City program kept neighborhoods in loop

I respond to the Nov. 21 Dispatch article "Mayor’s budget proposes area's commission council,” and the Nov. 28 Dispatch editorial “Voting-rights lawyers target city council."

I would like to recommend to Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and Columbus City Council the program of neighborhood/ city contact that was developed when I served as area commission coordinator for Mayors Tom Moody and Dana Rinehart.

I met monthly with all commission chairmen at 7 p.m. in our Downtown office. Our meetings were televised on Channel 3. I have recordings of the meetings in my home today.

The current mayor addressed the group once a year. The monthly meetings featured a speaker from some city department with a message about a new program or development in city services. There was plenty of time for discussion of concerns. Sometimes I took them on a field trip for a tour of city facilities: watertreatment plant, and the trash-burning power plant when we had one.

As the office developed, it acquired five assistants. and a secretary/receptionist. The assistants each had a geographical area of the city to serve, and worked a flex-time schedule in order to attend evening neighborhood meetings. After they had worked 40 hours for the city, they could take personal time off until the next week.

During the day, I was ready at the phone with advice on how to attack problems — what department to call, with names and phone numbers of city employees who could help. Once a week, prior to the mayor’s cabinet meeting, I sent a report to the mayor’s office outlining current concerns of the neighborhoods.

I was available to create new commissions when the need arose. Once a month, commission chairmen got a newsletter from my office. I hope learning of these past experiences will be of help to the current administration.