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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNHC-City Community Relations Comm Minutes 11-29-16 New Hanover County / City of Wilmington Community Relations Advisory Committee November 29, 2016 3:00 PM NHC Executive Development Center MINUTES Dr. Messinger called the Community Relations Advisory Committee meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. in the New Hanover Room of the New Hanover County Public Library, Main Branch. Members Present: Bill Braswell Evelyn Bryant Emily Cottrell Melanie Frank Jeffrey Hovis Kristen McKeithan Walter Samuels Ronald Sparks Brenda Swartz Lori Wainright Florence Warren Owen Wexler Staff Present: Erris Dunston, Assistant to the City Manager for Economic Development Lori Messinger, UNCW Associate Vice Chancellor for Community Engagement Guests Present: Leval Snoddy, UNCW Graduate Student Lori Messinger, facilitator, asks members (and visitors) to introduce themselves th The minutes from the initial meeting of the committee on October 25 were amended in one place and then unanimously approved. It was then moved to approve the agenda, the move was seconded and all were in favor. Dr. Messinger led the committee in an exercise. She provided instruction on how to proceed: each person is to write down 12 roles they identify with. For example: Gender, race, occupation, etc. Committee members then broke off in groups of 3, to discuss what each wrote and which roles were viewed as most important to them and why. The committee then discussed outcomes of the activity and Dr. Messinger explained that this particular exercise is designed to open your minds to the different roles the people you are working with possess and how each person can embrace them. It was then discussed what it is to be an ally and how to be one to those we are supporting.  Discussion of next steps Minutes November 29, 2016 Page 2 of 3 Set goals for the next year: The committee is in agreement that all would o prefer to be a proactive as opposed to a reactive committee, however, both proactive and retroactive responsibilities are tasked as written. The current committee is setting up something that we hope is sustained. We need to create a platform for the issues that need to be discussed before they become too large to control. We need to determine how to advise elected officials on how to respond or to react to certain situations. It was voiced by committee members that we not only need to look into the issues in our immediate community but we also need to look at the issues in our country and across the state. We should prepare ourselves for how we handle situations that are in the forefront with policies and procedures to be proactive if and when the issues arise here. We need to set in place policy and procedure on how to inform the community that there is consciousness of an issue and that there is a procedure in place to address the issue. We also need to acknowledge those policies and procedures already in place that are working and we need to work to create processes that are to be followed. Avenues of communication – internal and external – need to be established. How, when, and where we communicate to the public, how, when and where we communicate to our elected officials, etc. We need an organized method for addressing issues and coming to a solution while remaining inclusive to the entire community. We need to listen to a community by being in a community – convenience of place and time to meet, listen to what people are saying and their concerns. How many of us really know the communities within the community? Role playing of what has happened that could happen again would be a great way to develop procedures for “handling” situations. Determining how this committee not only direct the community to the resources available but also help to utilize them. Determining how to address an immediate crisis, versus providing support, versus educating the community, etc. We need policy in place to insure that we handle any situation when a community member attends a meeting and we are unable to address or answer in the moment. There is a need to gather input from the community, go out and talk to the community and be prepared to do it well. Also staff from the city or county should be asked to provide answers if they already exist. When we make recommendations to the city and county we need policy in place to insure there is follow through. In gathering information, we need to have the communities prioritize the issues for themselves. Then, we as a committee need to determine where the nearest city or county is that has a similar committee that we could meet with or attend a meeting of to determine a direction. The Chairman asked the leader of the Fayetteville committee come and talk to us. Minutes November 29, 2016 Page 3 of 3 We need to develop a plan on how we introduce ourselves to the community to help them understand what we are here to do and what we are not here to do but also build their trust. We need to be accessible. There was a consensus among the committee that an action plan and timeline is necessary moving forward – to utilize Lori and UNCW. The committee would also like to attend a workshop that is led by a facilitator so we can get an idea of how to get together. Identify/Select Subcommittee (by acclimation) o Programming: Lori Wainright – Chair o Public Education: Jeffery Hovis – Chair o Crisis Prevention/Preparedness: , Barbara Swartz – Co-Chair o Melanie Frank – Co-Chair Study and Research: There was a proposal for an additional o subcommittee by the group: Study and Research; it was not determined if it would stand.  Voting on Officers (See attached nominations) voting took place at 4:20p.m. Chair Ronald Sparks o Vice Chair Owen Wexler o Secretary Emily Cottrell o  Questions/ Comments of Board Members What is the purpose of the committee? Article 2, on page I, Article V on page 3(?)Dr. Messinger read aloud.  Next items: Members of the committee will think about how to prioritize the 6 identified responsibilities of the committee.Set meeting times for the next year. Discuss meeting structure (including timing for public input). Scheduling of the next meeting: 3hr meeting.  Adjournment The meeting was adjourned by Chairman Sparks at 5:39p.m.