I always, or almost always, enjoy meeting people face to face, especially if my prior encounters have been restricted to phone conversations. Well, I had an opportunity to meet some of the faces of city staff that went with those dulcet, or almost always, voices at the City of Madison sponsored conference called Neighborhoods''98: Strong Neighborhoods, Strong City on October 3 at the Monona Terrace. I was a panelist on the "City of Madison and It's Neighborhoods" session and it proved to be a fruitful exchange.

I believe the City of Madison has a deep commitment to its neighborhoods based upon my nine years of TLNA experience. City staff have been helpful and, even if we disagreed, they took the time to listen to my position and patiently explain theirs to me. I encourage you to call city staff if you have concerns or compliments about City policies or activities.

The take home message was that neighborhood associations with strong, broad based support from their members get things done! Personal visits, mail, email and phone calls to city staff and elected officials from an informed and committed membership along with strong leadership from the alderperson make a difference. For example, the Vilas Neighborhood was noted for its ability to add stop signs and tougher traffic control measures and negotiate with Edgewood College because of its sophisticated use of the political processes. Concerns were raised that poorer neighborhoods and newer associations have difficulty because they are not skilled in using the levers of government or lack staying power to see issues through to completion.

Some participants felt that strong associations can manipulate the process and drain resources from areas of the city in need of major assistance. Others wondered if neighborhood associations should be required to pass certain thresholds before the city recognizes them (e.g., number of members, nature of board, etc,). An important issue was how do we get these organizations to truly represent the diversity of their residents (i.e., students, renters and minorities) rather than focusing on the long-term homeowners who typically form the core of most associations .

Neighborhood associations need not always rely on the city either! Neighborhoods can set up baby sitting co-ops, sponsor social events and work with resources within their area to address problems. It was also pointed out that city staff, holding to a narrow definition of their duties or excessively worried about setting precedents, may not see the negative ramifications of their decisions on the quality of life in neighborhoods.

It really was a lively and open forum. It was a great way to spend a dreary wet Saturday. Sorry I didn't see you there!

-Ed Jepsen


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