I’ve been on the Rapid City Common Council for almost 10 months. That means I have about 26 months left to represent Ward 5, or 52 council meetings, give or take. It’s often hard for me to digest that I’m almost a year into this position. While a three-year term can sound long on paper, I’m constantly feeling the timer of this seat race towards zero. I want to be intentional with how these next 26 invaluable months are spent, and I want to spend them next to you. Technically, I want to spend them across from you.
I have a goal of sitting down, face-to-face, with at least 100 constituents like yourself to have a cup of coffee and talk about what local issues you are dealing with, ideas you might have, or to simply connect with each other.
My reasons are two-fold. I want to engage in real-life conversation with residents to understand what they’re truly experiencing while living in our great city. So, for the foreseeable future, you won’t find me engaging on social media.
No matter your social media platform of choice, internet algorithms push engagement at any cost. And I’m not buying. Social media provokes an emotional response out of us and it thrives when those feelings are rooted in anger and division.
When we give in to that anger, or find ourselves with a new digital enemy, we give the social media giants of the world exactly what they want. Their product has created a politics of division, pitting us against our own neighbors, while they laugh all the way to the bank.
These platforms do not have the right to diminish our capacity to care deeply, hijack our humanity, and cash in on our frustration.
How do we begin to fight back? For me, I’ll be doing it one cup of coffee at a time. And if you’re reading this, you’re invited to join my table.
I’d like to offer another alternative to social media. I acknowledge people have busy lives and having coffee with a stranger might not be a priority. I’m hoping to create an email list of citizens who are interested in providing their insight, asking questions, and dialoguing on city-related topics. You don’t have to engage with every email, and I promise not to spam your inbox (too much). My goal is to gain well-rounded perspectives so when it’s time to vote on an item, you and I both know that the decision is, if nothing else, fair.
So here’s the actionable next step; to join me for coffee and/or sign up to be a Perspective & Insight Sharer, send a note to callie.meyer@rcgov.org. Or if you have a better name for the list other than “Perspective & Insight Sharer”, I’d welcome the opportunity to hear it.
Signing off with a tremendous amount of appreciation.
