The Commissioner — Winter 2005

Commissioner's Voice

Representing Planning Commissioners

By Pat Sheffels
Bellevue, Washington

At any given time there are approximately 200,000 of us. Professional planners call us Citizen Planners. I consider that title a compliment, because I don't know of any other profession that includes non-professionals as valued partners in the decision-making process. The Citizen Planners who serve on planning commissions, zoning boards, design review boards, etc. bring expertise from all walks of life. Some actually are professional planners, land-use attorneys, architects, or work in other related professions, but the vast majority of them are not trained in planning when they become commission members.

The decisions that Citizen Planners make have a great impact upon our quality of life, as well as our economic viability and the future of our environment. When we make decisions about what types of structures can be placed where, when we determine that wetlands protection might limit the economic uses that a property owner desires, when clogged highways prevent goods and services from being delivered on time, or when a historical site needs to be determined and designated, the Citizen Planner, in conjunction with the public authority, must help in the decision-making process that addresses these situations. The Citizen Planner is ethically bound to serve the public interest and make decisions that reflect that interest.

As a Citizen Planner member of the American Planning Association, there are many resources available to you. You are represented on the APA Board of Directors by a person elected from the ranks of non-professional planners. The Planning Officials Committee of APA actively helps in planning the sessions, mobile workshops, socialization opportunities, and information exchange opportunities for the national planning conference. Every year this track has grown in offerings and quality.

APA has extensive training opportunities. Attend local, state, or national conferences for training or take advantage of training offered through the audio/web conference series or CD-ROM training packages. Planning magazine and this newly formatted and enlarged publication, The Commissioner, as well as all the information available on the website, www.planning.org, can help enable you to do your job in a informed, educated, and conscientious way.

You are a Citizen Planner because you want to contribute to the well-being of your community and to insure that it will be a place where you want to work and live for the foreseeable future. Pat yourself on the back, and as someone once said: "Keep up the good work."