I apologize for my alimentary language in response to another member's comment. Uncouth comments inspire uncouth responses, but that is no excuse. Is not the neighborhood association a conjoining of potentially conflicting groups---renters, owners, business representatives---for the common good?
If membership were limited to property owners, then a slumlord or other absentee owner would be more important to the group than responsible renters-like the guy at the end of our block who plants and maintains his yard better than some of us owners. I don't believe that is true. Do you?

By pat konomos

my own attitude

I also want to say that I didn't mean to get so upset at the meeting. I have said from the start of my association with MPWNA that we all have a right to speak what we believe and be heard, and I stand by that. I just let my knee jerk response get in the way of that and I will make every effort for that not to happen again. So, if anyone wants to vote on who can be considered a member of the association, then they have that right, like anyone else, and should present it to the Neighborhood Association.

by-laws

since the discussion was about by-laws then the entire by-laws was open to ideas about them. even if an idea was not pertinent to the by-law under consideration.
in truth, they are mainly ok by me. i think we can waste a lot of time messing around with them. i also prefer they be kept as simple as possible. most of the implementation should revolve around common sense. if it's apparent there is an abuse of the by-laws then i propose the board can table a discussion or action to collect more information, etc.before bringing the issue back to the neighborhood to vote.
i distribute flyers to all the businesses on university, because i want them to feel they are a part of the neighborhood. we ask them for food all the time. we also patronize their businesses. i also want them to feel responsible to the neighborhood also and to do their best. i was very active last year getting the shopping center at Starbucks to clean up the dumpster and alley. everything always seems to take too long to bring about an effective result. but just the way it is.
just thinking, but having a vote on an issue at the meeting that it is introduced is not common practice. we could look at that, of course there are things that need to be hurried up. changing by-laws, which is recognized by the city as a legal document that established the association, usually does not fall into that category.

as far as 'conflicting' groups. I dont see it that way. I dont sentimentalize the notion of neighborhood either. But if there is a shared vision, then buy-in is preferable to conflict. it is an education issue, as well as a path to better communiciation, behaviour and process.
There were two renters on the Board last year. Both dropped off immediately. no explanation other than too busy.
in addition, one common thing with rental turnover is the re-education involved each time. living in a single family residential area is different than living in an apt or parents home. there are a few more responsibilities, that most homeowners already have adjusted to doing.

we are developing a list of landlords of rental properties. we hope to begin clearer communication with them, including some introductory materials supplied by the neighborhood for the landlord to give to the renters. above what the city hands out per the rental code. we are working with Neighborhood Services at the city on that.

Mark, the landlord list is a great and long-overdue projsct.  There is a property on the corner of Roosevelt and Howe (or Judd:  the street parallel to and south of 11th St)  that has two trash containers without lids.  Recycling is not so bad, but in warm weather, the garbage will breed flies and will stink.  This is a duplex , I think, maybe a triplex, so is the landlord responsible?  There are other cracked or lidless containers sprinkled through the neighborhood.  How do we get them fixed?  

Thanks, Pat

 by-laws

since the discussion was about by-laws then the entire by-laws was open to ideas about them. even if an idea was not pertinent to the by-law under consideration.
in truth, they are mainly ok by me. i think we can waste a lot of time messing around with them. i also prefer they be kept as simple as possible. most of the implementation should revolve around common sense. if it's apparent there is an abuse of the by-laws then i propose the board can table a discussion or action to collect more information, etc.before bringing the issue back to the neighborhood to vote.
i distribute flyers to all the businesses on university, because i want them to feel they are a part of the neighborhood. we ask them for food all the time. we also patronize their businesses. i also want them to feel responsible to the neighborhood also and to do their best. i was very active last year getting the shopping center at Starbucks to clean up the dumpster and alley. everything always seems to take too long to bring about an effective result. but just the way it is.
just thinking, but having a vote on an issue at the meeting that it is introduced is not common practice. we could look at that, of course there are things that need to be hurried up. changing by-laws, which is recognized by the city as a legal document that established the association, usually does not fall into that category.

as far as 'conflicting' groups. I dont see it that way. I dont sentimentalize the notion of neighborhood either. But if there is a shared vision, then buy-in is preferable to conflict. it is an education issue, as well as a path to better communiciation, behaviour and process.
There were two renters on the Board last year. Both dropped off immediately. no explanation other than too busy.
in addition, one common thing with rental turnover is the re-education involved each time. living in a single family residential area is different than living in an apt or parents home. there are a few more responsibilities, that most homeowners already have adjusted to doing.

we are developing a list of landlords of rental properties. we hope to begin clearer communication with them, including some introductory materials supplied by the neighborhood for the landlord to give to the renters. above what the city hands out per the rental code. we are working with Neighborhood Services at the city on that.