[Massplanners] Planner Burnout

Fri Mar 4 12:54:05 EST 2022

as perhaps the only person on the listserv who has had the pleasure and privilege of being mariah's instructor and advisor in her planning education, I want to commend her for bringing this topic to the attention of the collective.  judging by the level of response, one answer to the question is that robust professional solidarity in the wider community is one of the vital antidotes to toxic local antagonisms.  (and I also agree wholeheartedly with advice about the health benefits of outdoor natural space/time and good hydration!)...  hope that you and your loved ones are faring well, keeping safe, healthy, and happy during this time.  all best wishes and warm regards, mark

https://www.theonion.com/new-pop-up-national-park-offers-500-square-feet-of-pris-1838046816
[https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200/iwlakbrksumyn8wxbgkw.jpg]<https://www.theonion.com/new-pop-up-national-park-offers-500-square-feet-of-pris-1838046816>
New Pop-Up National Park Offers 500 Square Feet Of Pristine Wilderness For Next 2 Days - The Onion<https://www.theonion.com/new-pop-up-national-park-offers-500-square-feet-of-pris-1838046816>
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ—With its organizers hailing the temporary site as the city’s hottest destination this week, a new pop-up national park offers 500 square feet of pristine wilderness for the next two days, sources confirmed Wednesday. “Starting bright and early this morning and continuing through dusk tomorrow, the…
www.theonion.com
justice+equity+diversity+inclusion

Mark Hamin PhD (he/him/his)

Senior Lecturer II, Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning

MRP Graduate Director; BS SCD Undergraduate Director

Lead Coordinator, Sustainability Curriculum Fellows

BDIC Faculty Supervisor (STEAM and Sustainability Majors)

413 387-9760 (m); mhamin at larp.umass.edu<mailto:mhamin at larp.umass.edu>

http://www.umass.edu/larp/people/mark-hamin<https://url.emailprotection.link/?b3uK5GdMfNd-hdtca9T9cWdWQVGhdglqxQDNRjiriO2Y3rDA7twgJBGGbbj3fuWwgy2uOOUe1qg27k_x5FryQt9lr7ZWRcgFZ8sXw6MpiJ8lksF3QTxtx8kWUy5YYMLzm>

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From: MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org> on behalf of Thomas Bott via MassPlanners <massplanners at masscptc.org>
Sent: Friday, March 4, 2022 12:26 PM
To: Massachusetts Planners <massplanners at masscptc.org>; Mariah Kurtz <mariah.kurtz at erving-ma.gov>
Subject: Re: [Massplanners] Planner Burnout

Dear Mariah:

Let me start with the good news: things will go wrong, it’s perhaps the one certainty we can take comfort in. And Gawd bless the Town of Erving, pop 1,665 for having the gumption to hire a planner especially one who appears to have so much gumption. You do have a bit of a disadvantage given that the Town of Erving has the distinction of being the last Franklin County Town to be incorporated, which occurred in 1838 (acc to your website) and you’re newish to the biz.

I am of the school of thought that people are good except for all those people who aren’t. We also know that it’s the good people who are less likely to show up at a meeting with torches held perilously close to a highly flammable foam core board.

 I typically tell the folks that I’ve worked with that the people who are good at their jobs can leave at 4:29 which is why one dayish a week I stay a bit late. Leaving a little, and arriving same, also allows our neighbours to get to where they are going at peak times without our single occupancy vehicle/bicycle/Onewheel® in their way. I also usually spend a little quality time in the office after a meeting buttoning up a few things because I know I’m not going to go to sleep right away when I get home. The time spent sort of decompressing before leaving for home also cuts into the time available to pour an additional artisan distilled spirit or local craft brewed beer/kombucha (I’ve also heard they have gummies here in the Commonwealth) so one can self-medicate as necessary for the long run and not burst into flames.

 We don’t get into this gig for the money but because we feel we have a skill, a talent and a sense of mission to make the world, or maybe just a pocket park, a better place. Our job is to work with the community and provide accurate information is a timely matter with the hope that that information will permit decision makers to make an informed decision. If they don’t, we have fulfilled our role to the best of typically well stretched capacity.  Luckily your Select Board (and some kind-hearted, informed residents) have been supportive in assessing the capacity of the planning function. Pro tip there’s always more to do than we can do.

 I often time think of Jules Winnfield, played by Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction who seemingly very efficiently was able to leave his work at the office.

“The path of the righteous man planner is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper, and the finder of lost children.   The quote from his Ezekiel 25:17 speech gets all Old Testament after that but as they tell old people like me “walk to the light” in your case at the end of the tunnel to your public art project set to be installed in July.

 Lots of us work in one horse/planner towns that don’t have someone to bounce stuff off of so use your resources like the Listserve, sign up for MAPD (its one of the best deals on the planet) and don’t be shy about reaching out like you’ve done. Yours peers are for the most part decent human beings (see above).  I’ll talk it up with some of the planner apparatchiks about crossing the French King Bridge for a Planner’s Therapy session so people will be familiar with the neighbourhood when they come out in July for the public art reveal.

Thanks for signing up for the gig, Take care of yourself. We need people like you for the long run.

TBott

Thomas Bott, Interim Carver Town Planner

You too could follow me on Twitter @TBottPlimoth but it clearly isn’t necessary

On Friday, March 4, 2022, 10:18:38 AM EST, Mariah Kurtz via MassPlanners <massplanners at masscptc.org> wrote:

Happy Friday y'all.

This is a much less technical question than most here, but it's what our little Town is struggling with at this moment.

I write this 24 hours away from a Special Town Meeting where two zoning articles will be voted on. The situation has devolved into widespread misinformation and personal attacks on public officials over this. I have my slideshow, jumbo foam-core map, and beloved anxiety meds prepared, but more conceptually, how do you stay motivated when things like this happen and keep yourself from totally burning out?

I'm a relatively young planner and I understand that the nature of public work means not everything I work on will move forward, but our team here is exhausted. Several of us have been teetering on the edge of burn out for months. Luckily our Select Board (and some kind-hearted, informed residents) have been supportive of us taking a step back to evaluate our capacity for new projects. I've created a master project list which plans out 3-5 years. We're deciding which grants to apply for a year ahead to prepare ourselves. But it seems like every time we plan to take a breather something new happens: a flood washes out a bridge and three roads, construction can't be finished due to supply chain issues, a new wave of COVID hits, or we only have one plow driver available during a snow storm. I was only a Planner for 6 months before the pandemic hit so I feel like I've jumped into this career on hard mode. My light at the end of the tunnel is a public art project set to be installed in July and I'm hesitant to even look forward to that because I feel like something will go wrong.

I imagine that all of us are dealing with these struggles in some fashion, so what tools do you and your team use to cope with these hurdles short term and prevent burn out long term?

Mariah Kurtz (she/her)

Assistant Town Planner

Town of Erving

12 East Main Street

Erving, Massachusetts 01344

Phone: (413) 422-2800 ext. 1108 |  Online: www.Erving-Ma.gov<http://www.erving-ma.gov/>  | Facebook: Town of Erving<https://www.facebook.com/townoferving>

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When writing or responding, please remember that the Secretary of State has determined that email is a public record, is subject to the Public Records Law, M.G.L. c. 66, § 10, and covered by Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-2521. This communication may contain privileged or other confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or believe that you have received the communication in error, you are strictly prohibited from printing, copying, distributing, disseminating, or otherwise using this communication.
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