October 15, 2025
This is a time of transition. The weather has finally tipped toward the cool of fall, the sunlight is coming in at a noticeably different angle, and in the City Council offices, we’re shifting our focus to 2026 as we move closer to adopting next year’s budget.
Personally, this is a time of transition too. A new year on the Jewish calendar began this month, and with the turn in the calendar comes a turn inward – a chance to reflect on how we lived up to our own standards in the past year and how we can be better family members, friends and neighbors in the year ahead.
One of the things I’m always working on, both at home and at work, is being a better listener. I want to listen to my kids, my husband and my co-workers without my mind racing, thinking about the million other things I have to do. I find technology to be the enemy of good listening, so for my birthday last year, I asked my husband for an analog watch – one that would only tell me the time, not track my steps or the news – so I could keep on schedule all day without looking at my phone.
Good listening is also essential for good government, especially as we make critical decisions about our 2026 budget. I’m sure, like me, you’ve been to plenty of community meetings where it doesn’t seem like listening is the goal at all – where the entire meeting is taken up by a lengthy Powerpoint leaving little time for discussion or questions, where anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable stepping up to the mic in front of the whole room doesn’t have a way to be heard, where no notes are taken, where engagement activities feel contrived or condescending.
That’s why my Council colleagues and I have worked hard this year to design budget engagement meetings where genuine listening and learning can take place. At our citywide budget engagement event last month at Arlington Hils Community Center, we spent most of our time in small groups, sharing our thoughts on how the city should prioritize its limited dollars, how we can raise revenue and where we can find savings. Councilmembers each facilitated a small group and reported back to the room on what they heard at the end of the discussion. At my Ward 2 budget engagement event at Baker Rec Center a few weeks ago, we again spent most of the time with open Q&A and discussion of community priorities.
These events have helped me learn what’s most important to you as we navigate another tough budget season. You told me you want to see more investment in street maintenance and snow plowing, rec center programming, better wages for city staff, and support for small businesses. You want to see us find more creative ways to raise revenue, such as through Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) programs to encourage tax-exempt organizations to contribute their fair share, and you want to make sure dollars are being spent equitably across our neighborhoods. You want us to take care of the basics first, to prioritize the services that people depend on, and to take care of what we already have before building new facilities. People talked about the burden of high taxes, but they also focused on the needs of their neighbors, recognizing that our community is strongest when we all care for each other.
I’ll be thinking about what I learned from you in these conversations as I work on the budget over the months ahead. And I encourage you to listen to your neighbors’ thoughts on the budget too – whether that’s by checking out the notes from our events here, or by having a casual conversation at the park or while waiting for the elevator. It’s truly amazing what we can learn when we take a moment to just listen.