When Councilmembers Convene Away from Work, Connections Commence

Put a couple dozen local politicos from Williamsburg to the Beach into the same room for an hour, with adult beverages and appetizers available, and you know what you get? Relationships. As much as we like to think that our councilmembers and supervisors know each other on a personal level, it isn’t the case. Time and legal constraints keep them apart, but when the Hampton Roads Alliance, tasked with advancing economic development in these parts, invited not just mayors and chairs but their elected partners in local governance to a meeting and reception, they found takers.

And listeners.

“Talking to other people about how they handle problems and their successes and not so successful things, you can learn a lot,” said Phoebus vice mayor Corey Freeman. “Youth crime, youth violence, those are issues we’re all dealing with,” added Chris Taylor of Virginia Beach. Colleague Worth Remick, noting the number and intellect of reps from other communities, said, “This is about as good as you’re gonna get.”

The Future of Hampton Roads had a camera crew at the Museum of Contemporary Art at the end of 264 to capture the sights and bites and put them together into a video, available at www.757future.com. We should all encourage more social interaction. It’s how progress begins.