Blurred vision

Among the criteria used to select a facilitator for the creation of the Teaneck Community Project's Visioning Plan was whether the prospective facilitator's proposal would "overcome expected skepticism of the process and project." As residents comb through the long awaited final report, entitled "Pathway to the Future," it remains doubtful that said skepticism will have been conquered.

It is not really a question of whether the $71,080 budget for the project was well-spent, though it is easy for malcontents to harp on the costs associated with its production. They can point out nonsensical proposals like "request proclamations from Township and Board of schools in town to promote support for excellence in education" and dismiss the entire project as a waste of taxpayer funds. However, the more fundamental barrier to acceptance of this report as anything other than an exercise in self-validation is the questionable legitimacy of any "vision" for the Township. No matter how carefully balanced or impartially written, whatever consensus is represented by the producers of this report has no leg to stand on against the will of Teaneck's voters. Ultimately, of course, it is the outcome of elections and the free exercise of property owner rights that will shape the future of Teaneck, not the collected wisdom of the participants in the Visioning process. So the report resides in the realm of theory, and not practice.

That said, even the skeptics must recognize that there is some value in the process itself. For the individuals who forged connections in the community and gained new perspectives on local issues, the benefits are obvious. For those who did not take part in the project, the fact that the contents of the end product will spill over into actual debate on numerous issues that have long been neglected should at least indirectly benefit them as residents of Teaneck.

So how will these ideas fare in the real world? Unfortunately, with some exceptions, it seems that the answer will be 'not too well.' This extensive wish list is long on proposed organizations, committees, and staff hires and short on practical details as to why they are needed or how such additional infrastructure will actually make life in Teaneck substantially better. I'll defer closer examination of individual proposals to future posts, but invite anyone else with a different take on the general worth of the report to help change my mind.