September 8th, 2009
In my last two e-newsletters, I’ve detailed roberries at the local Rite Aid on New London Road. I wanted to let you know that our Newark police, who have an above average record in closing crimes, have made arrests for these robberies. A Newark detective along with a member of the state police arrested the two Rite Aid robbers.
August 9th, 2009
The agenda for the August 10 council meeting includes:
+A request by the owners of 1.76 acres at the corner of Woodlawn and Elm Avenues for a minor subdivision, to divide the site into five single family parcels. This is by Lumbrook and Stafford. The land is currently zoned RS which is Residential Single-Family. Currently it is a wooded lot and as part of the agreements the developers agree, through the construction improvement process, to identify treest o be preserved and to implement effective tree preservation measures.
+A proposal to extend funeral and emergency leave for City of Newark employees to cover domestic partners. Currently this policy covers spouses but not domestic partners.
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August 18: There will be a council financial workshop on August 18 at 7pm in city hall.
August 24: While this meeting is over two weeks away, I wanted to give you a headsup on two important issues that will be on the agenda:
1) A public hearing on our 2010-2014 Capital Improvements Program.
2) The second reading and public hearing on a proposal to increase retail water rates by 35% effective October 1. Click here to read more about this proposal.
August 9th, 2009
At the July 27 meeting:
+Council voted to increase parks and recreation fees. This proposal will raise fees 25% for residents and 33% for non-residents. The principle is that the fees would continue to raise annually until they met specific objectives in terms of cost recovery for resident youth programs, resident adult programs, and nonresident participation in city programs.
Councilman Pomeroy and myself voted against this fee increase. While I would be willing to support a one-time reasonable increase, that was not what was on the table. First, there was a one-size fits all approach to the increases that did not necessary make sense when you looked at how it affected the actual programs. Second, the proposal is part of a larger effort to continue making the same percentage increases each year for perhaps 4-5 years - I believe doing this would gut our Parks & Rec program which is such an integral part of the fabric of our community. These programs have traditionally been cost-neutral from a direct cost perspective but not when you calculate in other overhead and salary expenses such as for the department head and financ director. I also want to point out on this proposal that while the Newark Post’s article said, “Councilman Ezra Temko suggested keeping the fees the same for both residents and nonresidents”, I was speaking in this comment specifically to the Turkey Trot 5K and not as a general principle.
+Council unanimously adopted a proposal to prohibit towing one hour prior to businesses opening. When the city first passed its anti-predatory towing ordinance, towing was prohibited in private parking lots one hour after businesses closed so that if someone patronized a business, walked down the street to patronize another business, and came back their car would not be towed. Based upon incidents that have occurred on the other side of operating hours, this ordinance will also allow patrons who come within an hour of a business being open to patronize that business to not have to worry about being towed if, for example, they grab a coffee or tea down the street first. I originally brought this up after hearing about an incident and thank the Downtown Newark Partnership for their thorough review of this proposal.
+Council tabled the request to modify the deed restriction at 162 S Chapel Street, known as Holly Woods, to allow five unrelated tenants instead of four unrelated tenants. There were issues regarding on-site parking that the applicant is taking a closer look at prior to a council vote.
+Council approved three apartments on the upper floor of the two story building at 44-46 East Main Street. The first floor currently contains Peace of Pizza and the Marine Recruiting Office. Please note there are existing apartments here but they have been vacant for 12 years. I think it is good for our downtown core that they are being redeveloped to be habitable.
+Catherine E Rooney’s is coming to Newark. Council approved a special use permit for the sale of alcohol until midnight. Catherine Rooney’s will be located in the Bank of Newark building, 102 East Main Street. You can visit the website for their Wilmington location at http://www.catherinerooneys.com/
+Council adopted a resolution honoring Steve Dentel for his years of service as chair of the Conservation Advisory Commission. To read the resolution, click on the following link: http://cityofnewarkde.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1263
May 24th, 2009
Council,
I have placed on the agenda for our May 25 council meeting a conversation regarding building leadership. This was one of four areas that the civic health study I completed identified as needing improvement; it received the lowest ratings of the fourteen areas of civic health I investigated. Regarding the statement, “Overall, Newark is doing very well as it relates to building leadership. This is a strong asset for the city, as opposed to needing immediate attention,” one member of council agreed, three neither agreed nor disagreed, and three disagreed. University administrators answered, “I do not know” to most of the building leadership questions. Building leadership was the only component that random citizens, on average, ranked as below a “Neither agree nor disagree.”
Building leadership is a vital part of a community’s ability to solve problems. It encompasses having programs to develop and encourage emerging leaders. It encompasses having leadership trainings that provide avenues for immediate applications of newly learned skills. It encompasses having programs to develop new leaders that reflect the diversity of the community.
I would ask you to think about whether you think Newark could improve in its capacity to build community leadership. I am interested in having a discussion about specific ways in which we could improve in this area. In my research I came across three programs that deal directly with leadership building. These include youth councils, neighborhood leadership institutes, and citizen academies. If council agrees that these may be useful tools for our community, then these are programs I would like us to have staff look into further. If you have other ideas on Tuesday to address this issue that we could discuss, I would like to do that as well.
There are four resources for you to take a look at prior to Monday’s meeting.
The first is an attachment. It is an excerpt from my civic health paper and identifies both findings about the state of building leadership in Newark as well as a brief overview of youth councils, neighborhood leadership institutes, and citizen academies. See Building Leadership Temko.pdf
The second is the National League of Cities website on youth councils. There are a number of resources for more information on this page. If the link does not work for you, you can copy and past the following URL into your browser: http://www.nlc.org/IYEF/
The third is an attachment. It is an academic article on citizen academies. The article overviews citizen academies and provides three case studies of existing programs. See citizen academies.pdf
The fourth is a list of links to the “About Us” page on various Neighborhood Leadership Institute programs. This will give you more of a flavor for the intent, purpose, and scope of NLIs.
Pasadena, CA: http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/
Charlotte, NC - http://www.charmeck.org/
Los Angeles, CA - http://www.lacity.org/council/
Dayton, OH - http://www.cityofdayton.org/
Chattanooga, TN - http://www.chattanooga.gov/
Newport News, VA - http://www.nngov.com/children-
Houston, TX - http://www.houstontx.gov/
Gwinnett County, NC (non-profit based) - http://www.gnli.org/Default.
(Virginia) Danville-Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce - http://www.dpuway.org/nli/
Cleveland, OH (non-profit based, grew out of a city&CDBG-funded Schools as Neighborhood Resources program) - http://www.
Thanks for your time in considering this. Leadership development is both a long-term investment in improving the civic infrastructure of our community and improving our capacity to address opportunities and challenges as well as something that can show immediate positive results.
Best,
Ezra
Click on the following two links to download the associated files.
May 22nd, 2009
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
FOR THE 2009 “UDon’t Need It?” STUDENT MOVE OUT PROGRAM
The GOAL of this program is to reduce the amount of reusable items that are needlessly added to the landfill each May during the University of Delaware student move out period. Additionally, the program will collect reusable items and get them into the hands of those who need them through our outreach to charitable organizations.
Here’s where you come in….
We need volunteers to staff the “UDon’t Need It?”
site on Paper Mill Road at the location of the former Curtis Paper Mill.
Volunteers are needed daily from 10a.m. to 3p.m. Friday, May 22nd - Saturday, June 6th , 2009. Full day volunteers only- please!
We will begin to sell surplus items on Monday June 1st and a final sale will take place on Saturday, June 6, 2009.
Volunteer Duties:
Sorting home goods, loading/unloading furniture, directing & assisting with placement of items, assisting with organization of collected items
Closed toe shoes are required!
If you, or an organization you are affiliated with would like to volunteer please contact the City of Newark at 302-366-7020 or complete the volunteer application form available at http://cityofnewarkde.us/index.aspx?NID=558
You can email a completed application to chouck@newark.de.us or fax it to C. Houck at 366-7160.
Thanks in advance for considering this invitation!
March 23rd, 2009
I have attached the supplement to this post for your reading.
Click here: Energy Conservation Report Update
March 23rd, 2009
DelDOT has made adjustments were made to the traffic signals at the Hillside and New London intersection. This was in response to concerns expressed to me regarding traffic signalization. I would also like to thank Senator Liane Sorenson for working with me on this issue. The main issues were that New London Rd traffic often gets backed up and the lights often only let a few cars go through. Additionally, there can be cars waiting a long time on New London when there is zero traffic on Hillside or zero pedestrians. I also heard that the timing is such that this is worse on weekends.
DelDOT would appreciate feedback on the adjustments they have made. Please e-mail me any comments and I will compile them to send on to DelDOT. They ask that if you pass through the intersection at different days and times, to note any remaining problems. DelDOT is requesting you also note the day and time.
Below is more information, from DelDOT, of what the adjustments are that they made:
“In response to the concerns expressed by you and others in the community regarding excessive delays, adjustments were made to the signal at SR 896 and Cleveland/Hillside. The intersection uses various cycle lengths throughout the day. We adjusted the timing in these cycle lengths to support all movements including the pedestrian signals. If the green or walk time allocated for a specific movement is not entirely used then the “left-over” time gets used on another approach. The left-over time must be used each cycle. When an overabundance of unused time occurs we try to reduce the overall cycle length* at the intersection. If the intersection is interconnected with other intersections along a corridor (as this one is) then the overall capacity of the corridor must be analyzed to ensure the capacity is not adversely affected.
I anticipate that the outcome of all this will be more green time to help clear southbound 896 at peak times, and more of a balance of delay on the various approaches to the intersection.
* the total time for the signal to serve all approaches”
February 17th, 2009
At Tuesday, February 17’s Traffic Committee meeting, the committee voted to create a Traffic Calming Committee to address speeding on Country Club Drive. The committee will be composed of a small number of residents and professional staff members. Stay tuned for more information as the committee investigates potential traffic calming solutions for Country Club Drive. Community opinions and idea will be sought. There will likely be a public forum as part of this process.
To get to this stage, 50% of households on Country Club Drive signed a petition in support of a traffic calming study. These petitions were sent to the Traffic Committee which voted to conduct a study.
From 5pm on February 6 until 5pm on February 13, a MetroCount Traffic Classifier was deployed on Country Club Drive just west of 112 Country Club Drive at the base of a speed limit sign.
During this time a total of 15,333 vehicles crossed the classifier, with 7,121 vehicles heading Eastbound and 8,212 vehicles heading Westbound. Peak flows were during 8am-9am, 11am-12n, and 4pm-6pm. Approximately 22% of vehicles were traveling within the speed limit of 25 mph. 44% were traveling between 25 mph and 30 mph. Approximately 25% were traveling between 30 mph and 35 mph. Approximately 8% were traveling above 35 mph. That means that 1163 cars were traveling over 10 mph over the speed limit on this residential street, which is the equivalent of one car every 4 1/3 minutes.
To proceed with a traffic calming project, an area must meet specific criteria in two of three areas: accident history, volume, and speeding. In this case, volume and speeding qualify Country Club Drive. Projects qualify under the speeding criterion if 85% of cars are not traveling within 5 mph of the speed limit. In this case, the 85th percentile speed was 33 mph, eight miles over the speed limit.
Once the new Traffic Calming Committee identifies appropriate traffic calming measures, two-thirds of households on Country Club Drive will have to petition that they want the measures implemented. The recommendations will go to the Traffic Committee who will make a recommendation to council.
Also on February 17, the Traffic Committee voted for a traffic calming study on Corbit Street. Data will be collected for the March meeting.
February 16th, 2009
I recently completed my Master in Public Administration in State and Local Management at the University of Delaware. As the capstone to my graduate studies, I completed an analytical paper entitled, “Democratic Institutions Create Civic Health: How local jurisdictions can enhace their problem-solving capacities through inclusive governance, including a case study of Newark, Delaware.” As part of this project, I administered a survey to a cross-section of stakeholders in the Newark community. I will be presenting my findings at the February 23 city council meeting and plan to dedicate time during the remainder of my term to work on the issues identified in these papers.
To read a pdf of the two-page executive summary, click on the following link: Executive Summary_Newark Civic Health_Ezra Temko
To read or view the full paper, click on the following pdf link: Newark Civic Health_Ezra Temko
Civic Health refers to the strength of a community’s economic, civic, and social infrastructure, a measure of the community’s capacity to address opportunities and challenges it faces.
Democratic governance is the art of governing a community in participatory, inclusive, deliberative, and collaborative ways.
Democratic governance is a tool to enhance civic health. For example, “community visioning” is a common democratic governance tool used to help communities that need to develop their community vision. Contemporary local governments are also incorporating democratic governance into their governing systems which also enhances civic health. Democratic governance is increasingly important to governments trying to get results because of the growth in importance and changing in roles of non-government actors (private sector, citizens, nonprofits, etc). Democratic governance is a concept supported by the National League of Cities.
Civic Health can be measured in Newark through four components: having a community vision, fulfilling new roles for community governance, working together as a community, and the community’s problem solving ability. Each of these components involves specific criteria.
Community vision entails having a vision for the community’s desired future.
Community governance includes collaborative roles for business, citizens, local government, non-profits, the University of Delaware, and citizens.
Working together includes bridging diversity, bridging university-community relations, crossing jurisdictional lines, reaching consensus, and sharing information.
Problem solving includes building community leadership, educating citizens to meet community challenges, and learning from experience.
I administered a survey asking 74 participants from nine different stakeholder groups to evaluate the civic health of Newark based on 69 questions. Seventy-seven percent of surveys were returned. The following is a very general reporting of the survey results. For information on democratic governance tools used to address civic health areas in which Newark needs improvement, please see the full paper.
Civic health areas that are strengths for the Newark community:
The Downtown Newark Partnership is active and highly visible in the Newark community.
The Newark government is responsible and accountable to its citizens.
Businesses in the Newark community participate in broad community improvement efforts.
Civic health areas that need improvement:
Communicating Newark’s Vision
Building Leadership
Neighborhood Involvement
Bridging Nonprofits
Civic health areas that need further exploration:
Bridging diversity
Bridging university-community relations
Crossing jurisdictional lines
February 5th, 2009
At February 9’s council meeting, there will be an initial discussion on equal rights proposals I am bringing to council. There will be a public hearing and anyone is welcome to come and speak on these issues. The meeting starts at 7:30pm in city hall (220 Elkton Road)
The four motions include:
1. Adding “gender identity and expression” to the city’s personnel policy regarding nondiscrimination.
2. Within city limits, making discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression illegal in housing, employment, and public accommodations (asking staff to research and report back).
3. Creating a life partner registry (asking staff to research and report back).
4. Offering domestic partner benefits to city employees (asking staff to research and report back).
Attached to this post are the text of these motions and three supporting documents with more background information.
Click here for the full text of these motions:
Click here for more information regarding nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression:
NonDiscrimination Background Information
Click here for more information on life partner registries:
Click here for more information regarding domestic partner benefits:
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Ezra
