|
Reform
Slate
|
|
|
|
|
 |
FAQ's Learn More Volunteer |
How do I leave comments on the Blogs? How do I Contact you for other things |
Why should I help create structural change How do I Volunteer to help How do I join the volunteers' mailing list |
 |
| |
Frequently Asked QuestionsIn the lead up to the canceled election in May and during the current process, a number of claims have been made and questions posed about the members of the recently announced Reform Slate as a group and individually. We thought responding to these claims and answering some of the questions directly might be helpful:
I have been active in the community and I have never heard of some of these people. Who are they?As our bios illustrate, we all have extensive experience working to improve our community. Although a few of us have been CPCA members in the past, we all believe that the governance structure has not encouraged us to become active members. Some of us have been active in various community, religious and educational organizations; many of us are frequent contributors to the Cleveland Park listserv and others operate businesses in Cleveland Park.Is it true that the Reform Slate is focused on one issue - the Giant?The members of the Reform Slate did come together through the formation of Advocates of Wisconsin Avenue Renewal (AWARE) to support approval of Giant's redevelopment plans. However, we soon realized that we shared views and interests beyond that particular issue. We have detailed our shared vision for the CPCA, but will also be talking about issues that are important to us individually. These include traffic, working with the business community in Cleveland Park, engaging the broader Cleveland Park community in the CPCA, and more.Is this a "coup d'etat" as some people have alleged?We have never understood this allegation. In advance of the scheduled June election, we initiated a membership drive that has led to nearly 200 neighbors joining the CPCA. At that time, some of us approached the CPCA leadership to discuss the election and our desire to see a new direction to CPCA. Some of us considered running for an office at that time, and since the unprecedented cancellation of the June election, more of us decided that standing for election was a good way to support the new members and engage long-term members in a more open and democratic organization. We believe that standing for election, recruiting new members, engaging current members, and advocating for change is a fundamental part of the democratic process and therefore far from a coup d'etat!How do we know that you will run the CPCA any differently than before?We believe our activism to date has already fundamentally changed the CPCA. We have led the first membership drive in recent history for the CPCA, attracting thee 200 new members we noted above. We have raised the profile and sparked debate about the role of the CPCA. We have improved member communication by establishing a listserv specifically for the CPCA, which has now been turned over to a third party for administration until after the elections at which time it will be donated to the CPCA. We believe we have constructively pushed the CPCA to consider its role, place and purpose in the community, and we will lead it in establishing and securing that role.What is the "correct" balance between education, information and dialogue, on one hand, and advocacy on the other?We believe that the balance will evolve with time as the organization begins to communicate more fully with the neighborhood as a whole, seeks feedback and continues to listen to its membership. At the present time, the CPCA leadership has no effective mechanism to determine what the community wants and needs the organization to do. The leadership has chosen a single path to education -- monthly meetings that are interesting but that have limited reach -- and a limited form of advocacy that generally involves taking a stance without consulting the community's views. We will continue to support education efforts through monthly meetings and we will expand the reach of those efforts, encourage greater dialogue throughout the community, and be a strong advocate for the community.Do you know what issues are of interest to the CPCA members?Many members have already begun to express their views and interests. We see our role as soliciting views, interests and opinions from members and responding to them with an action plan. We will focus on improving communication so that we can build a better sense of what the community wants and determine how we as an association can influence action on the goals we set. We will establish committees and seek volunteers from the membership to participate in researching issues and making recommendations on the issues that we as an association deem to be important.Is there interest in issues other than development on the Connecticut and Wisconsin commercial areas?Indeed, we expect to address many of the common issues affecting our community including traffic, parking, integration of schools and religious organizations into daily life, repair of the infrastructure (sidewalks, fire hydrants, etc), working with other volunteer and charitable organizations to build a stronger sense of community and other issues that affect the general quality of life in Cleveland Park. Sorting through these issues and balancing them with CPCA's role as an interpreter of zoning matters, fighting for change to those regulations to better our community, and creating a loud and clear voice for the residents of Cleveland Park are our fundamental goals.How do you think the CPCA should choose issues and positions?We expect the members to set our priorities through an open, transparent process, perhaps led by small groups of volunteers. We will faithfully represent the views of the community, open the decision making process, and humbly accept criticism if we get it wrong.Is the CPCA membership appropriately balanced among the community's disparate groups: home-owners/apartment-dwellers, residential areas/commercial areas, young/old, families/singles, etc.?Our membership drive has been open to all and has been designed to actively encourage all residents to participate. In fact, our slate of candidates represents most of those categories! We have sought members and held events both related to AWARE and CPCA at local businesses, on the streets of our business districts, and through leaflets left at homes and in apartment building lobbies. We plan to continue these efforts in the future.Can the CPCA influence how the zoning overlays are administered and push for modifications to protect Cleveland Park's character while responding to the needs and wants of the broad community?Absolutely! The CPCA will lead and will take a very active role in ensuring that the overlays are administered and modified to reflect a more modern climate, but it will do so while enforcing the community interest in protecting Cleveland Park history and quality of life. We can't expect to please everyone, but we do intend to work to address any conflicts openly.Will the CPCA represent only the views of its six or seven hundred members or the entire community of thousands?The leadership is empowered to represent the members of the CPCA; however, we will make efforts for broader community outreach. We hope to encourage more people to join the CPCA through the use of incentives and sponsored activities and events coordinated with other community associations and charitable organizations.Should the CPCA represent the needs and wants of renters or just property owners?We believe in a CPCA that wants to hear from and engage all residents and business owners in the community. Whether you rent an apartment or house, own a condo or co-op, or own a large single-family house, your voice is important and should be heard. We realize that Washington is a transient city and people come and go more often than in other cities. Many of these people choose not to engage in community activities, but they too are a part of this community and we will invite them to share their views of living in Cleveland Park..Will you, if elected, work with current and potential business owners?Naturally! The businesses along our commercial corridors and even those businesses run from homes are a big part of what makes Cleveland Park work. If we don't engage them, we haven't heard the whole story. We hope to enlist local business owners to be a more active part of the community. We hope they will work with us and with one another to build a stronger sense of community with the neighborhood residents. |
|