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Members' 25-Year Reminiscences Chuck Myer, AICP California Planning Foundation (CCAPA) Board of Directors, 1995-99
I went on to work for six different cities (and a region), most significantly the City of Gilroy, California, the Garlic Capital of the World, from 1978-1994. Since then, I have been doing consulting and free-lance writing, some planning-related and some not. Perhaps the scenario that best describes my efforts as a planner/journalist was the dilemma the editors of Planning magazine once found themselves in. The authors of the magazine's feature articles usually fall neatly into one of two categories: working journalists on assignment, or working planners who are generally promoting solutions to challenges within their own jurisdictions. The working journalists were paid; the planners were not, since their articles were presumably done under the auspices of their position. The editors of Planning were unable to categorize me. Although I am a certified, practicing planner, my interest in journalism often takes me far beyond the boundaries of my home jurisdiction. As a freelancer, I have had the opportunity to explore uncharted waters where traditional journalists (on traditional deadlines) haven't had time to go. Since my Planning cover feature on "Christo and the Art of Bureaucracy" in 1981, I have handled APA journalism assignments at the national, state and local levels. I have forged alliances along the way, as witnessed by the fact that my article in Planning on bed and breakfast zoning issues was reprinted both in the Bed and Breakfast Zoning Handbook, and in the innkeeper's trade magazine, Shoptalk. As an editorial board member and writer for WestPlan, the California Chapter's magazine, I was at the cutting edge of periodical journalism in our field. But along the way, I discovered something else: the ability to stand back a little from our profession and look at it in a humorous light. Thus was born "Planlines," an APA humor column that looked at planning in good fun, a way to lighten up. I always enjoy APA conferences, because so many of my colleagues greet me warmly and thank me for giving them the opportunity to laugh ... and reflect. also enjoyed coordinating the mobile workshops and California Planning Foundation fundraising auctions in the late 1990s. But what I enjoyed most about the 25 APA conferences I've attended is the chance to dive into, explore, enjoy, and critique the host cities. People at other professional conferences have to "sneak out" to do that — but for us, it's our raison d'être. I am proud to be a 25-year charter member of APA, and I wish the organization success and strength in the uncharted waters ahead.
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I joined AIP in 1976, the year I got my planning degree, and I voted for the
merger that formed APA. My superiors at one city planning office in the
late 1970s actually saw my early APA involvement as a threat, since none of
them had professional connections beyond their little burg.