"Where were you on the afternoon of the 16th?" I asked this microphone. No reply... arrogant bastard.
The second Wednesday of the month is what I like to call "Wild Wednesday" in the public housing world. And by wild, I mean, of course, an entire day of meetings.
The best part of any meeting is when people get up and complain. At least in the eyes of any reporter. Although I suspect that a lot of people are suffering along with me through the PowerPoint presentations and financial reports feel the same way.
Another of my heroes
And so we come to today's mystery: the case of the mysterious disappearing microphone. Don't worry - your intrepid titian haired detective/reporter is hot on the trail.
It used to be that there was time allotted during the CHA tenant service meeting for residents to come to the microphone and complain (or, CHA would probably prefer me to say, "comment.")
Back in October, at my first committee meeting, I got my
first story and my first real source out of just such a complaint - Mr. Robert Davidson who said residents weren't getting hired by CHA contractors as they law says they should be.
And I think it was after that blustery fall day that the microphone disappeared.
"Why does this matter?" Well, I'll tell you. Don't be so impatient.
The
CHA board of commissioners, in my opinion, seems to operate like a
rubber stamp. Yes, the commissioners ask
questions, but most of the time, there is no argument and
sometimes no discussion over what transpires. In recent history, I know
of only
one non-unanimous vote by the board.Committee
meetings are the only time things are discussed publicly, if they get
any discussion at all. So if you can't bring your questions and
complaints during the meeting, how can you get the board's attention?
One
resident tried to comment last month. Francine Washington, president of
Washington Park Homes, says she wanted to express her opinion about
LeClaire Courts.
But she was not allowed to comment.
This month, however, after the inquiries of one girl detective, the microphone magically reappeared, and Francine was allowed to
comment once more.
Apparently, the policy is that people may comment at "the discretion of the committee chair." Matt Aguilar at CHA says it's always been this way, that the policy hasn't been changed.
So, if the committee is too busy or just doesn't want to hear your complaint, they don't have to.
Francine was none too pleased.
"This
is where they hash out decisions," she told me today. "Everything they
do at tenant service meetings has a direct impact on residents and we
should be able to comment before they sign off on anything."
Last
month, apparently, there was too much on the agenda for Francine to be
heard, or so she was told by Commissioner Carlos Ponce.
"If you ask me," she said, "they just want to keep the residents away from the high court."
In other news, I would be remiss if I didn't mention (and my friends at CHA would have my head) two other items of business:
-
900 public housing kids are going to get
summer jobs due to money
coming to the city in stimulus funds, giving kids great work
experience, cash in their wallets and keeping them out of trouble.
-
The CHA summer food program, which makes sure kids get a good breakfast
and lunch when they're not in school, starts up on Monday.
That's all for this month's Wild Wednesday, dear readers. Until our next mystery...
2 Comments
Lou Grant said:
Way to go Megan :) Keep the CHA on its toes.
Megan Cottrell said:
Thanks, Lou! I'll do my best.
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