The Public Hearing
The Young
Professionals Task Force will convene as a body to determine the current needs
of making
I had mixed feelings about a task force geared toward “young professionals.” At first I thought, “Cool!” and then I thought, “Hey, wait a minute, why are young professionals so important?” and then I thought, “Well, if giving young professionals their own tasks force encourages them to get involved in the community, then bully for them!” and then I thought, “But what if we end up with an insular group of young professionals going around doing things that benefit only young professionals?” and then Shane said, “Well, the things that young professionals want are the same things that people want,” and since it’s unlikely that we’ll have a Regular People Task Force anytime soon I’ll accept the energy and enthusiasm of this group of young professionals.
But I sincerely hope that they diversify their ranks.
Industry-wise it was a different story. They have 4 attorneys, 3 city employees, a chamber of commerce employee, a realtor, an insurance person, and one mystery person with a gmail address (I hope he’s not a lawyer or city employee!). To have 7 people tied to the government and legal communities gave me the feeling of back-room, patronage kinds of appointments.
I mean honestly, I live here. I’m a media hound. I’d never heard of this task force until yesterday. And even then it was hard to find out exactly what it was. (Thanks to Emily and Kerri for pointing me in the right direction and connecting me with Mat who is on the task force and shared all that great information.)
I talked to Mat about the composition of the task force after the hearing. He said that they’re conscious of the fact that they need to enhance their membership and are actively working to do so. So – are there any young professionals out there who aren’t attorneys or city employees who’d be interested in stepping up? Teachers? People who work at non-profits? Graphic designers? Small business owners? Programmers? Bankers? Analysts? If you’re interested, contact Julio Conception at The MetroHartford Alliance: jconcepcion@metrohartford.com. I think you have to go through a vetting process and get appointed by the Mayor, but it’s worth a try.
I was a little disappointed that the forum seemed so "political." I left around 7, right after Perez spoke, simply because I didn't come there to listen to politicians, I wanted to hear the ideas of my peers.
Did more "regular" members of the crowd get up and speak? Did they have any good ideas to share?
I was the one that proposed an Ambassador program.
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So that's where you went! I wrote down "red pants" and looked for you when it was over. You had disappeared.
I thought it was "political" too. Hartford is super-political. That's one of the things that I find frustrating about living here, actually.
But of course it would be political. The members are appointed by the Mayor.
I love your idea of the Ambassador program. And from the way you described it, it sounds a bit more "folksy" (i.e. less "political") than what might come out of a task force.
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Yes, I was red pants.
Not so sure about "folksy," more "grass roots." I'll send you more details of what I was envisioning.
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Grass roots. Got it.
Can't wait to hear more!
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Hello all,
I am a task force member. Also, I am a city employee. I work in the Town Clerk's office as an Administrative Assistant. I was interested in being on the task force for several reasons: I am young, I own a home here and I have lived in Hartford my whole life.
I fondly remember Hartford growing up and my concern is for a great future in Hartford. I loved to hear all of the concerns and thoughts that everyone shared. I understand the perspective of the resident because I have been one my whole life. I have lived in the west end, parkville and two different areas of southwest Hartford. I have seen the diversity in each neighborhood. I have enjoyed each setting and some more than others.
One focus I have is on the neighborhoods. I believe when we say attract young professionals and anybody I think we need all neighborhoods to be recognized. All the ideas were enlightening and will be considered to their fullest extent. If anyone else has any more ideas or more details to their idea please feel free to email any of us. I would love to hear what everyone has to say and the more details the better.
Thanks for attending.
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Kelly,
Thanks so much for visiting our blog.
It's great to hear that you are focused on the neighborhoods.
Shane & I lived downtown for three years, but when it came time to buy a home we went out to the neighborhoods and finally settled on a beautiful house in Barry Square. We love it here.
One of the thoughts I had about the task force is that it could move its hearings into the neighborhoods. The locations where mayoral candidate forums take place might be a good place to start in terms of identifying where to meet.
And then: PUBLICITY! It was great that you were able to pretty much fill the council chamber on Tuesday night, but there are so many more people who might have had an interest in attending. We all did a mad scramble at the last minute to get there. The task force has an opportunity to set a much-needed precedent and make its activities transparent. That would be a refreshing change for many of us who have lived here for a long time and grown frustrated with city government.
Thanks again for visiting. Come back soon!
Julie
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