Community Dialogue
"Asked and Answered" is an online feature in which community leaders respond to questions from The Bloomington Alternative. The officials' answers are presented unedited. Alternative editor Steven Higgs submitted the following questions to City Council President Dave Rollo.
Questions submitted on Jan. 6
BA: One of the first articles we published in the Alternative print edition in the spring of 2005 was based on an interview with you as the catalyst behind the creation of the City Commission on Sustainability. The commission has since been created and meeting for about a year and a half, with you as a council representative. What's your assessment?
DR: The first year for the BCOS was challenging. It required commissioners from a variety of backgrounds to grapple with a very complicated subject. It is not a simple task. If one serves on another commission, say the Traffic Commission, the subject is quite circumscribed. This is in no way meant to disparage other commissions, but it's difficult to imagine a broader topic than sustainability. I will say, without hesitation, that the team has worked very hard, and has accomplished a tremendous amount in a short time (with the help of the coordinator, Danise Alano, and the BCOS interns). Examples include:
