( - promoted by Jill Richardson)
Willits, California, is a small town north of San Francisco, with some fame in the local food movement for its localization efforts. Because it is so small, its mayor and city council are part time, and they do not have offices in the small, cramped city hall.
So, when a constituent suggested that she drop by Mayor Holly Madrigal's office to discuss something, the Mayor laughed and said she had no office, that she might as well set up a desk in a field and call that her office.
And then she decided maybe it wasn't a joke. |
| So now, if you go to the Willits Farmer's Market on Thursday evenings, you'll find the Mayor there, with her desk, holding office hours. She pledges to bring some obvious documents with her, like the budget and an upcoming water plan, and listen to everyone's comments, complaints, questions and concerns.
So for Willits, this is a quirky, innovative solution to what in many places would be an intractable problem. But I was struck by what a great idea it would be, even for towns and cities where elected officials have offices. It helps draw people both to the Market and to the Mayor. It gives the Mayor a chance to meet with people out in the park, under the redwoods. It makes it easy for people, including working people, to just stop by rather than making a special effort to go to city hall.
Indeed, in our county, several markets are making their event into more than just a food sale, but into a community event, with fun activities for kids and something a little different each week. I'm only sad that our markets only run May through October. |
