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JILL SCHMELZER Amherst Reporter

• MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION - The Community Plan Committee is moving in the right direction by honing in on tasks and getting on with the process. However, the members still have trouble with bickering and reiterating what the previous person said.

Disagreeing with each other is a great tool to finding what the committee as a whole sees as the future of the Village of Williamsville. However, bickering with each other and not compromising is going to get the plan nowhere and fast. The problem with the committee is that each member has his or her own idea of what the "perfect" community should look like.

Behan Planning Associates has been doing a good job of keeping the members on task, but improvement is needed for the amount of time each person's comments should take. Stop individuals from going off on rants about one particular item. Instead, let the person make his point and ask the remaining members if they agree or disagree with the suggestion. Then expand from that. Do not let people say what they like or dislike about a suggestion if it is the exact same thing five other people have said. A simple "I agree" or "I disagree" would suffice.

Don't get me wrong, I think the 20/20 vision is finally moving in the right direction. And I understand it takes time to adjust to new leadership. Members need to continue to listen to the consultants - especially as the group moves into heated topics such as parking ramps, parks and the overall design of the business district on Main Street.

 HOW TO ACT DURING A BOARD MEETING - As I sit and gaze around the room at various committee and board meetings, I have noticed some people don't know how to act in public. Here are are some helpful hints to making the experience pleasant for everyone.

1) Do not take your shoes off. Picture it: people are trying to listen to the leaders of the village and town discuss community business. The next thing you notice, the person next to you has removed both shoes. Is it really necessary to air out your feet right then? Recently, in two separate meetings, I experienced a strange aroma filling the air. I sat there and thought, "I know I have been at work for a long time, but do I really smell?" Then I looked to the right of me, and the person had his shoes off and was wiggling his toes through a hole in his sock.

2) Do not smack your gum. Imagine that you are trying to hear whether or not the board has approved a resolution, but all you can concentrate on is the sound of the person down the row chomping on a pack of Bubblicious gum. I can understand wanting fresh breath but chew quietly.

3) Take your hat off. I attended private schools for my entire education, and one of the first things I was taught is that people should take their hats off in a public building.

4) Put your cell phone on silent mode. Cell phones are great tools of communication but not during a meeting. People attend these sessions to hear about town and village news - not what the hippest ring tone is.

5) Wait your turn to speak. Let the person who is at the microphone finish his or her statement before you call out that you disagree. Public participation is the time when residents can speak freely about their concerns in the area.