Editor,
Mark Simon’s “Community of one” section of his recent column raised an important question about what it means to represent a community. As a District 1 resident, I’d like to add a data point.
Editor,
Mark Simon’s “Community of one” section of his recent column raised an important question about what it means to represent a community. As a District 1 resident, I’d like to add a data point.
I’ve asked to join the District 1 Community Association email list and have not been added. I know emails are going out to it from discussing the topic with neighbors. Taso Zografos has also blocked me on Nextdoor, preventing me from viewing or engaging with his posts. I am, apparently, not part of the community he represents. In a healthy democracy, representation is inclusive by default. Elected officials don’t get to choose their constituents. Community associations worth the name welcome diverse viewpoints. When a self-appointed representative curates his audience, deciding who is in and who is out, the result isn’t community engagement. It’s advocacy dressed up as consensus.
The name “District 1 Community Association” implies it speaks for the entire district. Yet not every district resident is welcome to join. An organization that borrows the legitimacy of a whole community while selectively excluding members of it is not a community association. It’s a political operation with a misleading name.
I’d encourage anyone in District 1 who has had similar experiences to speak up. Representation only works when it’s accountable to the people it claims to serve.
David Hunt
San Mateo
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