My Thoughts and the City's Statement On Safety and Inclusiveness In Canby

It has been way too long since my last blog post.  There has been so much that has gone on in our city - a new city hall and library has opened, we are under way with the development of a building called "The Dalia" on the city block between Ivy and Holly and 1st and 2nd Avenues downtown, Canby Utility is going through the design process for their new building on the south side of town. Canby is thriving!

Since last Fall, our city council has seen some changes. We appointed Tyler Smith to the City Council in October to replace Todd Rocha.  In the election this past November, Councilors Tim Dale and Traci Hensley retained their seats. We also welcomed Sarah Spoon as the newest member to the Council team.

In our Council Meeting in December, we had several community members come and address the Council about concerns they were seeing in our community since the campaign and the election of Donald J. Trump.  Their testimony, my comments and thoughts begin at the 1:08 mark and can be watched here on the CTV5 You Tube Channel and it's included below.

Over the Christmas season I worked with city staff, the Council, and those that spoke to craft a statement approved by all council members about our community and its commitment to being welcoming and our inclusiveness.  That statement appears below:

I believe it is important that we look for common ground to work together and forge paths that we as a city can proudly walk together.  Thank you to those that helped myself and the city craft this message: Jesus and Angie Navarro, Irene Konov, Kathleen Jesky, Vicky Aguilar, Rick Robinson, and the entire city council.

/// 

This past July, the Canby City Council made a very strong statement condemning the use of statements, symbols, actions or activities that would convey messages of hatred, or in any way seek to deprive any person of their fundamental rights.  The Council went on to expressly support and endorse a culture of appreciation for the inherent value for all persons within the community regardless of race, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristic.

We feel it is very important to reaffirm our commitment and our responsibility to be vigilant in defense of the rights of all people, proactive in our attempts to be a welcoming community for all people looking for a better life, and steadfast and vigorous in condemning all forms of unconstitutional infringement.

These are powerful words.  Without action, they become and then are meaningless unless each of us strives in all we do to set the example for our families, friends, and neighbors.  By us not picking and choosing who is included, is our true test, and will ultimately define how we will grow and prosper as a community.

We feel it is valuable to reaffirm the City’s statements of inclusion, and invite the entire community to likewise do their part.  We must remember that it will be the combined actions of our entire community, and not simply the statement of the Mayor and City Council, that will be our guiding force.

We believe in our city and the ability to come together and be successful.  Let each of us be the example by modeling behaviors that promote a safe environment for all of our residents and be the example for other cities to emulate.

///

At the end of the day, these are words on a page and read aloud.  Our actions will be what defines our community.

God Bless,

Mayor Brian Hodson