Empowering Municipal Sustainability: A Guide for Towns, Cities, and Citizens

248 Pages·2021·2.644 MB·English

by  Alexandra Reed Lajoux

AlexandraReedLajoux
EmpoweringMunicipalSustainability
The Alexandra Lajoux
Corporate Governance Series
Edited by
Alexandra Reed Lajoux
Alexandra Reed Lajoux
Empowering
Municipal
Sustainability
A Guide for Towns, Cities, and Citizens
ISBN978-3-11-068981-5
e-ISBN(PDF)978-3-11-068986-0
e-ISBN(EPUB)978-3-11-068990-7
ISSN2629-8155
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2021946660
BibliographicinformationpublishedbytheDeutscheNationalbibliothek
TheDeutscheNationalbibliothekliststhispublicationintheDeutscheNationalbibliografie;
detailedbibliographicdataareavailableontheInternetathttp://dnb.dnb.de.
©2022WalterdeGruyterGmbH,Berlin/Boston
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Acknowledgments
MyfirstacknowledgmentgoestoMcLean,Virginia.IfIhadnotgrownupthere,
Imayneverhavewrittenthisbook.ForitwastherethatIsawhowatowncan
loseitsidentityinasinglegenerationifthetownspeopleandtheirleadersfail
topreserveit.
Duringmychildhoodinthe1950s,welivedinChesterbrookWoods,nextto
Reed’s Farm (no relation), with a deep and hilly forest on the other side. We
were on the edge of the more urban Arlington, Virginia, but to the west just a
fewmileswaywasasmallgrocerystorecalledTyson’sCornersattheintersec-
tionofRoute7andRoute123.BythetimeIwenttocollege,thefarmlandsand
woodlandswereentirelygone,andTyson’sCornerswasonitswaytobecoming
oneofthelargestshoppingmallsintheworld.
My next acknowledgment goes to my parents – Stella Swingle Reed and
StanleyFosterReed,whochoseMcLeanastheirhomebecauseofitsruralcharm.
Myfatherdreadedandmournedallthechanges.Onceheledmeuptoahighhill
andwelookeddownonforests.“Someday,alltheseforestswillbegone,”hesaid
solemnly.Sadly,hewasright.Andmorethanonceheobservedthat“TheAmeri-
canbusinessmanwouldchopdownthelastcherrytree.”Ononeoccasion,Iinvited
a Pikestaff restaurant coworker to a family barbecue, and my father refused to
shakehishand.(Thiswasnoordinarydeveloper,butonewhohadbeeninvolved
in a scandal pertaining to the environment. Scofflaw developersdemolished pro-
tected historic buildings and legacy trees under cover of night without a permit
andsomeofficialstookbribestolooktheotherway.Idon’trecallhisrole,buthe
hadgonetojail–“thepokey”–forit.)
Since growing up in McLean, I have made my home in many towns and
cities–sometimesforadecadeormore,sometimesforonlyaseason.Municipali-
tiesthathaveshelteredmeincludeAlexandria,Arlington,andFairfax,VA;Avig-
non,France;Bennington,VT;Berlin, Germany;Oswego, NY;Parisand Poitiers,
France;Philadelphia,PA;Princeton,NJ;Oswego,NY;Washington,DC;SanJose,
CostaRica;andsince2017,FernandinaBeach,FL–whereIfirstbecameawareof
the difference engaged citizens can make in municipal policy. Fast forward to
2020,whenmylifelongloveofnatureandlongtimeengagementinpolicyfused
intoacampaignforCityCommission.AlthoughIlost,Itreasureeveryoneofthe
2,307votesIgot!ToseehowIcampaignedfortheenvironment,visitLajouxforCi
tyCommission.com.1
Special thanks to the more than 100 neighbors in Isle de Mai who signed
petitionstosavetrees,andwholatersignedmypetitiontogetonthecityballot.
Campaigningonagreenplatformtookawayfrommyhomeandworklife,soI
thankmyfamily(Bernard,Franklin,andRomeroLajoux),myresearchcolleagues
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110689860-202
VI Acknowledgments
attheNationalAssociationofCorporateDirectors(especiallyPeterGleason,Friso
vanderOord,andJudyWarneraswellasHon.CariDominguezandherprede-
cessor in the indispensable director role Dr. Reatha Clark King), and all my
colleaguesatCapitalExpertServices,LLC(especiallyJohnHottaandouradvisor
Hon.CarlosC.Campbell).
OrganizationshelpfulinendorsingorinformingmycampaignincludedCon-
serveAmeliaNow,TheAmeliaTreeConservancy,andtheNorthFloridaCentral
LaborCouncil,includingtheInternationalBrotherhoodofElectricalWorkers.
Iwouldalsoliketoacknowledgethefollowingindividualsfortheirciviclead-
ership:Dr.EricAguilar,BrynBryon,JulieFerreira,BethFoster,SamirGupte,Low-
ell Hall, Lauree Hemke, Arthur and Diane Herman, Frank Hopf, Betsie Huben,
Kristin Huben, Margaret Kirkland, Tammi Kosack, Al Laub, Christie LeLait, Mary
Libby, Paul Lore, Wendall McGahee, Mac Morriss, Benjamin Clark Morrison,
Chuck Oliva, Taylor Owenby, Sarah Pelican, Wayne Peterson, Marian Phillips,
Faith Ross, Ron Sapp, Eric Schmidt, Megan Stewart, Hon. Patricia Thompson,
Rev.BernardThompson,andthevenerableRobertWeintraub.
Bigshoutoutalsotothemanywhosignedmypetitiontobeontheballot,
who made financial and sign-waving contributions to my campaign, or just en-
couragedmealongtheway.Theseincludemanyoftheindividualslistedabove,
aswellasChristineBottka,LorettaParkerBrown,RichardCain(treasurerparex-
cellence),FrancescaCaramagno,StevenCrounse,BrianandMaryDowney,Ken-
neth Daly, Barbara Ellrich, John Hotta, James Jyz, Karen Kane, Daniel Parra,
GeorgeandJanePolinksi,PerryRae,GregShurman,KathrynHarrisTijerina,Lisa
LeonardTimm,andmysistersNancieChangandBerylWolfe.Yoursupporthas
inspiredmetocontinuemyadvocacyrainorshine.Otherenvironmentalistswho
inspiredmeforthisbookincludedKathleenAndersonSteeves,GailPfoh,Stepha-
nieMooney,andDr.PatFoster-Turley.SpecialthankstoGeoffreyCharlesHenny,
AbdulQuayum,andElizabethLwandaRutsate,environmentalscholars;toRené
Smithand Dr.Anton Endressfor advisingonChapter6 and toJesseRhodesfor
hisgoodcounselonChapter9.Chapters10and11benefitedfromreviewsbyBen
G.Price,KaiHutchke,andTishO’DelloftheCommunityEnvironmentalDefense
LegalFund.Scholarsaroundtheworldlinkingonacademia.edu,includingBarbara
A.Coe,ArturoHerman,DavidMcRobert,MokgerwaMakoti,AnuPande,John
Payne,ManojPumer,andDmitryPozhidaevhaveprovidedhelpfulcommentary.
SpecialshoutouttoBillyRobinson,afriendand“doubtingThomas”onthe
environment,whohelpedmeclarifymyideas.
Also appreciated are the current City Commission of Fernandina Beach:
MayorMikeLednovich,ViceMayorLenKreger,Dr.ChipRoss,BradleyBean,and
DavidSturges.
Note VII
ThanksalsotoDaleMartin,citymanager;TammiBach,cityattorney;Caro-
lineBest,cityclerk;andKelliGibson,cityplanner;andmembersandleadersof
the City’s volunteer advisory committees. Appreciation also goes to SuAnne
Thammandallmembersofourlocalfreepress,aswellasIslandrepresentatives
John Martin and Aaron Bell of the Nassau County, Florida, Board of County
Commissioners, and our Florida legislative representatives Sen. Aaron Bean
andRep.CordByrd.ThankyouforallyoudotokeepFernandinaandFlorida
sustainable.
Finally,IwanttothankDeGruyterforgivingmetheopportunitytopublish
thisbook.SincerethanksgotoStefanGiesen,editorialdirector;JayaDalal,con-
tenteditor;SuruthiManogaran,projectmanager;andDenisePangia,copyedi-
tor,proofreader,andindexer.ThanksalsotoDavidRepettowhorecruitedmeto
DeGruyter.Finally,kudosandthankstoJeffreyPepper,wholaunchedthegover-
nanceandsustainabilityseriesthatwillbethehomeforthisbook.
AlexandraR.Lajoux
August2021
A.M.D.G.
Note
1 Passcode,ifneeded,isFernandina2022.

About the Author and Series Editor
AlexandraReedLajouxischiefknowledgeofficeremeritus
(CKO)attheNationalAssociationofCorporateDirectors
(NACD)andfoundingprincipalofCapitalExpertServices,
LLC(CapEx),aglobalconsultancyprovidingexpert
witnessesforlegalcases.Dr.LajouxisaSeriesEditorfor
WalterDeGruyter,Inc.Theserieshasanemphasison
governance,corporateleadership,andsustainability.She
hasservedaseditorofDirectors&Boards,Mergers&
Acquisitions,ExportToday,andDirector’sMonthly,and
hascoauthoredaseriesofbooksonM&AforMcGraw-Hill,
includingTheArtofM&Aandeightspin-offtitleson
strategy,valuation,financing,structuring,duediligence,
integration,bankM&A,anddistressedM&A.For
Bloomberg/Wiley,shecoauthoredCorporateValuationfor
PortfolioInvestmentwithRobertA.G.Monks.Dr.Lajoux
servesontheadvisoryboardofCampaignsandElections,andisaFellowoftheCauxRound
TableforMoralCapitalism.SheholdsaB.A.fromBenningtonCollege,aPh.D.fromPrinceton
University,andanM.B.A.fromLoyolaUniversityinMaryland.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110689860-203