Make a new plan, Stan

A plan is a method for achieving a desirable objective. It’s a program of action, usually memorialized in writing. Plans start with goals and ideas. But ideas alone (even good ones) don’t constitute a plan.

Merely setting goals (even worthwhile ones) also fall short of a plan.

Planning takes goals and ideas a few steps further. Good, solid planning analyzes the strategies needed to achieve desirable outcomes (the goals), arranges them in an orderly and easily understandable fashion, spells out actions needed to implement those strategies, and records them on a readily accessible medium available to everyone, including all who will be impacted by the plans and everyone who will play a part in carrying them out.

Just because plans are recorded doesn’t mean they’re etched in stone. Details will undoubtedly be added over time. And most plans should be reviewed and revised often, continually adapting them to ever-changing circumstances.

Simply talking about a subject doesn’t constitute planning either. Too often we use our public forums to talk about difficult problems or critical issues but then don’t do anything to solve them. That’s especially true of controversial matters. Instead, we turn a blind eye, sweep the issue under the rug, kick the can further and further down the road, or put the problem back on the shelf to fester for another decade or two before we dust it off again.

Unfortunately, in the words of a long-forgotten rock song that will certainly date me and reveal far too much about my teenage leanings, even “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” Or in more familiar terms, when you fail to plan, you’re really just planning to fail.

As an attorney, one of my areas of practice is estate planning. Let’s face it, very few of us want to think about dying, much less actually follow through with it. So, when it comes to planning how our assets will be distributed once we finally pass away, most of us would rather perish the thought, block it from our minds, and kick the proverbial can down the road instead. I, for one, would rather kick the can than think about kicking the bucket. But, like it or not, if you fail to engage in estate planning now, then the government will ultimately decide where your property ends up after you die. And your heirs will spend tens of thousands of your hard-earned dollars in court cleaning up the mess.

Maybe your assets will end up exactly where you want them to be anyway? But unless you don’t care, then don’t bet on it. It probably goes without saying that your plan won’t always match the government’s plan.

I’m also in business for myself. And I help many businesses with their legal needs as well. So, I know a thing or two about succession planning. Succession planning attempts to ensure that organizations have a pipeline of talent ready to step into key positions to minimize disruption when leadership transitions occur. Succession planning also supports the long-term sustainability, continuity, and consistency of the enterprise.

On that note, have you noticed that the revolving door of management position employees at City Hall hasn’t really slowed down in recent years? When the big three were “terminated” in 2020-21 (City Manager Al Noyola, City Attorney Steve Morris, and City Clerk Lou Krumm), you might have thought the turnstile would stop. But change is one of the only sure things in life, and turnover seems inevitable. For instance, in the last two years, we’ve seen the departure of several additional high-profile leaders at City Hall, including Utilities Director Dennis Porter, Public Works Director Keegan Littrell, Finance Director Diane Pelletier, City Planner Susan Danielewicz, and Parks and Recreation Director Roger Hall.

Some of those were planned departures, including retirements. Others were more forced than planned. But all were foreseeable at some point. The vicissitudes of life (including death) mean that no position will be occupied by the same person forever (Roger Hall excepted, perhaps… cue the audible snickers).

I don’t have a crystal ball. And I’m not a prophet. But I’m going to make a bold prediction anyway. Which is that several more city management-level positions will open up in the next two years, and maybe even in the next two months. I won’t predict which positions, much less name names. Because if I’m right, you’ll say I have way too much insider information for my own good.

But regardless of when those changes occur, important questions include: Are we ready for those changes? Does the city have a succession plan in place to fill the shoes of the next departing management-level employees, at least on an interim basis? Are existing rank-and-file employees being sufficiently trained to step into bigger shoes?

Similar questions should certainly be asked about infrastructure, economic vitality, and schools. For instance, are we repairing and replacing our streets and utility infrastructure fast enough? What will we do to address the potential blight and economic impacts caused by the impending closure of the 99 Cent Store? What will we do to keep our public schools open if demographic aging trends continue in Boulder City, such that at some point in the not-too-distant future more non-resident students attend our schools than BC-resident students?

Such questions and problems defy easy answers. But the problems and accompanying uncertainty quickly grow to unmanageable proportions when we fail to properly plan many years and even decades in advance.

I loved the Boulder City that I moved to over 45 years ago. And I still love the vastly changed Boulder City that I live in now. But not all change is good. Especially not accidental change.

So, let’s be sure we regularly and consistently slow down long enough to plan for our beloved city’s future success. Every vote I cast this year will be an expression of confidence in those who are proven planners.