Piedmont seeks volunteers for recreation panel and several others
By Lou Fancher
Spring is arriving soon in Piedmont with activities for people of all ages and especially for families to enjoy, from a Kids Night Out event March 15 to the annual Bunny Blast on March 23 to youth holiday camps April 8-12. This year, adults won’t be left out and will instead want to take advantage of a special opportunity. The city of Piedmont recently announced an open application period for 12 volunteer positions on seven city commissions or committees. For most of the vacancies, people are appointed to three-year terms. The online application process must be completed by 5 p.m. March 15, and mandatory in-person interviews will be held March 25. Piedmont’s advisory commissions and committees provide recommendations to the City Council on policies and projects pertaining to the targeted focus of each entity. Similar to the council and in accordance with provisions of California’s Brown Act, the meetings are open to the public and the agendas published in advance. This year, vacancies are available on the Public Safety and the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning committees; the Police and Fire Pension Board; and the Planning, Park, Civil Service and Recreation commissions. In addition to basic background information, applicants specify which vacancy each would like to fill and answer questions about their relevant experience, why they seek the appointment and what they could bring to the commission or committee. A schedule for the in-person five-minute interviews conducted by the council will be provided to applicants on March 22. Piedmont Mayor Jennifer Cavenaugh recently recalled her experience as a volunteer in city government and the path leading to her 2016 run for election to the council followed by her second term that began with her 2020 re-election win. Cavenaugh, who has respective bachelor of science and master of fine arts degrees from the University of Illinois and University of Chicago, is a professional executive leadership coach, consultant and longtime Piedmont community organizer. “I was a civic volunteer and deeply involved in our schools,” she said. “I had three kids in the Piedmont schools and made a deliberate shift to supporting other aspects to give space to my kids. I didn’t want to always be the mom in their classrooms. “At the time, we had had the same Recreation Commission members for 40 years, and I worked on a project to understand what the community wanted. From there, I saw there were more ways to get involved and applied for the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee. I felt because of my background that I could add value. “We identified unfunded liabilities and economic needs of our aging building infrastructure — like our pool that went dark for four years during reconstruction and (the new pool that) will open soon. We’ll have so much water space and can offer co-programming for adaptive courses, new youth and adult courses and more.” Cavenaugh said she found volunteer work rewarding in ways she commonly hears expressed by residents who participate in civic governance. “They want our community to be safe, welcoming and beautiful. People’s homes are often their largest assets, and this is where they choose to raise their kids, school them, recreate and, with our older residents, to age in place. They recognize the benefits they receive and want to give back.” Recognizing not just benefits but the community’s diverse needs is one reason people with a variety of backgrounds and interests are highly sought. Cavenuagh often encourages newcomers to apply. “Newer people don’t have the networks set up, and that can be hard. I know they come with fresh eyes on our town, so when they join in they bring that perspective to our council and city. And with our longtime residents, they remind us to evolve — like recently, in the Recreation Department’s offerings. We’re adding more activities and programs for older residents who value recreation in our parks.” Expertise arrives in a range of forms, from newcomers’ “outside eye” perspectives to experiential knowledge gained by avid outdoor enthusiasts to more traditional expertise such as that of professional artists and musicians, sports coaches and instructors, attorneys and more. “We have arborists who bring 40 years of experience working with trees to our Parks Committee,” said Cavenaugh. “We have financial advisors who benefit our community in terms of budgets, parcel taxes and financial report analyses that aren’t two-page summaries. Some of their reports are 50-page documents with firsthand research and comparisons to other cities and include recommendations that have saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars. “But we also have people who are simply strong park users or have interest in sustainability and landscaping. They don’t have to have special skills; they just have to want to bring their perspective to the committee.” Two of the entities that are critical to fill and for which expertise is considered best are the Police and Fire Pension Board and the Planning Commission. Cavenaugh said the former deals with “more obscure” matters and that the latter benefits from having members who are architects, designers and construction professionals because they are evaluating technical remodeling and building plans. Most commissions and committees meet monthly, and Cavenaugh acknowledged that for people with “meaty jobs” or large families, volunteer service in city government positions may not be possible. “For those people, I remind them we have one-and-done events that happen because people donate their time. I remember a group of volunteers first putting on the Piedmont Food Fest that’s coming up again on April 20. It’s an unbelievable, free event. “They’re not part of a commission or committee directly, but this is how our community developed events that foster what makes Piedmont special. That’s the magic that can happen when people volunteer in their community.” |