This is a letter to me. When I use strong language in this letter, it’s subconsciously addressed to me. However, it would be very weird to write a letter to myself in The Suburban Times. So I’m going to address this letter to all my fellow citizens of Lakewood.
It’s up to any individual if they recognize themselves in this.
We’ve had a good time the last few weeks calling the city to task for using the guise of state mandates to incentivize development badly.
But the city is not just a government, folks. It’s us. Tens of thousands of us.
Where are we?
People come and go in front of the city government on various issues. But most city business goes unremarked. Sometimes decisions are made or nearly made, someone sees the effects, and then there’s an uproar here in The Suburban Times or in a Facebook group.
More effectively, there may be a blast of comment during one City Council meeting.
People are found on social media now, whether it’s here in The Suburban Times and/or Facebook and/or other sites. We may respond indignantly, sometimes very intelligently, in a Facebook comment and then move on. With our civic duty done, we can move on to another post Facebook wants us to see, whether it’s from a political cause, celebrity, or someone posting about cats or a service to clean air ducts.
Positive things can come out of comments here in The Suburban Times and Facebook groups – such as recent activity related to street ends at lakes. But in general, we seem to be raising a generation to think that posting a comment on Facebook accomplishes something. Versus, say, getting involved or voting.
Fact is, if you want to make a difference, you need to be there as decisions are being made. Coming in after decisions are made is pretty imperfect. And if you’re not aware of these decisions being made, that’s on you.
For example
I reappeared last spring after years of absence when I found out about a proposal to help undo businesses along Gravelly Lake Drive in my neighborhood. The City Council was about to act on something after the Planning Commission had held a hearing where only the developer showed up.
Now, don’t get me wrong. There should have been direct notice to the neighborhood. Holding a hearing where only the developer shows up is something that happens in small towns where the council, Planning Commission, planning director and the developer are all first cousins – along with their spouses.
That’s not Lakewood.
But the fact is, if I had been paying attention – if I had been opening all the Planning Commission and council PDFs – I would have seen this proposal months before.
Yes, it should not have just been buried only in the middle of a PDF, but it was – and it was there plain as day. And I get that many of us have jobs and families and causes and smartphones and are distracted in record ways.
But I should have seen that proposal earlier. So should you, friends.
Invoking cityhood
We are fond of saying city government has changed since cityhood began, but so have we the citizens. Thirty years ago, even back when I was on the council 2004-11, we sat on advisory committees and poured through documents and were excited about the startup of a city. There were citizen groups eager to help, whether it was a transportation advisory board or a redevelopment advisory board to address vacant and underutilized spaces.
Flash forward to 2024 when I look for a Lakewood-related post to engage with indignantly, and then, my civic duty done, scroll Facebook to the Beatles Forever group which shares what The Beatles were doing on this date in 1964.
Just as I stumbled on this weird proposal for my neighborhood, Lakewood United had announced here in The Suburban Times that it was suspending operations. Decades before cityhood, you could go to Lakewood United meetings to hear speakers talk and discuss what was going on within the city. And this civic forum was suspended this spring because only a handful of people wanted to know what was going on within Lakewood.
Including me. I did nothing, zip, zero, to support Lakewood United.
I had other things to do. I bet you do too. It definitely took more time to get to a meeting of Lakewood United than it takes to refresh your social media feed. For what it’s worth, Ringo had a funny expression that day in 1964, and below that, there’s a cute photo of a gerbil and a kid — time to keep scrolling.
Get involved
I do not have a snappy ending to this letter, because civic involvement can’t end. Democracy is not a thing for other people.
We need to do more as citizens to be involved than just get stirred up now and then. We need consistent citizen involvement.
Should the city explain more and notify appropriately? Absolutely.
If it did more, would people participate?
If you are unhappy that you tried before, and you didn’t win, I empathize. That does not mean you stop trying.
We can’t stop making dinner, because we need dinner. We can’t stop being involved in civic affairs, because we live in a city, state and nation.
Call to action
I did not write this to make anyone feel bad, except me. There’s only so much time and so much attention. We all have to make choices.
It’s unrealistic – fantasy – to think thousands of people are going to track all the city agendas. Here are a few ideas:
Keep track yourself: With the exception of lost citizen advisory boards, it’s never been easier for an individual to keep track of a city. Agendas and detailed reports are posted online here: https://cityoflakewood.us/city-council/city-council-agendas/
You can watch meetings while they’re being held, or after the fact here: https://www.youtube.com/@CityofLakewoodWA/streams This is an incredible resource.
You can track the agendas and activities of advisory groups like the Planning Commission through links here: https://cityoflakewood.us/commissions/
Recognize you’re behind when a subject comes up: If you see something come up about the City of Lakewood, recognize that you’re behind on things the moment you call that subject up. Stuff has been going on, and you haven’t kept track of it. That’s OK. We can’t be experts on everything. You have things to learn. Consider doing research or look for the research that others have done.
It would be unusual if there is ever one Suburban Times post or Facebook comment that encapsulates all known truth.
Sensible growth: A few of us are starting to meet and try to sort out all the new development coming into town. The focus right now is on the multifamily tax exemption, but we want to be a voice for sensible growth that both welcomes new residents and yet acknowledges Lakewood is something other than Parkland. So that’s one effort going on.
If you’re interested in being part of those discussions, drop me a note at walter.neary at gmail.com
There are good signs: There are a few thriving neighborhood associations. The city is helping to form new neighborhood associations for downtown and the area around Fort Steilacoom Park. If you live and work in an area with a neighborhood association, I hope you keep track of it.
What else? I’m looking forward to any comments on this letter. There may be networks of citizen involvement not mentioned here. If this post inspires anyone to share how to get involved, then maybe we’ve accomplished something.
Your move: Not all of us have time and attention to stay aware of what’s going on within a city. I get that. But some of us do. It’s up to us to participate.
Great letter! Sadly this occurs in University Place too and citizens don’t get involved either.
The same could be said for citizen, not just parental, involvement in Clover Park School District (CPSD). We’re all paying for a failing school district which is not preparing our future generations. That can only mean the school district’s and Lakewood’s slide into mediocrity.
You’ve mentioned one of the systemic solutions: resurrection of neighborhood associations. Twenty years ago we had many yet today Tillicum is the most notable survivor. It’s not just about knowing your neighbor but rather building neighborhood political power that affects Lakewood’s future to include development decisions.
The same could be said for school district Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) which have all but disappeared in CPSD. In a public information request regarding CPSD PTAs I received the following response from CPSD:
“As you may be aware, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is an organization separate from the Clover Park School District. Because it is a separate organization, the District does not maintain its communications, including newsletters, and does not have the PTA’s internally produced records. Furthermore, it is not the District’s practice to maintain lists of PTA members.”
Rather apathetic no?
It starts with an individual, a group of individuals, an organization like an association, and a “champion” on council. Unfortunately, council members are elected at large which means they ostensibly represent everyone generally which means they really represent no one specifically. Here’s another system solution: true district elections. CPSD suffers from the same lack of representation. Although School Board members must live in a district they run for, they are elected at large by Lakewood’s entire population, not the people in their district.
When elected officials are elected at large they campaign most in voter rich neighborhoods which also tend to be better socio-economically. Conversely lower voter poorer neighborhoods tend to be largely ignored during campaigns. That has to change. We have districts in some cities, county, state and national level to hold elected officials close to their specific electorate and should expect the same at the local government and school board level.
As long as citizens are treated apathetically by campaigns and elected officials, citizen apathy will continue to prevail.
It’s all about representation.
Congratulations on identifying a theme for 2025, John, “building neighborhood political power.” Anyone planning to run for City Council, including incumbents, should already be thinking what they – and the other candidates – will be saying in the Voter’s Pamphlet. I’m not planning to run, but I saw an amazing comment posted on Facebook today that belongs in someone’s campaign ad. There was a similar post yesterday here in The Sub Times. I wonder if candidates are noting these?
Love this post and I love Lakewood. I was a citizen whom for many years believed the city council members represented me and will have my best interests at heart and keep this city I love thriving. Blissful ignorance some will say. Well, with Garry Oak habit threatened (a unique and wonderful yet truly undervalued feature of Lakewood, they do a ton for the ecosystem, once they are gone they are gone. I learned this too late because I acted after I saw them disappearing from our neighborhoods, our streets, our city.) – the abundance of empty pavement slabs and empty storefronts all over our city, and the threat of apartments lining some of the best parts of our city, now is the time to act. Things will not change from the comfort of your living room, although, that would be nice. We need bodies in seats at city hall for council meetings, we need to stand up and make educated comments to our council members so they will listen, so they will understand, so they will make positive change for us and understand how to represent us. We need you. Hope to see you at the next meeting.
Agreed, and we need council members who listen to their constituents!
We need to make responsible, sustainable planning decisions.
Thank you for your personal reflection and call to action. I have been working with an awesome group helping to create a plan to support the growth of community associations.
I couldn’t agree more that we all need to be active members and positively join together to DO SOMETHING to enhance the quality of life for all members of our communities. Let’s soften the noise of our complaints and commit to being positive contributors seeking solutions.
I appreciate your sharing and caring!
Sincerely,
Lisa Boyd
Great article Walter. Thanks to you for keeping us alerted! Don’t stop. You are needed in this community.
UNITING LAKEWOOD
With masterly narrative, Walter Neary has hit a home run for Team Lakewood with John Arbeeny on base, but this is just one game. Our perennial challenge to the re-charge the collective interests vital to sustaining our city life is how to institutionalize critical participation in “the village.”
Coming into cityhood (1996), 1988 through 1995, Lakewood United was THE indispensable hub of inspired participation. It’s not rocket science, looking back, to understand the unifying enthusiasm that mobilized cityhood engagement or to see how the entropies of time, concentrating achievement and insular social phenomena, driven by smart phones and covid pandemic, loosened caring civic connection.
Informed participation is everything. Through incorporation, Lakewood’s established jurisdictional framework has worked remarkably well. Boards and commissions were formed. Departmental function, municipal code and budgets were developed through elective governing process, all of which, in striving to their respective task, continue to evolve toward public service. Neighborhood associations emerged with varying attention around localized concerns while Lakewood service organizations responded generously to civic opportunity.
All of our “civic apparatus” is arguably still in place, but the “village fabric,” once tight and well-tended, is showing loosened resilience in the face of those unceasing daily tasks we ask government attend. What Walter, John and others remind, is that periodic tax receipts and occasional ballots are not enough to “run the railroad.”
Our “vibrant” City of Lakewood requires us, ALL OF US. Critical are the neighborhood and cultural associations, activity and interest clubs, PTSAs, educational islands, park, gardening, theater and library gatherings, faith communities, stamp collectors and you, finding creative interest in the shared experience of place. City of Lakewood has boards and commissions, neighborhood associations have committees, our community center in Tillicum has daily tasks that need doing, and Caring for Kids always needs muscle and money.
Find a path to join your citizen interest. Together, people with commitment taking time to show up, are what truly light the village, keep the fabric of community tight. We are “the village,” the home team. One hundred years from today, others will look back, as we do now, grateful someone cared and made a difference. Informed participation is everything.
Thank you for this thoughtful letter Walter. John and I both appreciate your insight. We definitely need to galvanize our neighborhoods in order to protect and enrich them. We are grateful to you for pointing us in the right direction.
All nicely said, Walter.
Facebook etc are great for spreading the word, but after that? Then what?
My late mother set a good example in her political activism, starting in 1973 after Roe v. Wade, and continuing with a number of other state and local issues. She saw jobs that needed doing, and she simply did them. And when she got involved with something, she was very passionate and persistent. She would spread the word, ask for help, and keep at it. No job was too big or too small–she would just jump in and encourage others to join her.
I think we all know somebody like that, and we might put them on a pedestal a little bit, and think they have a special gift or drive that we don’t have. My mom would call BS on that (not literally — “horsefeathers” was more my mom’s speed!) If you ever expressed dissatisfaction with anything in the “system”, she would ask, “well, what are you doing about it?” She did not care what party you supported, what color you were, or whether you had “credentials”. “You CAN fight city hall”, she would say, “and I’m proof. I’m just a widowed housewife. I don’t always get what I want, but that’s OK. The point is, those people all know I’m here and that I’m not going away. They have to look me in the eye before they vote against me.”
In the end, it’s all doable–we just need to be able to survive for an hour or two without picking up our phones.