After two public meetings, 30 different advisory positions have
been chosen for Vision San Benito, but it hasn’t been an easy
process.
After two public meetings, 30 different advisory positions have been chosen for Vision San Benito, but it hasn’t been an easy process.
Gavilan College administrators met with community members July 14 and July 28, hoping to develop an advisory committee, which includes organizations and individuals representing different groups in the community. The committee’s goal is to develop a plan to forecast the future of the county. Some areas like education and agriculture have more than one committee seat, because the majority felt there needed to be more representation for larger groups in the community.
Confusion about the available seats, and concern from different groups about representation delayed the selection process, according to Gavlian College President Steve Kinsella. Toward the end of the second meeting, Gavilan facilitators finally had to ask the group to start making some choices.
“I think there were people there who didn’t attend the first meeting, and had questions where we had to revisit things that had been covered,” Kinsella said. “But we wanted to take enough time to make sure their concerns were heard.”
Along with the original 27 advisory spots, the group decided to include three “at-large” spots, so community members who don’t fit into the other groups, but feel they need representation can be added at a later date.
“This is an on going process,” Kinsella said. “If the advisory committee is going along and realize a chair needs to be added, it can be added.”
Getting the room full of county residents to agree on 30 spots wasn’t easy. Many community members came to the meeting with their own agendas, wanting to make sure their concerns were heard, according to Hollister resident Franz Schneider, who attended the meeting.
“Something I have noticed in the 20 years I’ve been going to public meetings is people don’t come because they read about it in the newspaper, or because they saw the letter about it,” he said. “They come because of what their neighbors tell them, and then for some reason feel like they’ve been kept in the dark about it, which isn’t the case. I would certainly hope that each person on this committee represents the entire community and not just their special area of interest.”
During the next month, Gavilan facilitators will contact local organizations within the different advisory areas, and see who is interested in being part of the project. The next meeting will be held in mid-September. For more information, contact Gavilan College at 408-848-4724.
