As a teacher, I have taught the inner workings of government to thousands of students. I want my students to understand that in a participatory democracy, one must participate. I want them to know that service makes a difference in this country; and most of all that service is necessary, accessible and meaningful. As I reflect on the first seven months of my City Council term, I am in awe of the contributions of those who live and work here.
I get to look at government from the inside. It is exhilarating and harder than it looks. It is impossible to please everyone. Government is the compilation of many interests and sometimes those interests are in direct competition. One has to see the future and plan for it. The council is important. However, we rely on those people who support us to understand the institutional memory of the city. A typical week includes daily phone calls and emails from City Hall making sure that we are updated. Constituents weigh in the same way. Additional meetings are often scheduled. We receive packets at least weekly that can be six inches thick, all of which need to be read and digested. Those packets include everything sent to a council member: announcements, invitations, constituent concerns, information from other government agencies and reports from city staff. It does not end there.
Invariably, council members will have questions prior to the council meeting. The questions are vetted through staff, which often causes them to go in multiple directions. I admire and appreciate those people who spend their lives behind the scenes working to provide electeds and the community with the necessary information to make well-informed decisions. We are privy to all of the questions and all of the answers, however discussion between the five of us occurs at the dais. During the public meeting, people are encouraged to participate, uninterrupted. Sometimes this is the most difficult. When advocating for oneís position the big picture can be lost. The councilís job is to see the big picture and we are elected to make decisions. I come away from the experience with a deep sense of how hard everyone has worked for whatever cause they viewed as important.
In a city that has just received the highest approval rating in anyoneís memory, Pleasanton has many things of which to be proud. The council meetings are lengthy because people in Pleasanton love to be involved and participate. This creates a personal connection to the city government. We live in a wonderful place that we can attribute to the foresight of those who have served before us.
Few people ever find themselves doing what I get to do everyday. I live what I teach. I am modeling the behavior that I hope to instill in my students. I have had extraordinary opportunities in my life and right now I serve the people of Pleasanton. It makes me increasingly thankful for this opportunity and I love every minute of it.
Cheryl Cook-Kallio, who is a 21-year resident of Pleasanton, was first elected to the City Council last November 2006. She teaches AP Government/We the People and AP U.S. History at Irvington High School in Fremont, where she just finished her 30th year.
