By Greg Glass | Special to the Courier

This past week I completed my four-year term as a City of Claremont Community and Human Services Commissioner. Here are some thoughts on my experience:

Access
Sitting on a commission provides a deeper look into how the city functions. In my case, it gave me direct contact with the community services director and the recreation and human services director and the decisions they make. If you want to know how the city deals with streets, buildings, lighting, sanitation and trees, this all falls under community services. If you want to know how the city manages youth programs, senior programs, nonprofit grants, events, holidays and the city parks including the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park, this all falls under recreation and human services. Additionally, a seat on the commission will give you access to various committees, allowing an even deeper dive into the decision-making process of everything from tree policy to the Fourth of July celebration schedule.

Decision-making (or lack thereof)
City commissions don’t actually “make” decisions. The majority of the time we simply listened to presentations of decisions and reports that were already completed. The three words I heard most often after a presentation or report were “receive and file.” Occasionally we were asked to help frame policy and vote on that framework. But these “votes” are simply an agreement to pass the recommendation on to City Council. Council makes all decisions. Commissions only review, comment and recommend. If you want to “listen to and comment on” policy changes, being a commissioner is a way to do that. If you want to actually “make decisions and finalize policy,” you’ll need to run for City Council … or is there another way?

Some of the largest policies that we were asked to comment on and vote on during my four years on the commission included things like the new city tree policy handbook draft, new playground equipment at Lewis Park, new rules for the city pickleball courts, fireworks at the Fourth of July celebration, and new e-bike laws for Claremont Hills Wilderness Park. In each and every one of these cases, the driving forces behind change were complaints from large groups of citizens of the city. These were not proactive changes being pushed from the top down, no, they were changes being drafted by city staff in response to large-scale complaints and lobbying groups of ordinary residents of Claremont. These groups of citizens were able to push through real changes — both in policy and municipal code — simply by making their voices loud and heard.

And so, as I look back on my four years as a commissioner, I’d suggest to anyone that wants to effect real change in the City of Claremont, look to band together with groups of like-minded residents and make your voices heard — loudly. Each and every time we were asked to comment and vote on potential policy recommendations, it was driven by the loud voices of residents. Would it be better if the City of Claremont could be more proactive and less reactive when it comes to change? Sure. In general, like most government entities, the City of Claremont makes decisions based on staff research, not “boots on the ground” experience. The pickleball courts rules, the Lewis Park playground design, and the Wilderness Park mountain bike policies are being crafted by staff and counsel who don’t play pickleball, don’t have small children, and don’t ride mountain bikes. Their analyses are good, but their hands-on experience is often lacking. Framing policy from the “ivory tower” will never get it 100% right. And that’s where the residents of Claremont who actually participate in such activities can fix the errors in policy. It’s the rumble of loud and active citizen voices that move the needle here. If you want to “watch the play being performed on stage,” be a commissioner. You’ll have a front row seat to all the action. But if you want to “direct the play yourself,” take a stand and raise your voices. It works — I saw it over and over again for four years.

Greg Glass is a semi-retired entertainment industry executive, skier, trail runner, mountain biker, and backpacker who was raised in Claremont and graduated from CHS in 1981.