In mid-January, more people than easily fit in Summerland squeezed into the church on Lillie Avenue for Roy Lee’s inaugural town hall — and our new 1st District Supervisor was over the moon. His Deputy Chief of Staff, Daisy Weber, carefully ran the meeting, safeguarding Roy from a full house of unfamiliar characters and issues.
Summerland’s unincorporated charm and durable sense of place greeted them, as did our love for our town. Roy spoke thoughtfully of building community consensus, and when reminded of our rancorous civic history, suggested it might help if he brought food to future meetings.
Those of us who have dived deep into the voluntary work of being active Summerland citizens are no stranger to the acrimony and personal attacks that have accompanied our decades-long community involvement. All of us remember periods of dreadful meetings and sleepless nights. Despite some recent friction, Roy’s first town hall was a cakewalk. But for those meetings ahead: yes, bring food and seat us again in the church pews.