INC NEWS - Let's give it a chance. Let's see what can be improved & work to make it better...

[John Schelp]

The point I'm trying to make (again) is we don't know
what final form the Neighborhood Advocate will take. 

And won't know until getting input from community
members, elected officials, staff and others (well
beyond this listserv).

Frankly, I'm not going get into a tit-for-tat over
questions that are red herrings... 

Will the Neighborhood Advocate hold trump cards over
the Mayor and Council? Of course not.

People who ignore history are condemned to repeat it. 

As we said in support of the Neighborhood College
(below), let's give it a chance. Let's see what can be
improved and work to make it better -- before jumping
out of the gate and undermining the idea.

After all, who would want to keep the neighborhoods in
the dark?

best,
John

****

Subject: Neighborhood College will help more people
get involved in the local process 
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2003 16:10

We have people that would cut the funding for the
Neighborhood College.
 
Why would they cut something that has not develop an
budget. There will be a
start up cost. Durham should not wasting money. How do
the cutter know how
much it should cost without a history. They say that
they support the
program, but are willing to cut funding for the
Neighborhood College before
it's get started. They can't have it both ways. The
City Manger looked at
the cost of other cities Neighborhood College and came
up with a number. I
respect the opinion of other, let's not be a penny
wise and a pond foolish.
Please read John Schelp responds below. He is on point
and we need to send a
clear message to the City, we want this program and
spend what it take to
make it happen. This decision need to be propone for a
year, when we can evaluate ways to cut cost.

Your Servant
Melvin L. Whitley
 
****

> From what I understand, the speakers would not be
paid
> (rather, classes would be taught by volunteer staff,
> elected officials and volunteers active in the
> community). According to the N&O, funding would help
> support transportation costs, box meals and class
> materials (not everyone in the Durham community has
a computer).
>
> Attendees would pay $25 each (to help off-set costs
> and encourage participation in all the classes).
There
> may indeed be ways to cut costs (and we can and
should
> look at those ways once the college is functioning).
>
> But I don't think it was helpful to say $5000 was
"too
> much" without first speaking with the folks who
worked
> so hard to get the Neighborhood College this far.
>
> All five PAC's, Durham Literacy Council, East Durham
> Fair Share, People's Alliance, Durham Committee for
> the Affairs of Black People, Durham Affordable
Housing
> Coalition, InterNeighborhood Council, Durham Voter
> Coalition, Northeast Central Economic Development
> Committee and the Durham NAACP all endorsed the
> creation of a Neighborhood College.
>
> This "Durham quilt" is a wonderful example of
> different people working together on a common cause
in
> the Bull City. $5000 from the City will do a lot of
> good, help the democratic process and encourage
public involvement.
>
> Let's give it a chance. Let's see what can be
improved
> and work to make it better -- before jumping out of
> the gate and asking for a cut.
>
> BTW, the Durham Chamber of Commerce gets $185,000 in
> taxpayer subsidies from the City and County. Whether
> you support the Chamber's efforts or not, they did
> actively lobby against numerous community groups
this
> year -- and actively lobbied for a new $200 million
> "porkway" that will benefit developers in Treyburn.
I think we can all agree that's a lot of money. :)
>
> take care,
> John

****

Mike, please read the message below. John is right on
this one. Mike, we
will fight to keep that money, please note that there
will be a start up
cost and it is better to have more money than not
enough. Mike these are the
group that endorsed and worked to make it happen, all
of the five PAC's, The
Durham Literacy Council, East Durham Fair Share, The
People Alliance, The
Durham Committee for the affair of Black People,
Durham affordable Housing ,
Inter Neighborhood Council, Durham Voter Council,
Northeast Central Economic
Development Committee and Durham NAACP. In short all
of our coalition
partner. Please rethink your position. I will respect
your decision on this.

Your Servant
Melvin L. Whitley

****

> Melvin and Fred,
>
> I was disappointed to hear Mike Shiflett's remarks
at
> last night's City Council budget hearing. Durham
> currently has a total City budget of $260,854,072.
> Mike's "solution" to the budget crunch is to reduce
> the $5000 line item for a Neighborhood College.
>
> In prefacing his suggestion, he noted the importance
> of different people working together in Durham. The
> Neighborhood College is a result of different people
> in Durham working together to create a place where
> community groups can learn more about the local
> government process.
>
> Below are recent items in the Herald and N&O about
the
> Neighborhood College. In talking with County and
City
> officials, preliminary plans call for weekly classes
> to be taught by staff volunteers. Guest appearances
> might include the County and City managers, the
mayor,
> chair of the County Commissioners and community
> representatives who've had some success working with
> officials and the process.
>
> The funding would help pay for boxed dinners, course
> materials and transportation costs (attendees may be
> asked to pay $25 to encourage participation at all
the classes).
>
> Last night, speakers bemoaned the lack of
involvement
> and participation in the process of many in the
> community. Folks said they felt alienated from the
> process. The Neighborhood College is a positive way
> more people from across Durham can get more
involved,
> get educated and, yes, participate in the process.
>
> all the best,
> John Schelp
>
> ****
>
> Editorial: One-call information (Herald-Sun,
1/30/03)
>
> If you've ever needed a service from Durham city or
> county government, chances are you had to make
several
> stops or calls before finding the right department.
> Frank Duke, city/county planning director, knows
about
> this experience from the other side: Duke says he's
> constantly fielding calls for services that are not
> under the Planning Department's wing.
>
> To help citizens navigate government better, some
> residents are urging the County Commissioners to
> budget money next fiscal year for a "neighborhood
> college," an idea that has been tried with apparent
> success in Raleigh and Winston-Salem. These
citizens'
> colleges are courses that cover a specific area of
> government such as budgeting or development. Duke
> proposes that Durham's classes cover all aspects of
> city and county government, so great is the need.
The
> county considered a neighborhood college last year
but
> couldn't find money for it. If the commissioners can
> find dollars this year, the college is worth a trial
> run...
>
> ****
>
> Getting schooled in local government (N&O, 5/14/03)
>
> Ever wonder why the city of Durham picks up the
trash,
> the county of Durham runs the jail, but both control
> the agency that plans how Durham will grow?
>
> The sister governments are teaming up to offer
courses
> unraveling the mystery behind how local governments
> operate -- from how to balance competing interests
in
> a $260 million city budget to understanding the
> difference between the Joint City-County Planning
> Committee and the City-County Planning Commission.
>
> The 10-week "Neighborhood College," scheduled to
begin
> this fall if the city and county each put up $5,000,
> aims to inspire future community leaders, show
> residents how to obtain government services and
teach
> citizens which agency is responsible for what.
>
> "Most residents are busy just trying to deal with
> their lives. They often don't understand what
services
> are available to them," said community activist
Newman
> Aguiar, who lobbied for the neighborhood college.
>
> Aguiar, who is president of District 2 Partners
> Against Crime, said residents aren't aware that
police
> officers will come out without charge to assess the
> security of their homes.
>
> The program would be one of the few government
> colleges in the nation jointly sponsored by a city
and
> county, said city training specialist Ruby Hargrove.
> Raleigh started a similar program last year.
>
> Courses will be taught by city and county staff
> volunteers, with guest appearances by the city and
> county managers and Mayor Bill Bell. Each week, the
> class will dissect one or more of 54 city and county
> departments, with possible field trips to the county
> landfill, public housing complexes and a city water
> purification lab.
>
> The program's objective is to create a more informed
> citizenry, Hargrove said. She recalled a survey
> several years ago that asked residents to name their
> priorities for county spending. They listed street
> maintenance as the top item, even though the county
> doesn't provide that service, she said.
>
> Under the proposal, the city and county would split
> the cost, which would pay for boxed dinners for all
> attendees, course materials and transportation
costs.
> Participants may have to pay tuition of $25, after
> members of a joint city-county committee worried
> Tuesday that participants might play hooky without a
> financial stake in the course.
>
> To be considered, participants must be Durham
> residents at least 15 years old, must commit to
> attending and evaluating at least eight of the 10
> sessions and must have paid all their taxes.
>
> Space is limited to 25 people per session, with
> sessions scheduled in the fall and spring. Under the
> proposal, classes will meet weekly at the Durham
> County Library from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Applicants will
be
> required to fill out a one-page form due back in
late
> summer, and they will be selected to ensure that a
> cross-section of the community takes part.
>
> Upon completion of the course, participants will be
> treated to a tour of historic Durham.