Embracing the New Normal: City Council Member Lisa Goodman

By Lisa Goodman

Happy Friday to everyone. We made it through another week of the new normal in the City of Minneapolis and in our country and I hope everyone finds themselves healthy, happy and with their families of choice, if that’s possible. So many changes, so much uncertainty, yet so many have been able to figure out how to move forward as we progress into this next phase of attempting to stay safe and begin to reopen our community.

One of the things that has been hardest for me in the new normal is working from home. As an extrovert and someone who was always on the go, working from home has been hard and I am sure many of you can relate. Like so many I find myself alone in my home, eating meals alone, watching the news alone and not having my normal interactions, except with my dog. Thank goodness for Sadie. It can be difficult, and I definitely don’t like the feeling of isolation.

Like many I have adapted to the new reality of video interactions. I have learned to embrace the world of Skype, Zoom, Teams and GoTo meetings as this is how we are conducting city business and how I am able to continue representing you on the City Council and even “getting together” with friends, family and my faith community.

With the emergency declaration in place, we needed to restructure the City Council set up from a two-week cycle with seven (7) standing committees to a one-week cycle with two (2) main committees. This means we are also holding a City Council meeting every week instead of every two weeks. On Tuesday afternoon we have the Business, Inspections and Zoning (BIZ) committee, which I chair. The focus of this committee is economic development and zoning and planning related items. On Wednesday afternoon we have the Policy and Government Oversight (POGO) committee which handles all the other business items the council must address. Things are moving much faster now.

The City Clerk’s office worked diligently to put a system in place for us to conduct public hearings and that is now done with people calling in to offer testimony and comment on public agenda items. This new system will be in place for some time so we can continue to work from home and maintain property social distancing. The City workforce, except for first responders, are largely working from home and the City Coordinator reports this is working well and that our employees are feeling safe and being productive.

I long for the day when we can get back to working with each other in person, when neighborhood meetings and community events resume, and when the activities we took for granted before the pandemic return to normal and we can feel and be safe being around each other.

The new normal is an adjustment but it is a small price to pay for keeping our community healthy and safe. Be well friends, be in touch in you need anything and know that Patrick, Judy and I look forward to the day we can see you all again in person.

Fondly,

Lisa