One thing every city needs more of is volunteers.
With recent cuts in services and programs, city officials look toward residents, civic clubs, churches and other organizations for help.
Recently in Mountlake Terrace, a point was raised at a City Council meeting that a wider variety of volunteers for community events would be nice.
Concern was raised about the number of times one particular pastor and his church were noted in the minutes. The point was to make sure there was an open process so that more folks could help if they wanted.
Having a variety of volunteering to take on community events is a lot easier said then done. It doesn’t take long to realize that the same faces, whatever their affiliations may be, show up when the call goes out for heavy lifting. It would be great if people lined up for volunteer opportunities, but it just doesn’t happen.
The city has a process to solicit volunteers. The system is sound and avoids favor or discrimination. In the end, those chosen receive appropriate financial aid from the city to help with the project or event. Accountability measures for public funds are also built in.
It would’ve been nice if those questions had been asked first.
Also woven into the questions raised was whether the pastor’s views on current moral issues, and attendance at an event in support of those views, should be cause for concern.
The fact is that everyone carries baggage through life. In this case, the pastor and church members don’t use community projects as a pulpit for religious views. They don’t pass out literature or apply a litmus test for participation.
If increasing volunteerism is the goal, it would help if those who are already doing good works and following the rules aren’t held up to unnecessary questioning in the public eye.
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