Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Consensus, Majority Vote, "Blocks" [was Report on Survey of Cohousing Communities 2011. Just released. A must read!

[Racheli Gai (racheli]

In our community a block has to be based on the kind of reasoning  
Philip explains below, but a few other people need to see that the  
connection between
community mission; principles etc. exists (even if they disagree with  
the actual blocking) for the block to stand.

Before we instituted this, we had a number of blocks that were truly  
frivolous, and there was no way for us (under the rules we had at the  
time) to keep
them from passing.

Racheli, Sonora Cohousing.


On Oct 2, 2011, at 8:27 AM, R Philip Dowds wrote:

> I agree that "blocking" (paramount objection) is mis-used and  
> misunderstood under many circumstances.  And that tightening the  
> rules of objection can help many groups do their work.
>
> However, your particular formulation strikes me as having a fatal  
> flaw:  After I explain, in articulate detail, why Proposal X is  
> contrary to our vision and mission documents, and will have ill  
> consequences for our community — but find I am alone in these views,  
> and my community begs to differ — then what?  Should I go ahead and  
> block in the belief that I know what's better for the community than  
> the community itself knows?  Or, should I abandon my principles and  
> firmly held convictions, and just get along?
>
> R Philip Dowds AIA
> Cornerstone Cohousing
> 175 Harvey Street, Unit 5
> Cambridge, MA 02140
> 617.354.6094
>
> On Oct 1, 2011, at 12:15 PM, drmaryann99 [at] mac.com wrote:
>
> > At the same time we tightened up the requirements of a legitimate  
> > block. You must frame your block in terms of the community's vision/ 
> > mission or by able to say how proceeding would harm the community.  
> > This eliminated blocks because someone didn't 'like' the proposal.
>
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