We Love
HARBOR SPRINGS
Harbor Springs is Beautiful!
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ZONING | WLHS BLOG | DDA | HISTORY
Press | Letters | Surveys | Corrections | RRC
The town of Harbor Springs repealed Zoning Ordinance #439. This gave our town the
right to Decide for ourselves as a community, our future within the city.
WELCOME TO WE LOVE HARBOR SPRINGS
A COMMITMENT TO RESEARCH, STEWARDSHIP, AND STRONG PUBLIC PROCESS
Harbor Springs is shaped by many decisions—large and small—that affect how we live, work, gather, and care for this place over time. Zoning is one part of that picture, but so are parks, trees, open space, public infrastructure, historic resources, and the way our local boards, commissions, and City Council engage with the community. At We Love Harbor Springs, our commitment is to strong research, clearly explained ideas, thoughtful review, and public processes that invite participation and build trust.
You can follow our ongoing work under the NEWS tab, we share research, updates, letters, corrections, press coverage, and analysis related to community decisions and governance.
Community input—through surveys, town halls, public meetings, and individual engagement—has been invaluable. These perspectives help ensure that decisions reflect lived experience and shared values, not just technical compliance.
In February 2025, the City Council chose to step away from the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) certification and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) program. This decision marked an opportunity to reaffirm local priorities and reaffirm the importance of community-driven decision-making.
There are more decisions like that to still be made to Preserve and Protect.
Disclosure & Commitment to Open Dialogue
We Love Harbor Springs is committed to fairness, transparency, and careful research. The information shared on this site is offered in good faith to support informed public discussion. Facts, interpretations, and conclusions presented here are always open to challenge, correction, or clarification. We welcome additional information, differing viewpoints, and evidence-based feedback at any time, recognizing that strong communities are built through accuracy, openness, and respectful dialogue. Contact us at weloveharborsprings@gmail.com with details.
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I’d like to reply.
"In a small town, every chair around the table matters whether in the room or on-line.
Every person serving on a board, commission, or authority has chosen to give something that can never be replaced: time. Same goes for participation from the public either through written Citizens Comments or time at the podium, it too is time. Time away from family. Time away from work. Time away from the countless responsibilities and opportunities that fill our lives.
Most people do not volunteer for public service or public participation because it is easy. They volunteer because they care. They believe their experience, ideas, and effort can help make their community better.
That is why empty chairs matter.
An empty chair be it in public seating or at the council, board or commission table, it is more than a missed meeting. It sends a message to those who did show up. It tells the volunteer who spent hours reading reports, reviewing budgets, or preparing thoughtful comments that their commitment may not be shared by everyone at the table.
Even more discouraging is the feeling that preparation and participation do not matter. When meetings move forward despite chronic absences, or chronically ignoring public comments when important discussions happen without full engagement, or when dedicated volunteers feel their voices carry little weight, people begin asking a painful question:
Why should I keep giving my time?
That question should concern all of us.
Communities are not built by buildings, budgets, or plans. They are built by people who are willing to participate. People who show up. People who listen. People who care enough to contribute even when the work is difficult and often thankless.
Once those people become discouraged, they rarely complain loudly. They simply stop volunteering. They stop applying. They stop attending. They stop believing their involvement can make a difference.
The cost of that loss is far greater than an empty chair at a meeting.
It is the loss of experience, fresh ideas, institutional knowledge, and community trust.
In a town like ours, we cannot afford to lose people who care.
The answer is not to shame anyone. The answer is to renew a culture of commitment. To recognize that every appointment carries a responsibility. Every comment deserves attention. To value preparation as much as attendance. To welcome new voices. To ensure that participation is meaningful and that every volunteer knows their contribution matters.
Because when people believe their time is respected, they continue to give it.
And when people believe their voice matters, they continue to use it.
The future of our community depends not on filling seats, but on filling them with people who are present, prepared, and committed to serving something larger than themselves.
That is the real cost of empty chairs.
And that is why every chair matters."
Respectfully submitted,
Ashley O’Reilly, Harbor Springs resident
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Thought we'd come back to this post to share again - add any organizations and we'll include!
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