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Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton
August 9, 2007
We talk a lot around here (and in my blogs) about quality of life and sense of community. While the City delivers a wide variety of services, the primary mission is to provide livable community. In fact, one of my Public Administration professors declared that the ONLY mission of a city government should be to build community. All decisions should be based on whether it is enhancing the residents’ sense of community.
It is not as simple as it sounds, of course, and we could get into countless arguments over the definition of “community,” and what happens when one person’s version of community conflicts with another’s. That is what democracy is all about and why elected officials are given the authority to decide what is best for the community.
In a recent citizen survey, 83% of respondents rated the overall quality of life in O’Fallon to be “good” or “excellent” and 90% rated O’Fallon as a good place to live. Ninety percent rated O’Fallon as a good or excellent place to raise children and 69% were pleased with O’Fallon’s sense of community. From these results, it appears we are doing something right but it is a continuous process to maintain a positive sense of community.
One of the things that build community are special events. Despite the blistering heat, there was a good turnout for the National Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday night. Police, EMS, and Fire Department officials were on hand to promote strong relationships between with O'Fallon residents. I took my family to the event and we enjoyed the free pool party, compliments of the O’Fallon Parks and Recreation Department.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an article on the event. At the end of the article, the article quoted O’Fallon resident Ronda Munie, who articulated our community-building mission perfectly. She said that “O’Fallon’s a community where people like to get together.” I couldn’t say it better myself.
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