Toward a New Model of Arlington Civic Engagement

Peter Take is a weekly opinion column.

cheap jordans wholesale free shipping On December cheap adidas 8, Jane cheap jordans in china Rudolph, Director of Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), issued a cheap jordans on sale formal apologyon behalf of DPR and the County Manager Office. We are sorry. will strive to ensure that all members of the community are a critical part of the cheap jordans china project moving forward. cheap jordans wholesale free shipping

Kudos to Jane Rudolph and Mark Schwartz for their forthright apology.

cheap authentic air jordans On the very same day, Gillian Burgess, writing in the Progressive Voice column, observed: has the opportunity to be a national leader in developing a modern model of community engagement. I agree. cheap authentic air jordans

cheap nike air jordans The County apology concerned a proposal to spend nearly $1M of Neighborhood Conservation bond funds to cheap jordans sale construct a playground at a.8 acre park 3rdplayground in a little cheap Air max shoes over one block. cheap nike air jordans

The proposal cheap jordans online was highly contested for several reasons less green space, proximity to nearby homes, need and equity. Why, some cheap air jordan asked, did Aurora Highlands need a 6thplayground when 16 neighborhoods have none?

cheap jordans manufacturer china Adjacent neighbors cheap jordans for sale were not notified. Follow up meeting notifications Cheap jordans didn occur. From cheap https://www.retrocheapjordans.com jordans from china the beginning, it appeared that Parks staff was giving undue cheap jordans shoes weight to some voices, including daycare and commercial users. cheap jordans manufacturer china

Numerous community members suspected that there was something wrong with the community engagement process. This led to a January 9, 2016 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the County. Emails and other documents the County produced in response confirmed these suspicions.

cheap jordans size 6 The documents produced showed that: cheap jordans size 6

jordans for sell cheap County staff failed to follow Arlington code of cheap jordans free shipping ethics, jordans for sell cheap

cheap air jordans 8 Committees failed to follow their own process guidelines, cheap air jordans 8

cheap authentic jordans for sale Persons with special interests undisclosed in the NCAC approval process worked nearly exclusively with staff, and cheap authentic jordans for sale

Numerous efforts were pursued (both publicly and with staff) to exclude, discredit and even falsely campaign against residents including stakeholders, working group members and active civic volunteers.

cheap cheap jordans online jordans under 30 The Nelly Custis Park project illustrates the serious issues that Arlington faces relating to community engagement. Three other examples are the WRAPS process in western Rosslyn, the fencing of a Bluemont Park baseball diamondand the Williamsburg fields lighting proposal. cheap jordans under 30

cheap jordans com real The serious community engagement issues highlighted by cheap jordan sneakers all these recent controversies include: cheap jordans com real

Lack cheap air force of a needs assessment including demographic information,

cheap white jordan shoes Prematurely deciding that a proposed project is needed at all, cheap white jordan shoes

cheap jordans size 8 Properly defining the nature of the proposed project and alternatives to it, cheap jordans size 8

cheap authentic jordans free shipping Providing adequate public notice to close by residents and all stakeholders, cheap authentic jordans free shipping

cheap jordans 12 Need for properly designed community surveys, cheap jordans 12

Undue influence exercised by organized special interests, and

cheap jordans 7 for sale Lack of fair and neutral stewardship cheap yeezys by County staff. cheap jordans 7 for sale

cheap jordans 14 The Community Facilities report analyzed why Arlington needs to do better in this area. The County recent hiring of Bryna Helfer as its Assistant County Manager for Communications and Public Engagement is encouraging. But the Nelly Custis controversy indicates how much new thinking, processes and leadership are needed in order for Arlington to develop a new model of civic engagement. The County apology indicates progress cheap jordans 14.