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Council members lay out differing decision styles; some call for more dialogue
Summary
During a facilitated retreat, council members described a range of decision-making preferences — from slow, evidence-driven approaches to faster, outcome-focused styles — and several urged more dialogue instead of statements in meetings.
Council members used a short, structured exercise to read aloud one-sentence decision-making statements derived from their profiles and to explain what colleagues should know about their process. One member said they "prefer to make slow decisions because I need to see all the available alternatives," describing a data-first approach; another described being willing to reconsider votes when new information appears.
Several participants said the council sometimes defaults to statements rather than dialogue during public meetings, which can create misunderstandings and last-minute pressure. Kelly recommended that members "over declare" intent — explicitly stating what they intend to do or why they are pausing — to reduce misinterpretation. The conversation highlighted a practical tension: the team leans toward task- and detail-focused preferences, and members suggested pre-meeting briefings or clearer signals during discussions to help bridge differing styles.
No formal policy or votes resulted from the workshop. The session was presented as an internal exercise to surface preferences and to build practices the council can use in future deliberations.
