VIDEO: Humor Makes Harmony: City, School Officials Use Laughter to Build Trust

 Manassas Park school board members and councilmen did not practice falling backward and catching each other during Saturday's work session, but they did spend the morning discussing the trust issues that existed between the two entities.

 The group—four of the five board members, all seven councilmen, along with the city manager and superintendent—seated themselves in a semi-circle and talked openly; admitting there had been some tension, distrust and division between the schools and the city for some time.

 Quoting a former Manassas Park mayor, current Mayor Frank Jones described the relationship as, at times, a lot of,“cussin’ and discussin.’”

 City and school officials petition the help of Bob Moje, president of VMDO Architects, the firm that built all four of Manassas Park’ schools in under a decade.

 Moje, who came from Charlottesville, isn’t a professional facilitator, but is the best person to lead the discussion because of the long-standing friendship and business relationship he has with city and school officials, Jones said Saturday. 

 The morning was full of laughs and smiles as each person shared little-known personal facts about themselves.

 Board member Tricia Rhodes is actually from Punxsutawney, PA and Phil, the  famous groundhog, was at her wedding, the group learned.  Councilman Suhas Naddoni said he isn’t into social networking or Apple products and Jones is expecting not a grandchild, but a grand-dog. It is actually school board chairman Michael Wine that’s expecting a grandchild—a fact Wine shared. 

 The exercise was purpose to help build trust, Moje said.

“Any group must have it or else there are big problems,” he said.

Two weeks ago, if someone would have mentioned the name, “Joe Paterno” you would have gotten a totally different reaction, Moje said.

 “That is a betrayal of trust,” he said. “Either you have it, or you don’t."

We think we control our brains, but our brains control us.  Trust is absolute in our brains. When you don’t have trust, it triggers the fear mechanism.”

 Also discussed was the need for teamwork— a little something the Washington Redskins could work on, Moje mentioned casually.

 He also spoke about happiness and how it is essential; so much that it is mentioned in the U.S. Declaration of Independence in one of the most famous sentences in the English language, Moje said.

 “We can’t make each other happy, it’s a conscience choice,” Moje said.

 Happiness and humor were used in an group exercise where school and city officials discussed " fixes”  to some of Manassas Park’s ongoing issues.

 Superintendent Bruce McDade suggested to city manager Jim Zumwalt that the city’s problematic water and sewer system be converted to an underground water theme park.   Slides along Euclid Avenue would help students get to school in a fun and safe manner, McDade said.

 Zumwalt suggested using students as police public information officers—this would address reporters' complaints that the department is too secretive.  Students broadcast their lives on social networks and would be perfect for getting information out to the public, he said.

 The entire group agreed they liked the structure and lighter mood of Saturday’s meeting because it was more like a unified board of directors instead of the schools as one entity and the city as another.

 “We’re the corporate board of the city of Manassas Park. Us. Together. We haven’t always acted that way,” Jones said. “My suggestion is that we come together in a corporate board kind of a setting and deal with the issue of planning the city’s future. I know finances tend to bubble to the top … but one of the things  I think we ought to look at is what our strategic  focus is for the city. We’ve never worked to develop that.  We all know that everybody sitting in this room values kids, we value the public education, we value public safety and we want to make sure the neighborhoods are as good and as wholesome as they can be.”

 “Let’s put all this bickering, suspicions and mistrust behind us,” Wine said. “No more history, no more, ‘what has happened,’ talk.  I don’t want to go back there. I don’t like what happens when we’re there; I like what happens when we’re here.”

 Jones said he let the relationship between the two entities get to where it is.

 “I feel like I am personally responsible for that material that was just described by Mike (Wine),” the mayor added. “I came from the school board to the seat I’m in, with the pledge that I wouldn’t let that happen and I singularly did. My pledge to you is that I will never let that happen again. If I—in any way, shape or form— allow division to creep into this again, ya’ll can publically flog me.”

The group will meet again on Dec. 10 at 8 a.m. at the Manassas Park Community Center.

Many agreed like the idea of a morning meeting, as people are more relaxed and calm and not weighed down with the task of making it to a night meeting.

 Moje will again be at the Dec. 10 meeting after the mayor requested his presence as a way to make sure the group stayed focused and on track.