Community Cafe Bainbridge

In this 20-minute podcast, long-time island resident Jon Quitslund reflects on why he volunteers for public service roles like serving on the Planning Commission. Jon describes his recent experience participating in the public process of selecting the new Community Development Director for the City of Bainbridge Island. He points to the cross-section of citizens who engaged in that interview and selection process, and describes why he's so pleased at the City Manager's selection of Gary Christensen. Christensen had been the unanimous first choice of all five members of the citizen panel of interviewers, including Jon. During this podcast conversation, Jon says that he feels the new planning director is particularly attuned to listening to citizen visions and concerns, and has the skills and qualities to build trust in the City and its planning processes. Jon also describes the importance of the ongoing public process to update the City's Comprehensive Plan, which was last updated in 2004. Jon describes the im