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If I Were the Mayor of Damascus… A Presentation by Antoinette Santos Damascus As We Know It City Council City Hall located is centrally located but not in a permanent place.
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If I Were the Mayor of Damascus… A Presentation by Antoinette Santos
Damascus As We Know It • City CouncilCity Hall located is centrally located but not in a permanent place. • Community Involvement & AwarenessOccurs in city council meetings and through the newly reformed, CCI. Now with the disbanded Observer no local news source Image from http://www.pdxrelocate.com/city-images/damascus-oregon/l-damascus-city-hall.jpg
Town Hall Relocation • Choose another central location in Downtown Damascus for a Town Hall • Legitimizes local government further and espouses a feeling of community better than the current city hall
Lending Library • Make available a lending library where citizens could spend time browsing the shelves, donating books they no longer read, and accessing valuable information • Great to have our own library that could be a part of the library district
Community Center • Utilize another space in Damascus • Lending Library and Town Hall linked directly with the Center • Place for all agesRecreation for the youth, Classes and Lectures for the AdultsAvailable for rent for weddings, parties, and special occasions
Saturday Market • Strike a deal with the Safeway to host a Saturday Market in the parking lot • Chance for the community to get together to support local artisans, farmers, & businesses • Improves the image of the government, making the initiatives of the city council more visible to the public
Youth Outreach“My Day As Mayor” • A program to reach out to the elementary school aged students in Damascus • Opportunity to spend the day shadowing the mayor • Learn about local government and have fun!
Youth OutreachHigh School Internships • Send city council staff to local high schools to advertise the opportunity • Interns will serve city council staff members as their assistants • Opportunity to get involved • Encourages taking interest and action in local government
Youth OutreachYouth Ambassadors • Students from Middle School to High School participate as “Damassadors” (Damascus Ambassadors) • Word of mouth is powerful • Ambassadors learn about student concerns with local issues • Ambassadors reach out to their peers about local issues and government initiatives
Committee for Citizen Involvement • Encourages citizens to get involved • Door-to-door initiatives, by-phone initiatives • “Let’s Do It, Damascus!” Event hosts for an annual celebration and meeting on ways Damascus is a great place as well as ways on improving Damascus • Announcing and advertising city events in assistance to the City staff
Committee for Citizen Concerns • Focuses on reaching out and hearing citizens’ issues and opinions • Hosts regular forums for the mayor and at least two city council members to attend and to discuss issues, thoughts, and ideas openly (similar to Coffee Klatches, but more accessible and frequent) • Representatives from the Damassadors program serve as well
Committee for Citizen Safety & Security • Responsible for keeping Damascus citizens informed of ways to protect themselves from natural disasters • “Be A Good Neighbor” ProgramResponsible for organizing neighborhoods, uniting people to know their neighbors and to establish emergency contacts and plans
Antoinette as the Mayor G oal-Driven O rganized D emonstrated leadership ability A ctive M indful of the Damascus mission A bout doing the best for others S aving money with budget conscientiousness C ommunity oriented U niting people S tanding by the city and its citizens