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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Helman students learn architecture from professionals through Architects in Schools program ... Three ways to enjoy legendary Mt. Shasta ... String of storms expected to bring wind and rain ... Helman students learn architecture from professionals through Architects in Schools program ... Three ways to enjoy legendary Mt. Shasta ... String of storms expected to bring wind and rain ... COUNCIL CORNER Council Corner: Musings of a city councilor Comment By Stefani Seffinger DailyTidings.com By Stefani Seffinger Posted Mar. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Stefani Seffinger Posted Mar. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News I have been having a hard time this round deciding what topic to choose to write about for my Council Corner article. My first attempt was to choose the topic of women in Ashland city government, since March is National Women’s History Month and the theme for 2016 is women in public service and government leadership. When I presented the idea to my husband, he said, “only women will read it.” So this was somewhat discouraging. After much research and actually counting how many men and women were on each appointed commission, committee, ad-hoc group and board and then doing an analysis of the trends (yes women are from Venus and men are from Mars), I will only say that the men outnumber the women and we have 50 percent more men than women in elected positions. I will leave it to you to ponder why. OK, my next idea was to write about who I represent. I do not see myself as a “hugger” of any particular group so I can only say that I think the job of the city councilor is to fairly represent all the citizens and entities of the town without preference to any one group. I try my best to listen to many different concerns, points of view, opinions and needs out there that must be weighted, balanced and yes, also budgeted and paid for by you the public if they are to be realized. I also considered delving into the topic of what city councilors should write about in their Council Corner articles. Is anything fair game? For example, is it OK to lobby for or against a particular ordinance before it is presented to the public and discussed in a public session ? Next I debated with myself about delving into the murky waters of the role of the city councilor and social media. For example, if you “like “ a post on Facebook, or conversely dislike it, is it OKy to use one of the new “emoticons “(faces expressing a range of emotions) or post a response online without clarifying whether you are expressing yourself in your city role or as a private citizen? This especially holds when it comes to issues before the City Council. Where does freedom of speech clash with transparency and having debate on an issue that is not part of the public record? The last topic I considered was how a city councilor (me in particular) should respond to emails. I want to tell you I do read them all but at times I am not sure what kind of response to give back, especially when the email expresses hateful content or extreme displeasure with how a particular issue was resolved. I do try to answer all my emails that ask for a response or express an idea, or give a thoughtful opinion. I apologize if I missed responding to yours. And so in ending I will just say I wonder what you think about some of these topics? If you feel like it please email me or send me the appropriate emoji. Stefani Seffinger is a member of the Ashland City Council. By Stefani Seffinger DailyTidings.com By Stefani Seffinger Posted Mar. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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