An early morning meeting this week for a group of CdM residents covered a variety of topics, including the upcoming year and a number of changes in the city.
Board members of the Corona del Mar Residents Association met at Oasis Senior Center Thursday morning for their monthly meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Ed Selich and councilwoman Nancy Gardner were also both in attendance.
The main event of the meeting was the decision for the group’s theme for 2014.
Developing a theme helps the group create the newsletter, guide the selection of the speaker lineup at the annual meeting and decide who to invite to present at the expo, said board president, Karen Tringali.
“This will give us an idea of what we can focus on,” during the year, Tringali said.
Participants tossed around several ideas, eventually deciding on “The More We Know…”
The sentence can be finished a number of ways, the board members agreed. It could be, “The More We Know…” about their street, community, city, local issues and more.
The word “we” helps it become a dialog, Tringali said, between residents, neighbors, officials and community leaders.
“That’s really what we’re about,” said Flower Streets Southwest representative, Michael Toerge.
Several residents liked working with the idea of change, including Shore Cliffs resident, Sandie Haskell. So many things are changing in the city, she said, referencing the trash outsourcing, fire rings and lifeguards.
“There are proposals that are promoting change that need to be monitored,” Toerge said. “The people need to be in the know… Get involved so you can assess whether the proposed change is good or bad and you can be heard.”
Part of the association’s mission is to engage the residents and get them involved, he added. It’s also to inform and educate, Tringali added.
They also considered “Engage in Change,” “Refresh and Rejuvenate,” “Times are Changing,” and more.
They also discussed the upcoming election and how to tie that in to the group’s goals this year.
“’The more you know,’ to borrow a phrase, could be an opportunity for us to sort of parley and package information that becomes available over the course of the year,” Tringali said.
The group has a political forum scheduled in the fall.
The CdM group also discussed reforestation and landscaping of the village, which has had many trees removed over the past few years.
Also during the meeting, the group received updates from City Council, Planning Commission and Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission.
Linda Rasner and Sandie Haskell volunteered as co-chairs of the upcoming annual membership meeting. Bob Shelton and Marge Sawyer joined the Reforestation Committee.
Tringali is still looking for someone to head the Communications Committee.
The board’s next meeting is March 20.
For more information, visit cdmra.org.
