Neighborhood Councils

Down in the comments is a discussion about our local Neighborhood Councils. Mayoral Candidate, Ed McKnight, raised a question about their role in City Government. I served on Neighborhood Council No. 1 for a term, back in the late 1990's, right after the voters implemented the whole Neighborhood Council system.

Before I discuss my experience on the Council, I want to preface my comments by making it clear that my experience might not have been typical. Also, my cynicism about my experience on the Council is not intended to diminish in any way the hard work of present Council members, nor to denigrate the accomplishments of some of our Neighborhood Councils that have, without question, improved their neighborhoods.

The Neighborhood Councils are advisory only. The theory was that they would provide citizens with a way to realistically participate in local government. In my experience, though, they really lack the ability to influence policy in any meaningful way.

Ultimately, I came before the City Commission in May 1998, and asked the Commission to clarify the Councils' role in government. As I recall (and this is purely recollection), I was very frustrated because, by that time, our Council had been working on an issue with the City for a year or two (traffic problems on Fox Farm Road). We had held meeting after meeting after meeting, many attended by City officials.

And that is what we did. We had meetings. Finally, we pulled together 50 or so people to have what we thought was a significant meeting with City officials. The response? Form a committee to meet with the City. (In fairness to the City, one of the big issues was the lack of sidewalks on the East edge of Fox Farm Road. That project was completed this summer, in 2007.)

So I came to the Commission and asked them to give the Councils some power. The response? Well, you can read it for yourself: "Commissioner Beecher stated that neighborhood councils were created to serve as advocates for respective neighborhoods. He added that a potential downfall of the Commissioner/Manager form of government is that sometimes citizens feel it is not an open government. He stated that the neighborhood councils are not meant to add another layer to city government, rather they are meant to serve as a communication vehicle between the citizens and local government officials and staff.

Commissioner Gray suggested that representatives from the neighborhood councils, the City Commission and Staff, meet to discuss this more fully."

I also felt that the Councils were used as a way to run City initiatives 'up the flagpole.' If a particular proposal did not meet with stiff resistance (and I cannot remember any that did), City staff could report to the City Commission that the Neighborhood Councils were on board. I distinctly recall two events where I openly challenged the position of the City officials presenting at our meetings. Both instances became very tense. I was left with the impression that they did not really want discussion at all.

I felt that the Councils were subject to manipulation by individuals with a specific agenda. Remember that, at our Council at least, we usually had an audience of 3-5 people. So if someone could convince 25 people to show up, that really meant something to us. So, we voted in accordance with those who attended, and then when that group went to the City, they did so under the 'authority' of the Neighborhood Council. I think we have seen this used particularly well by the anti-gaming groups. If 20 people show up at a meeting, does that really tell us how the neighborhood feels?

Anyway, for those reasons I felt uncomfortable in my position and I either stepped down or did not run for re-election (I can't recall.)

This is an important issue, though, because the Neighborhood Council system costs money. Does the City monitor it to determine whether it is really effective?

(Finally, one other point that I think could be important for our City Commission candidates. After our election to the Council, we attended an orientation presented by the City staff. Here we learned what our role was, what our powers were, and how we should operate. Over the course of the next year or two, members of our Council referred back frequently to that orientation in terms of how we should conduct ourselves, and the City staff member who 'coordinated' the Councils played a large role in our operation.

My guess is that staff will do the same thing with incoming Commissioners. Thus, the whole perception of one's role as a Commissioner is formed with the steady input of those who will report to you. I do not know if this is the healthiest introduction available. Imagine, if you will, a manager who has his job duties explained to him by those he is to manage.)