Yesterday I attended the City Council Retreat for as long as my schedule allowed me. Here is a link to a commentary piece written by one of the reporters from the KDM that was there covering the retreat for some perspective. I'm not commenting on that or the retreat itself but I am going to share some information and thoughts I have based on the Kingman Community Survey that was done earlier this year. The survey was discussed at the retreat for some time and I found much of the data interesting... and perhaps entertaining.
I'm going to share the written responses that appear in the survey for the BEST things and WORST things about Kingman that those who filled out the survey wrote in. Now I get surveys all the time and fill out many of them. Usually a survey starts out with multiple choice type of categories and then at the end you are sometimes asked to answer something in writing. I'm sure many of you have done things like I have done when you get to that part of a long survey... just fill in something (anything) or simply skip it all together. So some of these responses can get goofy... but even if they are... there is some entertaining value in them.
Here goes.
Top 10 written responses to the question 'What is the BEST thing about Kingman' (I almost feel like David Letterman reading that to myself).
#1 Weather/Climate -- 370 such responses. Unfortunately, no city government can take credit for this. There are other responses to follow that are similar. I'm not surprised by this response though... the weather here is favorable.
#2 Size / Atmosphere / Community / Pace -- 305 responses. I'm not surprised by this one either. I love this community as well, but the secret is out and partly due to the #1 above. More folks are on their way, if we want to maintain what we like about Kingman on this one we are going to have to pull together and come up with solutions to not only welcome the new neighbors but also manage a plan to disperse the growth in a way that allows us to keep the atmosphere, community, and pace that many here like. And also do it in a way that leaves us with the perception to some degree that Kingman is still a 'small town'.
The only other way to keep the size of Kingman the way it is... is for someone calling for a moratorium for growth. I'm not going to do that. I'd rather tackle the challenge from the paragraph above.
#3 People / Friends / Family -- 222 responses. This also is something that I don't think a city government can affect all that much. People are who they are, and Kingman seems to be lucky enough to have lots of good people here now.
#4 Location / Access -- 180 responses. Speaks for itself.
#5 Mountains / Open Space / Scenery -- 112 responses.
#6 Clean Air -- 96 responses. I think the wind helps out on this one now... and I believe Green technology will help keep the air clean in the future.
#7 Recreation / Parks / Golf Courses -- 51 responses. This is a tough one to comment on because I've heard plenty of negative comments in this regard as well. Many folks want 'more' and 'better'... heck it is human nature, but it is nice to see many respond saying that these items are the best thing in Kingman. I've enjoyed activities at the parks and golf courses myself.
#8 Safety / Low Crime Rate -- 49 responses. This is an important factor and one I hear all the time from people thinking moving to this area and buying a home. They always want to know about the crime rate and the quality of life matters in this regard. Can a city government do more and look for ways to improve further?? You bet, and I believe it is a must.
#9 Low Cost of Living / Housing -- 35 responses. This screams supply and demand to me and it is always up for someone's own interpretation... and I bet that can change on a whim... at will.
#10 Hospital / Wellness Center / Hospice -- 30 responses.
Of the 10 listed here I see only 3 items that the city could have direct affect on. Highest on the list from those 3 is the size/atmosphere/community/pace. We all know that many residents in this area really like the feel of Kingman. It feels like the right size town, there seems to be a good community feel, we like the feel of the everyday pace, etc.
I get that and that is why I alluded to the challenge that we all face as we watch Kingman continue to grow. How is the city going to help deliver what we all bargained for when we either chose to relocate here or simply grew up and decided to stay in Kingman?? That is going to be a real tough task... I'd hate to see this response slip down the list and would rather see it be in the #1 slot. There is no way that any one person or any one interest has the answer... as a community we are all going to have to weigh in on this and contribute.
16 folks answered that the city government and public services were the BEST thing about Kingman. Really this number should be added to because police and fire protection garnered another 10 write in's, the sanitation dept. also received 5 votes as the BEST thing about Kingman, taxes (I'm guessing the low amount of taxes we pay as residents of Kingman) saw 8 votes, and even Traffic and Streets were written in as the BEST thing about Kingman and all should be contributed to the efforts of the city government and public services.
Alright... how about these... for entertainment value...
There were multiple responses as the BEST thing about Kingman being 'Roads leading out of town / Leaving'. Think about that one for a second. 4 folks responded by saying 'Me / I live here'. Okay. 1 responded that the BEST thing about Kingman was that it is 'Better than Dolan Springs'... so the city at least has that going for them. Here's one 'Not California / LA / Phoenix'. 4 said 'Everything' (that might be my kind of response when I'm asked to write in an answer on a survey).
This last one that I'll share made me chuckle. One response as the BEST thing about Kingman was 'Mayor Byram' (current mayor)... no... that is not what made me chuckle... this survey went out in January of 2007 and 2 responses made the list for 'Monica Gates'... who is running once again for mayor this upcoming election.
I'm going to have to save the top 10 list of the WORST things about Kingman for later on... it needs it's own post. Look for it soon.
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