What does it mean to be a citizen?

Men's Time Topic Discussion for Tuesday, June 7th at 9:30am Pacific time.

It is June 7 of the year, 2022! It is an Election Day! These are the Primaries, when we vote for the nominees for the final election in November!

I hope you’ll vote. It’s an opportunity to claim our citizenship, won through the wounds and deaths of the Revolution! And even more through the battles of the Civil War!

I thought we could spend our time today pondering our citizenship in the City of Pasadena. We talk so much of the National conditions, less about the State of California, and perhaps almost none of the City of Pasadena.

What are your thoughts about living here; what do you think the Council ought to be considering? Is the City divided? What can we do to bring it together? What about City events where we could meet people of other parts of the City? Do we think of others in the City as part of our responsibilities in the Village? Is the Village only for part of the City?

What does the Council have in mind for us in 2023? Have you ever had a talk with a Councilperson? Did he tell you what he wanted to accomplish? Did you have any ideas for him? Does the Village have any ideas, plans, demands, or thoughts for the Council? Do we have a committee for considering such?

What are some other important work going on in the City? In education, for example, or youth development, or crime prevention, or transportation, or concern for the the aging, or information dispersal. What are the departments of the City, and how do they relate to me and me to them. Does the City just go on in City Hall? Do I know anything about Council Meetings? Do they ever send me a letter to talk about what they are doing? What is a Councilperson? what are his/her duties? How do they relate to their constituents? What are their responsibilities to the Village? Who is the Mayor and what are his duties and who does he answer to?

And who are we? And what are our responsibilities? And do we care, or how much time are we, as individuals, and as an organization, going to be spending this year about the City, and what it’s accomplishing? And how much will the Village impact the City of Pasadena???

I think these are important questions, and I think we should work on some answers!

John Tuite