Despite a long, loud clash over Great Hangups rezoning, City Hall veteran
and new(er) city planner share love of public
service
COLUMBIA, 7/18/11 (Beat Byte) -- When Columbia College
was still Christian College in 1970, then-professor Sue Gerard -- the
Columbia Tribune's longtime Granny's Notes
columnist who passed away at age 96 one year ago tomorrow --
suggested that a young student she'd mentored take up "counseling through
activity."
Janice "Cookie" Hagan took the advice to heart. "She
spent that summer riding around town on a bike loaded with balls, bats, first
aid and who knows what - to playgrounds at various schools," Gerard wrote about
Hagan.
The Historic Sunset Lane Neighborhood Association president whose clash at
a public meeting with city development services manager Patrick Zenner is
one for the record books, Hagan retired after nearly three
decades at what
the Tribune called a "vibrant career with Columbia Parks and
Recreation."
"It’s one of those happy-sad situations," said Hagan, a recreation
supervisor who organized the Heritage Festival; managed recreational activities
for Paquin Tower public housing residents; and became an advocate for people
whose voices weren't being heard.
"Our clients have benefited from her tremendously. She’s somewhat
a champion of the underdog," supervisor Gary Ristow told the Trib. "She
looks out for some of the populations that tend to get overlooked" -- the very
young and very old, the poor and the disabled; children and seniors.
Advocacy has kept Hagan young -- she looks much as she's always looked, as
the Trib described her eight years ago: neat as a proverbial pin, with jet
black bobbed hair, taut skin, and shining green eyes. Championing people
without a loud public voice has also given Hagan great presence: listening to
the tape of the May public meeting, her voice moves with the drama and precision
of a stage-savvy trial lawyer. She's an effective debater whose points on
equity and procedure are hard to ignore.
Navigating City Hall
Six years after Hagan retired, Columbia City Hall created a position designed to help builders and developers navigate the very complexities Hagan and her neighbors are now facing: development services manager. Midwesterner Pat Zenner came to that position in 2009 well-trained: relocating from Myrtle Beach, S.C. but originally from Barrington, Ill., he brought bachelors and masters degrees in planning and community development.
"I have worked in the planning profession for approximately 14 years," Zenner told the Columbia Business Times. "My employment prior to working for the city was as a land development director with a national homebuilder. Due to the housing market turmoil, my position was eliminated."
A church goer and family man, Zenner has been married for fourteen years
and has two children ages 8 and 9, the Business Times reported in
2009. He credits his "supportive and encouraging spouse" and his "two
wonderful children" for taking him on the journey that led him to Columbia.
He also credits a "shared vision" about community engagement. "What sold
me on the city and the position were the efforts that were made to create an
inclusive process for all residents to participate in," Zenner
told the Business Times. "One of the core visions of the planning
profession is to engage the public in the discussion of what the future should
be like."
Planners, Zenner explained, "can help establish win-win opportunities that
facilitate community growth or can be instrumental in developing regulations
that will provide protection." He views his job as one of "impartial and
observant facilitation" with an "engaged and representative cross section of the
public participating in the process."
Rapid growth, sprawl, regulations, and the intricate ins and outs of the
development process mandate "negotiation, open-mindedness, and relying on the
expertise of those professionals participating in the process," Zenner said.
Shared philosophies
As staffers who ultimately answer to political officials, Patrick Zenner
and Cookie Hagan share similar philosophies. About those politicians, Hagan
told the Trib she'd seen "plenty of ups and downs," but always amidst a basic
understanding at City Hall: "the importance of learning and growing through
recreation."
Zenner expressed similar thoughts about politicians and planning efforts
such as Visioning. "Politicians often get a bad rap in most communities, and
you often don’t what to aspire to be like them," he told the Business
Times. "But I’ll tip my hat to those on the Council. They took a
bold step to engage the community, and a lot can be said for that."
Hagan and Zenner have also thought about life outside public
service. On retirement, Hagan said she wanted to redirect, from "a job
in which you do a lot of talking. In that latter part of my life, I want to
follow my heart and listen."
If Zenner weren't a planner, he'd be an airline pilot. "The opportunity to
soar above the clouds -- which is often what people say planners do -- and the
world travel interests me," he told the Business Times.
About City Hall generally, Hagan acknowledged her colleagues -- and the
public trust invested in them.
"I’m grateful to have worked with such great people over the years. I’ve
always been surrounded by outstanding colleagues," she said. "I think the
Columbia community is very confident in us -- they have given us the ability
over the years to develop something for most everyone."
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