As important as our current election may be, the election of public officials situates us in a frenetic timeline that doesn’t always lend itself to getting some very important things done. Whether moving a culture toward greater equity and justice, building out the urban environment, or cultivating relationships that build peace and prosperity, most of the things that truly matter take not months or years, but decades or more.
Take, for example, the vast time difference between political cycles and what we might call “development” cycles, where public will and market forces and funding mechanisms are brought together to help strengthen a neighborhood or provide public amenities. That development cycle can take many years: if we’re honest, we’re often talking about cycles of three to four decades.
Yet how long do political cycles last? Four years for a presidential term? Six for a senate? Two years for a city councilperson? There’s an awfully wide chasm between political and development cycles, and one election can wipe out the work of a previous administration. How then do we ever get anything built?
This is where civic and community leaders, from Community Development Corporation (CDC) presidents to church leaders, must step into the breach to hold space that both engages the public and offers inspiration and direction for the people we elect, regardless of party.
This Sunday, I’ll welcome Tom Sutton, Executive Director of the Campus District, as our Dean’s Forum guest. As the dean of Trinity Cathedral and a member of the Campus District, I serve on that board and am grateful to have Tom as a colleague. Tom will share the Campus District’s brand-new master plan that casts a vision of sustainability and community engagement that could transform our neighborhood for many generations to come.
I look forward to a robust conversation with Tom, and hope you’ll join us in exploring how Trinity can be a part of a vibrant and growing Campus District.
Faithfully,
