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City Council recently debriefed on their July 29 facilitated retreat, which aimed to foster better communication and under standi ng among its members.
Mayor Theresa McShan highlighted the effectiveness of the retreat and the curated discussions that took place.
“There was a lot of i n format ion given,” McShan said. “A lot of things that we learned that day, we had serious dialogue toward the end of the day where I think we all were tired and just let it all roll. We were honest with each other.”
This enhanced sense of understanding was echoed by council members.
“With the dialogue that we had, I think we were able to let a lot of stuff out and lean into things, and now there’s more trust amongst members,” Arthur Gibson added. Mayor McShan further explored the concept of trust, prompting varied insights from the group. Council Member YaLecia Love emphasized “transparency,” while City Manager Tom Mattis spoke of “confidence in each other.” Forest Lee Dennis noted the col laborat ive spi r it, saying, “If nothing else, we kind of understood how we work together to come up with a common solution.”
The retreat also inc luded per sona l it y tests and profiles to help members better understand each other’s traits and improve communication. This aim extends to enhancing their interaction with residents, as seen in recent initiatives like Mayor McShan’s video update on the city’s new website and the sharing of registered voter lists.
Councilmember Joy Casnovsky found the retreat inspirational, describing it as a time of bonding and alignment. She appreciated the less structured environment, noting, “It was nice to have that freedom to have some of those conversations and bond and see how aligned we were.”
“It’s not about us, it’s about our citizens, and that very clearly came out,” McShan said.
According to the council, the retreat’s open and flexible format allowed members to delve deeper into their roles and the challenges they face, setting a positive tone for future council activities.
“This reaffirmed that we could have differences, but the group was focused on the right thing. We have a nine-member council that’s really still on the same page,” Mattis added.
“It’s not about us, it’s about our citizens, and that very clearly came out.”
— Mayor Theresa McShan
