Gubby 2 also wondered if the wiretapping arrest is going to affect the outcome of Pocomoke becoming an "All American City" finalist.
I have mixed feelings about Pocomoke being named an All American City finalist and competing for the destinction of being named one of the top ten All American cities for 2009.
Have you ever seen a neighborhood movie set? There is a beautiful façade of freshly painted homes with beautiful landscaping. Go behind it though and you see the 2x4s, etc, that prop up the beautiful façade. The beautiful landscaping involves a lot of potted plants with lots of mulch. It is all pretense. Go deeper and there is no real, lasting substance.
Maybe if Pocomoke citizens had been more aware and involved in the application process, I would feel differently. One of the current mayor’s goals prior to his first election was to maximize citizen input. This would have been a golden opportunity for involving all Pocomoke citizens and seeking their input.
One of our sister 2009 finalists, Salisbury, did this. When you go to the Salisbury website you can see the evidence. A community committee was established early and the input of all citizens was sought. There are periodic reports of the committee’s progress toward developing the application. I hope Salisbury makes their application process part of their presentation in June. It would put the substance behind the beautiful face. The website of some of the other finalists shows the same. Some even have the submitted application available to read.
I can’t find anything about the application process on the Pocomoke website, not even in the council meeting agendas and minutes. Who submitted the application for Pocomoke? Since it impacts all of Pocomoke, shouldn’t the application been presented at a council meeting prior to submission? I think so. That would have been good city management.
Maybe this is the city managers last hurrah before retiring from his much too long tenure. That would make this honor a good thing for me. We can hope.
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Our good neighbor came over yesterday with his rototiller to till up a place in our backyard for our community garden.
ReplyDeleteWe ran out of gas, and I had to leave to get some, and as I traveled down Market Street, I was struck by how lovely it was to see the downtown filled with people.
Yet, I couldn't help but think how easy it would be to always be this way.
Having the Costen House, The One Room School House, and the Discovery Center open for free, is the way it should always be, and they need to be opened every weekend.
Income for these places shouldn't be based on entrance fees but on trinkets and souvenirs sold by these entities. Yes all of that would take extra work, but both of these entities have so much to offer, couldn't these organizations have their board members solicit handicrafts that they could sell. Such as embroidered pillow cases, croqueted tables clothes, beautiful things that people could purchase at a reasonable price that would be keepsakes that represent the period in which the buildings flourished.
I have long advocated for Pocomoke to be part of the county wide Fridays series, but nothing has come of it. Snow Hill, and Berlin business's usually do more business on those evenings than any other time.
While the celebration of being a runner up in the All American City is nice, I can't help but feel how contrived it was.
Yesterday is the way it should be every weekend in our downtown.
has anyone looked at what it cost the city tax payers to participate in an all American city award?
ReplyDeleteAll-America City Award Criteria
ReplyDeleteParticipation of the public, private and nonprofit sectors and key constituencies to the maximum extent possible;
Recognition and involvement of diverse segments and perspectives (ethnic, racial, socio-economic, age, etc.) in community decision-making;
Creative use and leveraging of community resources;
Significant and specific community achievements;
Projects that address the community’s most important needs;
Cooperation across jurisdictional boundaries;
Clear demonstration of project results and impacts (dollars raised or lives impacted);
Projects which have impacted the community significantly within the last three years, and have potential to continue improving the quality of life; and
At least one project should document ways in which the lives of children and youth have been tangibly improved.