THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606040108
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 95 lines
Norfolk City Council hosted its first ``Neighbors All'' community visioning day Saturday at Lake Taylor High School. What comes next?
Mayor Paul D. Fraim said the more than 400 people who attended can expect a written summary ``within 45 days.''
After that, the council and department heads will grapple with setting priorities and keeping the public better informed, Fraim said.
Meanwhile, many residents who participated in ``Neighbors All'' said community dialogues were an important way to unite Norfolk, but they wanted City Hall to begin taking action or at least keep citizens better informed.
Fraim acknowledged this, saying he supported an idea from Council member-elect Daun Hester. She proposed a time-line graphic to track the city's progress.
But there also are areas in which citizens should expect improvements without a lot of fuss from City Hall, Fraim said. ``There's a lot of things there we can address that don't take a lot of science,'' he said. ``The libraries and (property) code enforcement. Those types of things will be the first steps.''
The mayor promised ``to find new and better ways to involve citizens in meaningful ways . . . so citizens feel their voices are being heard and that their voices are making a difference.''
Fraim said he believes more Norfolk residents have ``a renewed sense of ownership in the city'' from volunteering in community-policing, block watches and recycling programs.
``Now we need to let them have ways to help direct policy as well,'' he said.
Richard McCaffery, a communication and networking consultant who helped organize ``Neighbors All,'' urged more trust between citizens and city officials.
He also said ``the biggest thing, you have to honor your commitments.''
Each council member who attended the full program thanked citizens who came. Some excerpts:
W. Randy Wright: ``I know that out of this that we will be more attentive and that we will be more open . . . We need to do a better job of explaining why we need to invest in downtown, why we need to invest in Ocean View.''
Noting concern about Norfolk's shrinking population - down to 236,000 in 1995 from 261,000 in 1990 - Wright responded that City Hall has been correct to support public and private redevelopment efforts in Lafayette Shores, Church Street-Huntersville, Liberty Park, East Ocean View and Lakeland.
``You can't'' make such improvements, Wright said, ``without lessening your population.''
The Rev. Joseph N. Green Jr., retiring from the council June 30, thanked citizens ``for allowing me to serve you for 20 years.''
On the day's discussions, Green said, ``We have a lot of good things but we've got to improve the perception and let other people know how good we are, especially in our school system.''
Green, also a member of the Tidewater Transportation District Commission, defended criticisms of public transit. ``If people demand more, we can provide it . . . We are meeting the demand and we just wish the demand was greater. I wish all of you would use it. I wish I would use it.''
Dr. Mason C. Andrews: ``Many of the things which we were exhorted to do, we were already doing in one way or another, maybe not satisfactorily.
``I would urge that we all - all of us - learn as much as we can . . . I think there are gaps there that you've identified, and we will do our best to fix it.''
Herbert M. Collins Sr.: ``I've heard many of these things over and over again . . . I've heard your frustrations as well as your aspirations and desires, and I know your love for the city.''
Collins singled out public housing, saying the issue is ``something that I'm not going to let go of . . . It must be addressed. It should not be treated as a separate component of this city. We're going to have to dig in and see what we can do to help our sisters and brothers, and we're going to have to bring them along with the rest of this city.''
Vice Mayor Paul R. Riddick, who owns a funeral business, had to leave early to attend to a burial. Councilman G. Conoly Phillips did not participate because he was out of the country, Mayor Fraim said.
But Council member-elect Daun Hester attended, urging each citizen ``to bring two or three friends along'' next time.
More public involvement will help the city solve its problems and also help improve Norfolk's public image, she said.
City Manager James B. Oliver Jr.: ``It's just very invigorating for me to hear you all struggling with the same kind of issues'' facing City Hall.
He said citizens could help solve some problems by doing more grass-roots advocacy of regional cooperation.
He added: ``We're going to try to connect the City Council's goals with the community's goals and see if we can further that partnership even more.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Andre Fenwick, center, speaks during the ``Neighbors All'' community
visioning day Saturday.
Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
About 400 Norfolk residents participated in the ``Neighbors All''
dialogue at Lake Taylor High School.
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC JOURNALISM COMMUNITY
CONVERSATIONS by CNB