REPORT CARD ACCOUNTABILITY PAGE

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Coming Soon: December 28, 2007

2007 Smart Growth 5-Year Signature Plan (2005–2010) Report

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This page is for setting the stage for reporting on economic development and quality of life projects that are the result of “government funding, incentives and government mandates”.

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The Working Poor
We define the Working Poor to include but not limited to: the homeless, the unemployed, the under-employed, the disable; and, the Middle Class of America.

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Our Infrastructure Philosophy
We think sustainable economic development and quality of life should be the paramount aim of all government spending.

We do not subscribe to “economic development” in People of Color and the Working Poor neighborhoods being bricks and mortar.

That is, a NEW BUILDING built by outside or inside developers with neighborhood “TIF/TAX INCREMENT FUNDING”, TID/Tax Increment Distict funding, WHEDA-LEGACY/MEDC tax credits, Department of Commerce, Department of Natural Resources, CDBG/Community Block Grant and other public or private funding, but not with the endorsement and/or buy-in or the stakeholders that live in the neighborhood.

The new structure must have a “neighborhood finger and blueprint”.

We feel that the taxpayers should be notified and given opportunities to weigh in from the “GET-GO” - when the developer preceive the idea, he/she start courting the entire neighborhood for inclusion and buy-in.

We definitely do not agree with projects that are pre-approved by the Department of City Development, Department of Public Works, and Department of Neighborhood Services that do not have the expressed endorsement of the neighborhood taxpayers.

City Planning
We see the “City Planning Committee” as untrained and lock-step, do what DCD want me to appointees.

We know this committee is long overdue for roles and responsibilities; as well as, training and evaluation.

We further know that the same is needed for all “appointed” offices.

Most of all, the City Planning, BOZA and committees with such authority, should represent Milwaukee’s majority population, People of Color and the Working Poor. That means a broad diverse group of folk should be at the table - not undocumented lobbyists.

The City Planning and BOZA should not be “career appointments”. A designated period of time and you are out of here for others to share.

Mayor’s Responsibility
We feel since the Mayor appoints, he/she should be held accountable for their appointments - good and bad actions.

We feel that high elected officials such as the governor, mayor, common council president, county executive, county chair, should be held accountable. Their appointments is a reflection on their judgment and leadership.

Failure to prepare, monitor, evaluate and dismiss when appropriate is a pre-requisite for non-election.

All appointments should be given tools for doing the job expected - guidelines, training, monitoring and review (twice a year) to ensure that the citizenry is protected and that best practices are in play.

This would also include limit terms of office and well-rounded appointments reflective ot the citizenry for inclusion.

We feel that proposals of major development should be disregarded by the Mayor and Common Council if the City Planning Committee gets a chance to endorse a structure in the neighborhood and the citizenry have not signed off.

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DUE DILIGENCE
We recognize due diligence over time that has benchmarks to show due process.

We are about creating “best practices” through ongoing communication, research, policy, and scrutiny.

We welcome your contact to help keep us on the straight and narrow. That is, let us know where we are “in error”, praise us when we do a good job, let us know what is happening for posting, draw our attention to successes; and, always stay in touch.

We support seven (7) steps of Neighborhood Due Diligence. They are:
1. neighborhood education and coordination.

2. neighborhood lobbyists for outreach and dialog with all neighborhoods in the city; and, state elected officials.

3. telephone, postal, face-to-face and internet contact of local, state and congressional elected officials.

4. street protest of the “good old boy” developments

5. use the media - print, radio, television, internet blogs, advertisement and block club outreach.

6. replace elected officials at the city, state and federal level that fail to support Milwaukeeans, especially People of Color and the Working Poor.

7. stakeholders are held accountable for “neighborhood governance” and “great citizenship” - voting, neighbor’s keeper, aesthetic value, environmental protection, parental guidance, safety practices, policy making, holding self and others accountable.

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The Culture
In Milwaukee, we see through daily practice of discrimination, lack of due diligence, unprepared elected officials, failed due process, lip service and greed, a culture of “Arrogance”. It is done by all races as a form of “assimulation” into the job.

The government culture creates daily bureacacy to keep it going - exploitation of the working poor, disabled and People of Color is BIG BUSINESS. n They are the groups that bring billions annually to the government coffers. Unfortunately, they do not get the funds. We are about REFORM in the way our city, county, state and federal government do business.

Due to years of gross neglect, bias-racial practices and pitting one group against the other for funding, we at Campaign Neighborhood - CFNBA make it a priority to encourage business owners, elected officials and government staff to spend money with the people of the neighborhood through project development, employment, housing development, safety control, image building and civic services.

Unfortunately, our government have allowed preferential treatment - the haves and the well-connected get the dollars and tax credits; but, are not held accountable for social responsibilty. You see it all over the city by one, two or three developers - their signs are everywhere.

It has become a way of conducting business.
It must end with Milwaukeeans voicing their outrage.

The Mayor,Alderpersons, County Executive and Supervisors can act at his or her own peril when he/she authorize projects without the neighborhood endorsement. Neighborhood endorsement must be clear it is not a crony group or self-serving group.

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NEIGHBORHOOD GOVERNANCE LAW/PROTOCOL

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TEST SOLUTIONS
To help ensure that there is a connected link at each level of our 7 steps, we are working to put in place through the 5-Year Signature Plan (2005–2010) a template for communicating with the stakeholders, procedures/guidelines for neighborhood governance, and check and balances known and supported by the neighborhod.

An Initiative of the 5-Year Signature Plan is to create a process that identifies recognized and approved points for economic development authorization from the neighborhood.

Channel Development
At the present time, we provide a public relations arm to help solve this problem through our channel development consulting component - creating and providing a list of neighborhood referrals that include contractors, developers, suppliers, and other personnel.

We are presently working on the Bill of Rights for the 18 neighborhoods of Milwaukee that utilizes the Community Lead Agencies (18 neighborhoods funded by Community Development Block Grant dollars).

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Watch for our update.

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Direct Contact and Notification
For those elected officials, developers and contractors, who have shown NO or VERY LITTLE effort to respect the goodwill and sustainability of the neighborhood infrastructure, we post their names to this website for public dialog.

YOU CAN HELP - For Accountability
We ask that referrals are made of those elected officials, contractors, government agencies and developers - churches, financial institutions, schools, housing development, and others, that are violating by not recruiting and hiring from the Inner City neighborhoods.