[NLC] NLC NEI Committee

[David G. Hinkley]

Kevin

To the best of my memory, the first two items that the consultant is to do are 
not duplicative off what has been done to date.  The summit addressed what 
the Neighborhood Associations want and need not how they were or could 
be provided. What is proposed is for the consultant to look at how things 
were done at the Neighborhood Services level and at how good 
neighborhood programs are structured and function in other communities. 
The consultant´s report if done well could provide valuable information for 
both Neighborhood Services restructuring and with The Neighborhood 
Association Initiative. Susan Muir promised that representatives of the NLC 
will be participating at all steps of the RFQ process.  

The second point you raised is a very good one. What is going on with 
Neighborhood services; extensive restructuring and hiring an expert 
consultant to issue a report are typical bureaucratic ploys to avoid an outside 
mandate. The problem is they are also reasonable responses to the current 
situation and the opportunities provided by the clean slate. This puts those of 
us that are interested in the continuation and strengthening of Eugene´s 
Neighborhood Associations and related support structure in a dilemma. The 
best response if this is all a bureaucratic ploy rather effectively poisons the 
water if is not. Conversely blindly going a long in the belief that their 
intentions are good plays right into their hands if it turns out their intentions 
are not. So far we have heard all the right buzz words and phrases and there 
has been little opportunity for the City to take other then quick damage 
control actions. So while we know they can talk the talk, we don´t know if in 
the long run they really intend to walk the walk, hence our dilemma.  

One other point to consider, neither Angel Jones nor Renee Grube come 
from Neighborhood Services or the Planning and Development Department 
nor do they have a history of opposing Neighborhood Associations in 
individual land use, transportation or development matters, so immediately 
assuming they are active and willing participants in an unconfirmed effort on 
the part of PDD to dismantle Eugene´s Neighborhood Program is not 
reasonable. Of course if there is a threat to the Neighborhood Program that 
is coming from a higher level this observation does not apply and we have a 
major problem. The good news (of sorts) is with a new City Manager comes 
changes and the City Council is having a booth at the Celebration seeking 
public input on the qualifications of our new City Manager. I fully intend to 
provide them with my thoughts on the matter.  

In regards to the Neighborhood Program, for at least the immediate time 
being, I intend to borrow a page from President Reagan´s playbook--- Trust 
but verify!---- by adopting a cynical but cooperative approach to this process. 
As things play out or don´t with Neighborhood Services restructuring and 
with The Neighborhood Association Initiative that may change.  

David


> Dear Jan and David,
> 
> I wonder if you could explain for the rest of us how that consultant
> agenda is not highly duplicative of the community work already done on
> the Neighborhood Associations Initiative? 
> 
> In the context of other recent events, how do we interpret this new
> consultant loop as something other than a pointed approach to studying
> the issue to death -- instead of, for instance, moving forward smartly
> based on the solid answers to most of these same questions that are
> already well in hand, backed up by a substantial degree of community
> and elected official consensus, directly from the expensive (in time
> at least) and highly successful Neighborhood Summit? 
> 
> Thanks much,
> 
> Kevin
> 
> 
> On Thu, 6 Sep 2007 23:13:12 -0700 (PDT), Jan Wostmann wrote:
> > Neighborhood Leaders and NLC reps,
> > 
> > David and I had our monthly meeting with the PDD management team this
> > afternoon.  One of the items we discussed was the consultant the
> > department will be hiring to do the following:
> > 
> > o An analysis of the City´s current support structure to the Neighborhood
> > Associations
> > o A comparison to other exemplary neighborhood programs across the country
> > o Recommendations for the future organizational structure of Neighborhood
> > Services to increase support to Neighborhood Associations
> > o Recommendations to improve participation and effectiveness of the
> > Neighborhood Associations
> > o Recommendations to improve two-way communication between all City
> > departments and the Neighborhood Associations
> > 
> > Staff asked for our input in reviewing the Request for Qualifications
> > (RFQ) for the consultant before it goes out and in evaluating the RFQ
> > responses.  David and I are assigning this task to the NLC Neighborhood
> > Empowerment Initiative Committee.
> > 
> > The current list of committee members is as follows:
> > 
> > Fairmount Neighbors  - John Barofsky
> > Jefferson Westside Neighbors - Rene Kane
> > Whiteaker Community Council - Janet Marshall-O'Bryant
> > River Road Community Organization - Carleen Reilly
> > Laurel Hill Valley Citizens - Jan Wostmann
> > NLC Co-Chair - David Hinkley
> > 
> > I am sending this message to the full NLC list in case I have
> > inadvertently left anyone off, or in case an unrepresented neighborhood
> > wishes to designate a member.
> > 
> > The next NLC NEI meeting will be Wednesday, September 19, 2007, from 3:00
> > to 5:00 p.m.  Details about location, agenda and meeting materials will be
> > emailed to committee members next week.
> > 
> > Jan Wostmann
> > NLC Co-Chair
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > nlc mailing list
> > nlc at eugeneneighbors.org
> > http://www.designcommunity.com/mailman/listinfo/nlc
> 
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