also spoke saying that he had taken an “Abraham Lincoln
course to Illinois, coming from Kentucky.” Johnson spoke briefly
about doing an internship with the Kentucky League of Cities. He
began taking an interest in helping the small communities. He
enrolled in college in Indiana, and had a professor who possessed
great passion for helping cities and guiding them through
administration and management. Johnson said after spending time with
the professor; he became hooked on the idea of being that kind of
person who was passionate about helping communities. He also noted
that being a recent arrival to Lincoln, there are already several
aspects of the community that he fell in love with, “things that
I’ve found, and can’t wait to do more."
Snyder also spoke, recounting how he was approached to run for mayor
in 2008, and was subsequently elected in 2009 and 2013. Snyder said
he wanted to see the city grow, and he wanted to see the young
people of the community stay here. He said his goal was to “create
opportunities for our kids.” He also noted he was excited about the
strategic planning process and looking forward to coming out on the
other side with a unified plan.
After the introductions, Davison said she was impressed with the
aldermen and staff because of their spirit and their positive
attitude toward this new endeavor.
She got down to business using a quote, “A goal without a plan is
just a wish.” She would be assisting the group through a very
simple, basic strategic plan. She said the session on Saturday would
actually get the ball rolling. The work would include creating a
unified vision and mission. They would identify the key issues in
the city, set goals to improve the city, and outline strategies to
achieve the goals.
For the Friday night session, Davison said the group would begin by
reviewing the demographics of the community and review what was
learned in the community survey.
Click here to move on to the second article from Friday night
Lincoln 2020 – A clear vision of the future
Strategic Planning: Demographic date and survey analysis
[Nila Smith]
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