I cast my first vote as a member of the Parks board last night, approving the placement of Jim Gallucci’s Immigrant Gate sculpture at Millbrook Exchange Park. It was a no-brainer vote and a unanimous one, too. If only all my votes were that easy.
What’s an odd, new experience with me is the idea of holding my tongue. I’m an open guy (I blog, don’t I?) and meetings are open to the public, but I have the unusual urge to hold my cards close to my vest.
I’ll also have to learn to hold my questions to the appropriate time for comment. This is tough, because I have the habit of wanting to jump on something I hear and delve into detail right then. Now I am expected to behave myself and speak when spoken to.
There are more subtle ways of influencing matters, however. I will just have to practice them. Fortunately, this is where my military experience comes in. The Navy taught me that there’s the official way of getting things done and there’s the other way: befriending someone who can cut through the red tape. Like Radar O’Reilly in M*A*S*H, its all about who you know. Had I stayed in I could’ve turned that plan into eagles on my lapels someday.
Bureaucracy is a puzzle that begs to be solved.