It started as a Facebook conversation about all the litter strewn about Monroe's downtown Main Street area. It ended with clean-up event facilitated by a hard-working group of Monroe Chamber of Commerce members, city staff, business owners and community members.
When Monroe Mayor Geoffrey Thomas first caught wind of the Facebook conversation, he wished that somebody would send him an email on the topic so that he could respond in an official capacity. Elected officials are not able to discuss city business in a public forum like Facebook without that public forum becoming subject to public records laws.
When it comes to city business, it is crucial that Mayor Thomas and the rest of the Monroe City Councilmembers communicate via email.
Fortunately, the original commenter, Monroe resident Dianne Forth, did exactly that.
Within less than three hours of the initial Facebook post, Mayor Thomas had been in communication with Monroe Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors President Mike Buse, and plans for a Main Street community clean-up event were under way. Thomas sent Forth an email letting her know that he was working on a solution to the problem.
The Main Street Clean Up event took place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8. Volunteers spent time sweeping sidewalks, raking flowerbeds and picking up food items, trash and thousands of cigarette butts that had been discarded along East Main Street from Lewis Street to the railroad tracks. Garbage was picked up from alleyways and side streets as well.
Numerous citizens participated in the event, including Monroe Chamber of Commerce Office Manager Shelley Nyhammer and Executive Director Una Wirkebau, Fred Meyer Manager Jay Jones and his son Malachi, Monroe City Councilmember Jeff Rasmussen and his son Kameryn, Carlina Morris, Erin Angus-Snapka, Farm to Table Farmers Market Coordinator Molly Daniels, Monroe Mayor Geoffrey Thomas, Community Development Director Dave Osaki, Amber Mehta and her son Wesley, Camarin Mass and her son JC, Paul Jenkins and several others.
Including, of course, the original Facebook commenter.
"It was great seeing so many join in and nice to meet others from Monroe,GÇ¥ Forth said. "I was happily surprised that my post took on a life of its own!GÇ¥
The chamber is planning to organize community cleanup events on a regular basis. The next one will take place in August.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment