Guest Articles

As the incoming President, I would like to offer some observations on what the Citizens Council might be able to accomplish in 2021. First, we have an outstanding Board of Directors who are committed to work hard for the members. Second, we have the legacy from last year’s Board which figured out how to operate in the current Pandemic situation.

But it is hard to function in the COVID era. We can not meet in person. That has greatly affected the sense of community we always felt. Many of the projects we were engaged in, such as rejuvenating recycling, have been suspended. Nevertheless, it is essential that we continue to be a vital organization. We have an important role in keeping our members up to date on matters that affect us. And, sooner or later something will be proposed that will impact Tubac. Our voice will be needed.

To put this in context, we have two mandates as expressed in our logo:

Inform the Community and Advocate for the Community.

We have gotten pretty good at the first mandate, keeping our members informed. Our last face to face member meeting was February 2020, just about a year ago. We learned to prepare Newsletters to the members containing important information about activities and governmental actions that affect us. Starting in December, we had virtual meetings via Zoom. The January meeting was particularly informative. The County Manager, Jennifer St John, gave us an update on the distribution of the COVID vaccine. A summary of her main points can be found on our the Home Page. She will be present again at our February 15 Council meeting to give us the latest on vaccinations in the County.

Going forward with our obligation to inform our membership, the Board has decided to continue with virtual meetings. We will provide notice and the Agenda in advance (the meetings are always on the third Monday of the month). We will also send a reminder a couple of days before the meeting. Zoom can be intimidating so at our meetings, Board member Gary Elkind will provide useful tips on how to use it. We hope the number of people who will join our meetings will increase as the word spreads and Zoom becomes less intimidating.

Fulfilling our second mandate, advocating for the community, is more problematic. Before the Pandemic, the Citizens Council was active in issues like recycling and the proposed new Fire House in Tubac. Those and other policy and development issues have largely gone dormant for now. Of course, normalcy will return and our advocacy role will reemerge. The challenge is to maintain a strong membership during this lull so we can maintain our influence with decision makers.

You can help! Please renew your membership for 2021 if you have not. That can be done right here on our Website. And, if you know people who are not members, or have moved here recently, explain the benefits of our organization and hopefully they will join. Stay well, stay safe. Contact us any time at secretary@yourscvcc.org.

Clem Shute,

President