Crossing guard and student with Mom.

You Represent the Resilience of Our Community

By Larisa Svechin, Vice Mayor

(Wednesday, October 2, 2019) – Our community is rich. It has rich and diverse cultures, languages, and customs; we have the ocean and the beach; we are artists, poets, professionals, business owners, and parents; and we have more parks and places of worship than any city our size. With all we have, sometimes we still feel alone, disenfranchised, excluded, and forgotten.

It is time to fortify our community. The highly educated elites, the ones with the capital and connections, are a part of our community, but we have many others.

As someone once wrote, the best local government is personal, interactive, caring, and based on a shared history of reciprocity and trust. It is the average SIB resident that populates the churches, synagogues, PTA, dance classes, and Facebook groups that characterize us.

Building a unified community requires all of us to be heard. The choices we make today affect the future generations. Our thriving city requires active communication among residents and policymakers. I call on all of you to engage, debate and cooperate in the social and political processes. You define what Sunny Isles Beach is today and will be tomorrow.

Aristotle said, “man is the only animal whom [nature] has endowed with the gift of speech,” and citizens must engage with local government. By rational participation, we create a shared identity. Next time you pass someone on the street, say hello. Next time you see a posting for a city meeting, attend. Be the voice you want to be heard.

I welcome you to reach out to me directly at 305.792.1754 or by email at lsvechin@sibfl.net.