Our BIP Community

Hi, it's Leslie Thorne. Most of you know by now that I am running for the Board.  I plan to use this space to share thoughts, insights and ideas with you. Feel free to comment back. To start... As part of this effort to get on the ballot, I had to secure 25 signatures. While some people thought this would be a painful or "demeaning" experience, I loved this process. Why? Because it enabled me to reach out to 25 Owners. I used those phone calls as an opportunity to have conversations, to form closer connections, and to hear about what mattered to each of them, what they wanted to see more of, less of...their concerns, their hopes. The following is an accounting of what they said...read and enjoy!!  

  The other day I called one of the earliest Bray's Island Owners to let her know that I was running for the Board.  We talked about the early days and here's what she said to me: "I remember that I would go to Board meetings where Robert Marvin would be present. At every meeting, he would say... "Always remember who you are. Be clear about your identity. State it every day. Because if you don't, you'll wake up one day and find out you have become something you never intended to be." Do we know who we are? Do we state it every day? PLEASE SEE posts below...Robert Marvin's VISION Statement, as well as our current MISSION STATEMENT (it's kinda new). Hit the MORE POSTS link below...

  The beauty and strength of BIP isn't its amenities, it is its people and sense of community. One of the early Owners said to me, "The people who first came to BIP cared about each other. They thought they were buying into a lifestyle. But, they discovered BIP was more than a lifestyle. it was a unique place because people genuinely cared about each other." We have a very special community. Diverse people from all over the world coming together to support a vision set by Sumner Pingree and Robert Marvin and upheld by those who settled here. Interesting, successful, caring people who believe in and want to preserve what BIP represents.  The early Owner went on to say, "In order to be part of a community, you have to FEEL like you are a part. You have to be included." Inclusiveness is key. Exclusiveness is out. Harmony is essential. Divisiveness is destructive. It's very special to be in a place where people feel connected to people who care about you. Let...

  Of course...since I stand up at every Annual Meeting to deliver this message, I had to repeat it here. ALWAYS REMEMBER... We are Owners. Not Members. We do NOT want to be managed.  We want to be empowered.  LOL. I had to say it again.

Here is what one Owner said to me about the "specialness" of BIP: "What makes BIP so special -- and what sets us apart from so many other communities -- is that we are an "egalitarian community." We all have the same size lot. We all have the same vote. We all have the same voice. We all have the same right to speak up. There is no Owner that is better or bigger than the other. We all have the same amount of influence.  Together. One. Community.

  Years ago, the New York Times featured an article about the future of Time, Inc.  They showed a picture of the President of Time who was leaning on her desk, alone, giving the impression that she alone was responsible for solving the difficulties of a media company navigating a digital future. At the time, I knew a lot of people at Time. A lot of bright, creative people who had ideas about how to move through the channels of the digital age. But nobody asked them for their input. No one wanted to hear their ideas.  What does that have to do with Brays? The Board at Brays does not have to come up with the solutions to all the challenges we face. There is a SILENT MAJORITY here at BIP, Owners who want to be involved, who want to offer their ideas, their thoughts, their creativity, their expertise, their input. But they feel they can't. Why? One of my signers told me that she was boo-ed at a meeting when she offered her idea about an upcoming project. Another told me how ...