Happiness Is...

Soapbox Originally posted on the Gustavus community page approximately November, 2009. I am excited to have Paul Berry as our mayor! In his first month in office he has combined his understanding of city operations and issues with a vision of open and efficient government to streamline procedures, make the inner workings of the city more accessible, and draw up a road map of issues that need to be addressed, all with unassailable integrity and good humor. A great example of his leadership is the work session notes he published on October 20. I highly recommend this "State of the City" report to anyone who wants to understand where we are and where we need to go. And if you have something to add, I see Paul is having "coffee with the Mayor" Thursdays at 2 pm at the Fireweed gallery and coffee house. As always, you can also submit your comments and questions to the city council in writing. And for the latest city council news you can follow the city council forum. In The Geography of Bliss Eric Weiner writes, "Canadian happiness researcher John Helliwell believes that quality of government is the single most important variable that explains why some countries are happier than others." Weiner explorers many other variables in the book including my favorite, connectedness to nature, but who could argue that good government is an important factor? I would like to thank outgoing council members Sandi Marchbanks, Wayne Howell, Lou Cacioppo, and Bill Unkel for all their hard work promoting our collective happiness. Thanks largely to their efforts (and to all the other council members and city staff and volunteers and participating citizens) Gustavus is already the envy of small governments across Alaska. And now Paul is working to set an even higher standard. Nathan Borson Volunteer Webmaster, Community Section City of Gustavus