The Council Remains Effective One Year into COVID
As the world marks a year since the declaration of the global pandemic, I have been reflecting on what this time has meant for the Council. When I made the decision to close the office in early March 2020, I could not imagine that the Council staff would be physically apart for so long. I really miss my work colleagues. I, like many, was not prepared for the sudden changes that needed to be made because of COVID, changes which have resulted in the most significant transformation of the Council’s office in my almost 40 years at the Council. Throughout the uncertainty and change, I have taken comfort and pride in watching our staff not just adapt, but shine. Despite the challenges, the staff has come together, and with their help and support, we met the moment and transitioned to remote working remarkably smoothly.
Over the past year, work hours quickly had to become more flexible. We have all had to adapt to working with a physically distanced workforce, and managers have had to adjust to leading their teams remotely, the closing of schools and daycares has presented a new level of challenge for staff with children. The list goes on and is all too familiar to many of you… For the first time, I hired new employees without meeting them in person. I worried how the staff could handle the stress of a pandemic when government leaders could not be trusted to tell the public the truth, in addition to social unrest and political turmoil. Finally, I worried about how the isolation of COVID was impacting staff members.
My initial assumption was that such a rapid and dramatic disruption would slow down the Council’s work and make us less effective at doing the critical work we are involved in. As an organization, the Council is very public facing–we do community organizing, educate elected officials, host large and small events, assist the public in commenting on and participating in hearings for proposed permits and policies, and litigate flagrant violations of laws intended to protect public health and local ecosystems. Any of these important areas of work could have been jeopardized by the changes.
I need not have worried. Despite personal challenges they faced and the state of the world, collectively, the staff did not miss a beat. Within a few days the Council administrators had set up a system for the staff to meet virtually.
Community organizers quickly found a workaround for not being able to meet community members in person. They continued their important environmental justice work. The Council’s attorneys never slowed down the work they do in holding elected officials and government agencies accountable. Our events and gatherings of all sizes, from pedestrian walk audits, to our decades-strong 5K run were reimagined.
I am so proud of the Council staff for rising to the occasion. I know the past year has not been easy for them or anyone, but they still managed to adapt quickly to this new reality and continue to do stellar work.
Joseph Minott, Executive Director & Chief Counsel
