RABHYA MEHROTRA PHOTO
Powell with her dog Mocha at meet-the-mayor event.
First Deborah Powell tried to contact local officials through SeeClickFix. In Fair Haven Wednesday, she tried SeeApproachTalk.
Seeking a solution to dangerous driving, Powell tried the approach at a Meet the Mayor event held at 5:30 p.m. in Front Street Park.
As the blazing sun set in the sky, a group of citizens and local officials gathered in a circle.
Mayor Justin Elicker brought a host of city officials with him to answer questions at this event. He introduced each official, and encouraged citizens to share their concerns with the relevant officials. The group broke into subsequent pairs, discussing issues from traffic to policing.
Powell came to the meeting to discuss speed bumps. She lives on Lombard Street, near a playground. “Our previous alder installed speed bumps on the other part of Lombard based on a traffic study,” she said. “But with the playground, we need speed bumps. Cars just whiz by, and it’s not safe for kids.”
She previously posted about the problem back in July on the SeeClickFix site, which public officials read. The problem remained unresolved. So at Wednesday’s event, she was able to walk up to the official in charge of the matter, city transit chief Doug Hausladen, and discuss it directly.
Rafael Ramos (pictured), deputy director of the Livable City Initiative (LCI), was among the officials present as well. “These meetings are useful because they give constituents an opportunity to directly reach out to the departments they want to talk to,” he said. “Having a direct face to face conversation is crucial to getting things done.”
He noted that with Covid-19, more people have had time to sit at home and notice issues in their neighborhood, increasing the flow of concerns to city government.
Fair Haven Alder Jose Crespo was also present. He was speaking with Robert Roberts, a Democratic co-chair for the 15th Ward, about the increased demand for police services.
“Over the last few years, we’ve seen a decrease in police officers,” said Roberts.
“Budget cuts and redistribution have meant that Fair Haven went from five to seven officers to two total,” added Crespo. “Several constituents have come to me and asked for walking beats, or police officers who walk up and down the street.”
“There are many factors why crime has increased,” said Crespo. “Often, we see crime from people outside the city who are coming in. We have decreasing resources to help them, and it turns into a cycle.”
Both men agreed the police would help establish a sense of safety. “The police have a very strong relationship with the community in Fair Haven,” said Crespo. “They help provide a sense of unity and deter crime.”
Crespo (pictured) expressed disappointment in the small turnout to Wednesday’s event. “I want to target the whole of the community, however, and there were very few people today.”
“Yeah,” Roberts chimed in. “I was only told about this event today. I wish I had been given earlier notice, because I know lots of folks who’d want to come out and talk about their problems.”
“Besides a lack of awareness, the pandemic has definitely scared people from gathering,” added Crespo. “And of course, there are some people who will think that the government won’t help them.” Paradoxically, he argued, events like these could change their minds. “I wish they could come and see how easy it is to talk to a city official.”
Take Powell’s case. She spoke with Hausladen for five minutes. He promised her speed bumps would arrive at the spot she sought in the spring.
Now she’ll wait to see if the promise is kept.
The mayor's budget "defunded" the police by eliminating several vacant positions. Since the positions were vacant, the move was largely symbolic, but was still a symbol of the direction the city wanted to go. Did Crespo propose alternative service cuts, or tax increases to fill the positions? Did he march with the mayor and the BLM folks demanding de-funding and even abolishing the police?