President's Musings Extra

By Barbara Livington, CRA President

My, oh My, oh My...

This month I used a hit tune called "Ohio" from the marvelous Broadway show, "Wonderful Town", to ask the question of "Why, Oh Why, Oh Why Oh…did you would leave Ohio for Carmel-by-the-Sea?" I spoke of my personal opposite story of starting out in Carmel, moving to San Francisco and then returning to spend the rest of my life in what I consider to be paradise.

My, oh My, oh My....I have great fun being your President. Having spent much of my life dedicated to preserving our "Village in the Forest", at 91 years old I feel blessed to be able to lead this dynamic group of Carmelites that understand how important a mission it is to wake up every day realizing that we all can play a role in keeping our unique little part of the world truly unique. It is a full-time job for some of us and it is the goal of the Carmel Residents Assocation to make it your goal too!

Over the past year I think, together, we have made great progress in the CRA's quest to start this next decade with a renewed energy and a renewed sense of purpose. There are great challenges facing our "Village in the Forest" and it is critically important that we face them together. That means putting a system in place that supports building our membership to include every person that lives in Carmel-by-the-Sea or has a vested interest in it. That means working in partnership with City Leadership to protect what makes Carmel "Carmel". That means getting our membership to get engaged with City Government, get out and support our local businesses and get educated about our past and volunteering to protect our future.

I am proud of what the Carmel Residents Association has accomplished since it was founded in 1987. It was built on the shoulders of some incredibly smart, hard-working and dedicated Carmelites, many of whom are no longer with us. We have had some big wins and some big losses over the years but we continue in our quest. There is a reason why so many people move from places like "Ohio" to live out their lives here. Let's make sure that we continue to keep this incredible treasure the beautiful, quiet, safe and friendly place it has always been and should always be!