Great Call to ACTION for all the arm-chair leaders of Jacksonville

[mtraininjax]

Time for many of you to PUT your TIME where your MOUTH is, and volunteer for a City Sponsored Appointment to a board or commission. Frank Denton, editor of the Florida Times Union had a great piece in the Times Union today, section E, for those who do not get the paper:

If you've been caught up in that turf war — or street fight — between drivers and bicyclists, now you have the opportunity to be a peacemaker.

If you want to have an important say on public service grants, there is a way.

If you have ideas about how to bring more tourists or jobs to town, you can do something meaningful with them.

If you've watched our public libraries repeatedly threatened by budget cuts, maybe you can have a direct say in their future.

Human rights? Elder affairs? Beautification? Planning? Employment? Children's issues? Environment?

Have we got a job for you.

Those aren't just issues or subjects for letters to the editors. They are specific, real-life and real-time invitations for you to step up and take an official role in public policymaking.

Your city needs your help.

At left is Sandy Strickland's story about voluntarism in Northeast Florida showing that we are far more likely than people in other cities to do volunteer work to help our neighbors when they need it.

Well, consider serving the entire city by serving on one of its 61 — yes, five dozen — citizen boards and commissions.

City Councilwoman Lori Boyer, who is chairing the Task Force on Consolidated Government, is vocal on a serious shortage of people willing to be appointed to these bodies that advise, oversee and even regulate most of the important functions of city government.

She said there's such a dearth of people to fill appointed seats that sometimes a board or commission can't even get a quorum to do anything.

For example, the Jacksonville Health Facilities Authority, which exists to "assist health facilities in the acquisition, construction, financing and refinancing of projects," once couldn't get a quorum to review a big hospital bond issue because it meets so rarely that a couple of members had moved away.

If you'd like to see the extensive menu of current opportunities, go to the city's website, coj.net, and at the top, click on All Departments, then on Boards and Commissions, then on Appointment Opportunities. You'll see how you can volunteer for an appointment by the City Council or by the mayor.

You'll also see a couple of advisories that have to do with honesty and transparency in government. One is that, for a few boards, you would have to file a financial disclosure form. Another is that, for official purposes, you would have to do your volunteer work in the sunshine, for all to see — and possibly for us to report in the newspaper.

A lot of the qualifications are very specific. You might have to represent a specific occupation or proven interest or geography. For example, the Context Sensitive Streets Standards Committee needs a member who is disabled or an advocate for the disabled, and someone else from a "rural area" of the county. The Environmental Protection Board needs an engineer, and the Construction Trades Qualifying Board needs a plumbing contractor.

Rachel Welsh, who wrangles appointments for the City Council, has been looking "for a couple of years" for a volunteer who lives in School Board District 5 to serve on the JIA Area Redevelopment Agency Board.

But, said Boyer, "There are so many opportunities that, if anyone has time or willingness, they can find something to match their interests. If people have an interest in community service and making our city a better place to live, I'd encourage them to volunteer."

Here's a role model: Yvette Hyater-Adams, who with her husband moved here from the Philadelphia area just 18 months ago, chose Jacksonville for its climate, diversity and vibrant arts scene. As an entrepreneur and artist, Hyater-Adams wants to become involved in the community. So she volunteered for an arts appointment.

"I want to use the arts to engage in the community and lead social change. I really believe in getting involved."

Mia Jones, the special assistant to Mayor Alvin Brown who vets his appointments, said, "It's very important that people take the opportunity to get involved and engaged in the community. That's the only way we can ensure that we have people who live every day in the community serving the community. We have a lot of people who have a lot to offer."

Or you could just stay home, watch "Dancing With The Stars" reruns and complain about the government.

Time to PUT UP OR SHUT UP!!!!