tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11068216.post5544273188148575513..comments2023-11-03T00:46:46.649-07:00Comments on Electric City Weblog: Neighborhood CouncilsGeeGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13896054313394692210noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11068216.post-88076223139826003322007-08-21T20:29:00.000-07:002007-08-21T20:29:00.000-07:00My favorite comment: A council...can be swung by p...My favorite <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink" REL="nofollow">comment</A>: <BR/><BR/><I>A council...<A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink#Causes_of_groupthink" REL="nofollow">can be swung by popular pressure</A> at meetings and is <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink#Symptoms_of_groupthink" REL="nofollow">subject to being deferential to city staff.</A></I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11068216.post-1813429031881155502007-08-21T16:36:00.000-07:002007-08-21T16:36:00.000-07:00Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for us. Immaculate ...Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death, amen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11068216.post-84377946870389454012007-08-21T13:42:00.000-07:002007-08-21T13:42:00.000-07:00Geeguy;Thanks for creating a forum to discuss the ...Geeguy;<BR/><BR/>Thanks for creating a forum to discuss the NC system. I have invested a great deal of time in the system since I joined NC7. The system is an odd duck. However, I think that this duck does swim, as long as you understand its limitations.<BR/><BR/>The first thing to understand is that a council has no defined power or authority. It is advisory only. However, I disagree with you that they can not influence policy.<BR/><BR/>About two years ago, the school district decided to close down East Middle School. A group of Eastside residents thought that was an extremely bad idea and used Neighborhood Council 4 as a launching point for a campaign that ultimately brought in two new School Board members that overturned that decision and shuttered Paris.<BR/><BR/>A year ago, the city wanted to close down both neighborhood pools and replace them with spray parks. Most of the citizens in this city thought that was an extremely poor idea. Tim Austin and everyone in Neighborhood Council 3 thought that it was a poor enough idea that they started making some noise, writing letters and editorials (including one on my blog) that convinced the city to ask what we the people really wanted. As a result, the neighborhood pools are still open and they are being refurbished.<BR/><BR/>About the same time, I joined Neighborhood Council 7. After watching the kids going to Whittier and Longfellow dodge traffic on 9th Street, I brought it to my council. We started harping on the issue, writing letters and editorials (primarily on my blog) and generally making nuisances of ourselves. As a result, last week the city put some concrete pedestrian 'refuges' on 9th and 4th N just last week. A start to a solution? Perhaps. A policy decision brought about by neighborhood council pressure? Definitely.<BR/><BR/>Now, the points you bring up are legitimate. A council has no real authority, can be swung by popular pressure at meetings and is subject to being deferential to city staff. However, the meetings do give an outlet to public participation in our system, and have resulted in some real policy initiatives/changes. An office is what you make of it.Treasure State Jewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01385095688326371682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11068216.post-70776295710442222492007-08-20T07:18:00.000-07:002007-08-20T07:18:00.000-07:00"a manager who has his job duties explained to him...<I>"a manager who has his job duties explained to him by those he is to manage"</I><BR/><BR/>Ahhh...the smell of cultural problems within city government. Let's see...several things GeeGuy's notated stand out from recent (well, the last 4 years) commission meetings where members of society have been treated or ignored with the similar attitudes: <BR/><BR/>1) asked the Commission to clarify the Councils' role in government (business of coal plant)<BR/><BR/>2) been working on an issue with the City for a year or two (or more the coal plant)<BR/><BR/>3) held (attended) meeting after meeting after meeting, many attended by City officials.<BR/><BR/>4) If a particular proposal did not meet with stiff resistance <BR/><BR/>5) openly challenged the position of the City officials (coal plant/animal shelter)<BR/><BR/>6) instances became very tense. (3 minute rule instituted)<BR/><BR/>7) the impression that they did not really want discussion at all. (meet with commissioners one on one instead of during public comment periods)<BR/><BR/>GeeGuy asks <I>"Does the City monitor it to determine whether it is really effective?"</I><BR/><BR/>Why should they?<BR/><BR/>They revoked the public right to vote on the coal plant issue.<BR/><BR/>They implemented a 3 minute rule to <I>allegedly</I> curb freedom of speech, only adding 2 minutes more to apparently give the appearance of <I>compromise</I> to no silence critics of speech regulations.<BR/><BR/>Maybe <I>citizens feel it is not an open government</I> because <I> as a communication vehicle between the citizens and local government officials</I> the staff of non-elected, non-accountable bureaucrats play <I>a large role</I> in rebuilding the vehicle to <I>moving target</I> government specifications.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11068216.post-16410666593468300682007-08-20T06:34:00.000-07:002007-08-20T06:34:00.000-07:00Gee Guy, this is a very good analysis, and exactly...Gee Guy, this is a very good analysis, and exactly what I suspected. And a good beginning point for the discussion "where do we go from here"?<BR/><BR/>LKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com