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# Letter to the Editor – Residents first
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/residents-first/
- Published: 2020-05-26T13:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-12-11T23:48:22.000Z
- Description: Residents tend to be well attuned to our community vibe. We see and hear things, we intuitively kno
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Columns, Community, Featured, News, Opinion, Sports, letter to the editor, library, Residents First, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-11-06 12:37

Residents tend to be well attuned to our community vibe. We see and hear things, we intuitively know what feels right and what needs to be amplified for our re-envisioned community and our revised budget. The way to true community wealth prioritizes the interests of residents first.

**Residents First — We want our priorities to:**

- Value our shared common resources as a framework for going forward;
- Amplify our common interests and mutual benefit;
- Focus on serving the common good and the mutual benefit of our residents, first and always.
- Residents First — Two priorities:
- Library: Community hub of our information age and cherished “3rd space” within our neighborhoods, let us envision a renewed and more vibrant library for 2021;

Broadband: Aligned with our library as core and hub of a digitally informed and connected community, let us develop our infrastructure with non-profit, community owned, high-speed fiber optic broadband for every home, enterprise and community space.

*Yours sincerely,*

*Arlene Hopkins*

*Member: Library Board of Santa Monica*

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/smdp-com/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2024/07/image-1.png)

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."Franklin, Benjamin; The Way to Wealth, Benjamin Franklin. 1758