it seems the "get organized" vs. "more leftist than thou" dynamic plays out
at all levels of many community bike projects. when our ed left in 2001, the
4 full time staff members stepped up to manage our organization
collectively. by 2005, 3 of the 4 had left because, bottom line, they
couldn't work together, and projects had dropped to the point that we'd
atrophied to a single community bike shop. now, realizing that shit flows
downhill and if someone's going to clean it up they should be recognized for
it, we've developed a hierarchy, people have assumed managerial and
coordinator roles, and we're once again getting a lot done. there are still
folks who complain that there's too much structure and want to make things
more egalitarian - funnily enough though, they're also the ones who rarely
step up, have a hard time showing up to work their shifts and don't seem to
get much done.
i love my job. its crazy and stressful some days, constantly challenging,
infinitely rewarding and a hell of a lot of fun.
--
omar bhimji
project manager
pedal bike depot
p. 604.708.4992