How Every Neighborhood Will Have a Voice

The city will soon be broken into City Council districts. I would break those districts down further into clusters* by grouping a few neighborhood groups together. Each cluster would have named city employees in each department directly responsible for the cluster. This will automatically increase accountability throughout the city. There will be an easy and quick way to compliment or to complain about city employees. There would be monthly cluster meetings of the people of each cluster with representatives from all departments. Attendance at these efficient monthly meetings would be mandatory for the representatives from the city. They are important not just for the citizens but for the interaction of individual departments. 

The city would have a web page for each cluster below that would serve as a contact directory of the representatives and other important resources in the neighborhood (benefits advocates, libraries, businesses, news, cultural institutions, etc. ).

*Clusters is not the best word. Any suggestions would be helpful. 

Please note: This is JUST a template for content (not design). Nothing is actually linked. This is a draft that is meant to be criticized for content. It should be made accessible for people of all abilities and a version for phones made.  Please send all suggestions to jeanvortkamp@gmail.com
City-Wide News	District Information	City Departments
MY DETROIT
My Neighborhood Cluster (a group of neighborhood groups or areas within a district)
ABOUT THIS CLUSTER	Population, size, boundaries, crime statistics, district, unique characteristics, neighborhood groups included, ZIP codes. Click for map and photos. (This would also link to a more detailed data page that can be used for groups to plan the future of their neighborhood, to use in business plans and other research.)
MY CITY SERVICES		NEWS FOR THIS CLUSTER News Initiatives, Deadlines etc. Information Needed for Police  Missing Children, Crime Alert, Wanted, etc. Lost/Found Pets Trash Schedule Local Bus Schedules For City-Wide Bus Schedule, click here. Benefits Guide: a guide to programs that are available to low income, veterans, people with disabilities, seniors and children. Neighborhood Events City-wide Events Neighborhood Cluster Meeting Dates and Information District Meeting Dates and Information Businesses in this cluster New Businesses in this cluster Available Office Space/Buildings in this cluster Available Meeting Rooms/Areas/Park Shelters in this cluster Homes/Apts. for Sale/Rent in this cluster Extra space on the city website will be used to showcase art from Detroit high schoolers, community college students, and artists (with that priority). On the cluster pages, we will showcase artists from each cluster
My Police Representative and Local Officers	Police Officers Names, Phone
File a Police Report Online
My Fire Department Representative	Fire Department Officer Name, Email, Phone
My Transportation Department Representative	Transportation Rep. Name, Email, Phone
My Department of Public Works Representative (Trash)	DPW Rep. Name, Email, Phone
My Recycle Representative	Recycle Rep. Name, Email, Phone
My Election Department Representative	Election Official Rep., Email, Phone
My Water Department Representative	Water Dept. Rep., Email, Phone
My Benefits Advocate	Advocate Name, Email, Phone
Compliment a city employee	Phone, Email
Complain about a city employee	Phone, Email
MY HEALTH
My Health Department Representative	Health Dept. Official Name, Email, Phone
My City Health Clinics	Health Clinic Names, Addresses, Phones, Types of Care Provided, and Websites
My Urgent Care	Urgent Care Names, Addresses, Phones Hours, Types of Care Provided and Websites
My Hospitals	Hospital Names, Addresses, Phones Websites
My Health Benefits Advocate	Advocate Name, Email, Phone
MY COMMUNITY
My Youth Centers	Youth Center Names, Phones, Emails, Websites
My Senior Centers	Senior Center Names, Phones, Emails, Websites
My Community Groups	Community Group Names, Boundaries, Phones, Emails, websites
My City Libraries	Library Names, Phones, Emails, Websites
My City Neighborhood Centers	City Neighborhood Center, Phones, Emails, Websites
My City Parks	Park Names and Directors, Phones, Emails, Websites
My City Recreation Centers	Recreation Center Names, Phones, Emails, Websites
My Garden/Farm Coordinator	Garden/Farm Names, Phones, Emails, Websites
My Cultural Institutions	Cultural Institution Names, Phones, Emails, Websites
MY SCHOOLS
Pre-Schools/Head Starts	Name of Person in charge of Head Starts and Pre-schools in Area, phone and email. Names of Pre-schools, head starts, phone and email.
Detroit Public Schools Elementary Middle High Alternative	Name of Schools, links to websites Name of Person in charge of schools in area, phone, email
Charter Elementary Middle High Alternative	Name of Schools, links to websites Name of Person in charge of schools in area, phone, email
EAA	Name of Schools, links to websites. Name of Person in charge of schools in area, phone, email
Pre-Schools/Head Starts	Pre-Schools/Head Starts
Adult Education	Name of Schools, links to websites Name of Person in charge of schools in area, phone, email
Job Training/Adult Votech	Name of Schools, links to websites Name of Person in charge of schools in area, phone, email
Colleges, Universities	Name of Schools, links to websites Name of Person in charge of schools in area, phone, email
MY BUSINESSES
My Start Up Business Advocate	Name, phone, email
My Established Business Advocate	Name, phone, email
Find a business in this neighborhood	Link to business directory
ELECTED OFFICIALS
Mayor	Name, Phone, Email
Omsbudsperson (this is the person you complain to when no one at the city is helping you)	Name, Phone, Email
My City Councilperson	Name, Phone, Email, webpage
Whole Council	Phone, Email, webpage
My State Representative	Name, Phone, Email, website
My State Senator	Name, Phone, Email, website
Governor	Name, Phone, Email, website
My County Commissioner	Name, Phone, Email, website
County Executive	Name, Phone, Email, website
My Representative	Name, Phone, Email, website
My Senators	Names, Phones, Emails, websites
President of the United States	Name, Phone, Email, website
To submit information or make corrections call 313-xxx-xxxx or email__________________
This work licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Poverty in Detroit

At the non-profit I run, we have been fighting poverty programmatically for a very long time. For me, that is not enough. Working toward ending poverty systematically in Detroit is the main reason I am running for Mayor.  I would like to have the chance to change the systems that create/prolong/institute poverty in Detroit. Many of the steps to alleviate poverty systematically are already in my platform. They are basic things like job training, job creation, improving the educational system etc. Its not complicated, it doesn't need a big planning grant and twenty experts. Gracious. There is enough research about alleviating poverty. There are enough people here who work in shelters and at jobs programs who know what the people they serve need. Most importantly, the people who are economically disadvantaged themselves can tell the city what needs to be done. And no, its not impossible. Its just practical hard work, listening and forming solid relationships between separate institutions. Its just about making the systems that are already in place work and educating people to advocate for themselves through neighborhoods and easily accessible information about job programs, benefits etc. In each neighborhood, there will be a benefits advocate who will help people learn to advocate for themselves and then the advocates will take the knowledge they get from people in neighborhoods to the programs to improve them. Its about finding ways to coordinate services and finding ways to fund the services that people need that have been cut or are new. Here is a very clear explanation of the difference between alleviating poverty systematically versus programmatically from the Tamarack Institute, called A Compendium of  Poverty Reduction Strategies and Frameworks.

For example, children on Medicaid have eyeglass benefits, yet so many children do not get glasses. So here is a benefit that is given, but often unused. Why? 1. Parents don't know that the benefits are available. 2. There are few eyeglass shops in Detroit. Transportation is an issue, but Medicaid provides bus tickets or a pick up for people to get to their eye exam. Many people do not know this is a benefit they have. 3. There are mobile eyeglass shops that will come to schools and they take Medicaid.


Most days I volunteer in the middle of child poverty, at a school where many of the parents were themselves were denied the opportunity to succeed through a series of broken and corrupt systems. Poverty is something I have learned that I need to teach well off people about. If a person is not poor, or if they haven't been volunteering with people who are poor for a long time, they won't understand. It's not people's fault that they don't understand - they often don't step out of their own worlds to learn. When they do, I am so excited and love taking the time to educate them. I have seen very well off people be extremely compassionate toward economically disadvantaged people. I think that often they need guidance for what is really needed and I can provide that guidance.

I have been called a snob for the poor. I think this is because I grew up without much money but I grew up around some people with a lot of money and this was a good education for me. I know that once you hit a certain level of income, your basic needs are taken care of and you have some savings, the only thing in the way of your own happiness is what's inside your head and your heart. I think everyone has a right to reach that level and as Mayor of Detroit I would work towards that goal for Detroiters. The people who surpass that level who are not using that money to help other people, and instead just for power or to fill in some gaps in their hearts have some things to learn, especially if they come to my city. Happiness comes from being grateful and helping other people. I understand that some people may not have come to that understanding yet and try to fill the gaps in their heart with money, land, or...Belle Isle. However,  I believe that people like that should not be allowed to mistakenly take from the people who don't even have their basic needs filled. I am compassionate towards both ends of the economic spectrum.

For the people who come to Detroit to take from the economically disadvantaged, they will have the opportunity to meet with me and learn how they can become better people. I will be happy to make time to talk on behalf of many of children I have worked with who don't get presents on holidays, who come to school hungry, who live a life of eviction. I guarantee these takers will live with regret in their heart. When people steal from Detroit, they steal from many people who have been systematically at a great disadvantage. I will take the time to explain this. Whether it is stripping a house, getting a contract unethically, slipping some money in a pocket that isn't theirs at the City, these all contribute to Detroit poverty and I will find these people and make them not only pay for their crimes, but make them look at what kind of person they are. There will be the chance for redemption through balanced and restorative justice. Everyone, even people who steal from Detroit children, should have the chance to change to become better people. The magic of Detroit is that people here are kind and forgiving which has often worked toward people's disadvantage when facing a local government that is not kind to them. I would like to make the government in Detroit reflective of the kind and forgiving people, not a reflection of the people who have taken advantage of that.

Spread the Word: Printable Flyers, T-shirt Iron-ons, and Cards

This is a grassroots campaign. Please help us spread the word to friends and family. Here are three print resources you can use to do it. We know that campaign materials have a short life, waste a lot of resources, and are too expensive for a grassroots campaign. Below you can choose exactly what you need.

1. Print off a flyer to give out.

2. Print off small business card size information to give out.

3. Print off a t-shirt iron-on. Here it is in reverse. You can get iron-on sheets to put through your ink jet printer at your local office supply or online. Here is an example - we are not endorsing this brand, just giving an example. They come in a pack, so make some for friends! Use an old blank t-shirt you already have. Upcycle. (Regular lettering and reversed are provided because different transfers need different ones)

Thank you for spreading the word.

My Detroit: Balduck Hill and Park

Balduck Hill Detroit January 2, 2013

I was at Balduck Hill and Park (near Moross and Chandler Park Drive) and started to think about what Detroit is to me. This park is dear to my heart so I think it really speaks to the Detroit I know best.

Getting out of the car I heard kids screaming. No, not what many people might expect in Detroit. These were the kind of screams heard at amusement parks and wave pools. They were the screams of children playing by sledding down a big hill - of urban children who had the rare opportunity to take healthy risks and learn the boundaries of those risks. Most people there say excuse me, smile,  take sledding ideas from each other, laugh a lot, and compliment each other on their sleds and skills. There was no sun in the sky, no money exchanged - just a free snow-covered hill plopped in a city. From that comes hours and hours of fun and the wonder of childhood memories being made. EVERYONE who grows up within a few miles of this hill holds it in their heart a little, even when they grow up.

On the hill were several children from the suburb next to the park (yes, Detroit shares this park without requiring outsiders to be residents to enjoy its awesomeness). I saw one suburban mom kindly share her child's snow board with a child from Detroit who didn't have one. It may be the only chance he has to be exposed to that sport. Ideally, there should be an instructor up there and snow boards for kids with permission slips to give it a try. I don't need to tell anyone that African Americans are underrepresented in winter sports but it doesn't have to stay that way in Detroit.

From a City of Detroit management perspective, the little community house behind the hill should be open. There should be cleaned off/repaired stairs to the hill, restrooms, concessions of warm and healthy foods and beverages, gloves/hats/handwarmers for sale, free used or new winter coats for kids who need them, sled and snowboard rental at a sliding scale, free and open basic instruction during school breaks and on weekends and ice skating/sliding scale ice skate rental below - maybe even a chance for kids in Detroit to learn hockey outside of Clark Park. It would be a foolish mistake to think that more of our very near suburban neighbors would not indulge in a park that was well run, safe and offered all these kinds of winter recreation. City revenue just waits to made in Detroit.

Balduck Park Trees Summer 2012

In the summer, the park is used for soccer and and for baseball. A walking/roller blade/cycling path, like the one at Heilmann Recreation Center but better, would be an inexpensive addition to the park. The woods are lovely just across the street from the hill. There is also a nature trail that could be a great place for nature programming.  Someday, it would even be a great place for a small urban nature center- even a picnic shelter could serve as one - like the one at Humbug Marsh of the International Wildlife Refuge. The benches all need to be replaced and there needs to be more garbage cans that are emptied more frequently. There could be better play equipment or an adventure playground there. It would be an excellent place for a low treehouse.

Many people like to walk their dogs at this park. For those who like their dog to be off their leashes, there is a fenced-in dog park.

The Campaign: Finances and Ways to Help

We have formed the Committee to Elect Jean Vortkamp and are now accepting donations. I would rather this campaign be publicly funded with a set amount of funding per candidate, but this is sadly not how our election system is set up.  The longer I am in the race the less I want any money. I am required to set up financial reporting. I would prefer if you just helped out by spreading the word. Money donated often means favors returned later. Please remember that when you evaluate anyone running for any office. Being dedicated to full transparency, you may see who has contributed to this campaign and how our funds are used on this spreadsheet

MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS

If you would like to make a contribution, please mail a check or money order made out to The Committee to Elect Jean Vortkamp P.O. Box 241444 Kensington Station Detroit, MI 48224.We will need your name and address. Please note that in Michigan each individual's donation is limited to $20 in cash and a total of $3,400 made only in checks or money orders. If you donate in total over $100, we need to know your occupation, place of employment, and employment address. 

We accept Paypal but we need to collect the information we noted above. If you would like to donate through Paypal, please send an email to jeanvortkamp@gmail.com with your name and address (and if over $100, also your occupation, place of employment and employment address) and we will send you our Paypal link. 

We are publishing each contributor's name, the city they live in, and what they contributed on a spreadsheet. 

SPREAD THE WORD

Please tell the people you know about me and ask them to vote for me. Tell your friends about this campaign and help me get chances to speak at community groups and churches. Share it on Facebook with this link https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jean-Vortkamp/557606727590273. We have promotional materials you can print up to give to friends. This is a real Detroit campaign - spread the word in this small town in a big city. If you would like to volunteer email jeanvortkamp@gmail.com  Thank you.


IN KIND CONTRIBUTIONS 

We send out emails as we need things. Let us know if you would like to be on the list: jeanvortkamp@gmail.com. These will also be listed on our spreadsheet

Why vote for me?

1. BELIEVES IN DETROITERS
Detroit should be run by Detroiters. The process Detroiters will have to guide their government will be the cornerstone of my role as mayor. I will be setting up the framework to hear and respond to people’s complaints, concerns, suggestions and compliments. Yes, I know you can’t believe this, but if I were mayor, there would be the need for that for the good people who work at the city. I would have a way to be contacted through the internet, a phone number that is posted everywhere, an efficient and speedy system to respond to concerns and I will be a familiar face in the community. There will be a city staff person assigned to each area of the city and there will be small neighborhood centers or spaces that are used as centers that already exist for the community.

2. PROCESS ORIENTED, BUDGET MINDED, AND ALL ABOUT PEOPLE DOING THEIR JOBS
Its hard to tell what we have and what we owe because of the cloud of corruption that lingers over the city. How I would love to shake that out with a team of accountants and auditors, clean it up and make the city’s finances available throughout the year in a simple and accessible way to taxpayers. I would like to take government transparency to a new level. It is necessary to look at the city’s assets and find ways to bring in revenue. I am a front porch community lady – I learned how to budget from having nothing. 

I love to look at processes, pick them apart and restructure them to be more efficient and cost-saving. Do I mean that in people losing their jobs? No. I mean that in saving jobs through a smart use of resources. I like to pick at a financial report and ask for random receipts to make sure everything is exact. While other people would find this daunting, I find this a fascinating puzzle that I will solve for my neighbors and for all the good people of this city. 

I also believe people need to do their jobs. If you don’t want to do your job and do it well, you probably don’t want to have me as your boss. People who work for the city have endured a lot and have good ideas of how things should run. I will give them the opportunity to improve the quality of service to Detroiters.

3. COMMUNITY ACTIVIST
I have been a longtime community activist. I work every single day to better the lives of Detroit’s children. I have spent hundreds of evenings at meetings in my neighborhood. I know how Detroit community works, both the good and the bad. I understand Detroiters because I am one.

4. FOCUSES ON INDIVIDUAL DETROITER’S FUTURES
I am a different kind of leader for Detroit. I am open minded to new ideas that will help the individuals of this city get opportunities. People have been cheated in the past and deserve to be happy and satisfied with a life they choose, not just the life they end up with because government leaders have taken without regard for the people they serve. 

5. COMMUNITY LADY, NOT POLITICIAN
I am not a politician. I am a community lady. This is one community lady who has HAD IT. I have watched children grow up in broken systems that are not that hard to fix if people are ethical, creative, and use common sense. I do not want to be elected for a political career. I do not have one, nor do I want one, nor do I even believe in career politicians. I understand how politics work, especially Detroit politics. Detroit has one of the strongest community networks on earth. When something gets on the news, it is already old - and that was before the internet. I love this about Detroit and it is one of the foundations of a strong and wonderful Detroit of the future. 

6. EDUCATED TO LEAD DETROIT
My education is an asset to the city. I was trained in Detroit as an organizer and peace-maker in my studies of labor unions and justice. I received a bachelor’s degree in Labor Studies and a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Wayne State University in Detroit. My thoughts about politics are full of ideals that are tempered with long hours of community meetings in Detroit and practical application through the non-profit I run. The most essential education I got was at those community meetings from other local community leaders. My skills of knowing what works best and what people understand “community” to mean in Detroit comes from those years. Watching elected officials come and go and their interactions with us taught me how to act and how not to act.  

7. STRONG LEADER
While I often work with groups of children, get their input every single day (the 5 year olds are having an issue with our reward sticker collection and we need to upgrade), I would relish the chance to use these same skills for the city. Please don’t underestimate the leadership skills of a woman who has worked in the world of children and community. I know how to analyze a budget, get things across clearly, make decisions based on community input and solid research, and pull people from many walks of life and many cultures together. I have a deep understanding and appreciation for African American culture and understand all of the cultures that are in our area. 

8. LIFELONG RESIDENT
I was born and raised in Detroit. I have gone around the world and chosen Detroit as my home. Why? My neighborhood is just home to me. I feel most comfortable around Detroiters, plain talking and kind. Most people here will always help you, that is not something that you can get just anywhere.
I took the bus (back when there was one to downtown from my eastside neighborhood) and a half broken-down car to college. I paid for it myself and still have a student loan. I pay a mortgage and am charged insanely high taxes/insurance on a house. I look out my front window at an arsoned house. There are 2 burnt out streetlights on my street and across the main street are blocks of empty land and piles of garbage. However, on my street we watch out for each other and everyone knows each other. I volunteer at the local elementary school a lot and like it there. I run a non-profit, The Front Porch, and am astonished at some of the things we have been able to do with mostly volunteers on a shoe-string budget to help Detroit children succeed. 

9. UNDERSTANDS THAT DETROIT NEEDS SUCCESSES 
I know that in Detroit, because of racism, the longtime unchecked corruption of government, and the bleak environment that hangs over Detroiters that there has become a culture of failure. Its time to lift Detroit up out of this mindset and toward one of success. I realize this will not happen overnight, but I have the strength and the knowledge of Detroiters to work with the good people of this city and as quickly as possible help them reach this goal. I have a will of steel and am certain it is possible. First I will return Detroit to some level of normalcy through fair public safety, stable finances, and getting rid of the piles of garbage. Then it is about listening, about assisting groups and individuals in Detroit to succeed and watch us grow. I know this because I do it with children and their parents all the time against all odds. Since Detroiters have suffered unbearable hardships, if given the resources and opportunity to succeed we will do so in a way that other people could only imagine.


For a short version to print, click here.

$750,000 to be Mayor of Detroit?

$750,000 is how much money a candidate probably needs to be a "serious threat" for this election, according to a political consultant quoted in the Detroit News*.

$750,000 = 93,750 meals on wheels for seniors**. 

How do you think money should be spent? Which is a better use of the money: helping seniors live independent lives or on some obnoxious TV ads and some signs that litter up Detroit? I'm a thrifty little woman with a keen sense of budgeting and of how human beings should treat each other. If people have that kind of money to donate to a political campaign, it would be better donated to helping people. I, like a lot of people, feel that politics is out of control and this is just one example. Its time to take Detroit out of the hands of politicians and back into the hands of the community.

*http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121126/METRO01/211260343/ **(at $8/meal) http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2821776.shtml?cat=1

Belle Isle

Update October 2014

I went to Belle Isle over the summer. It looked like hell. Across from the Yacht Club cars were parked on the grass white trash style for $10 a car. (Pay to park on Belle Isle! NEVER.) The playscape had broken pieces, of particular concern are those things with the heavy bottom piece that swings when the chain is broken and the chains that kids climb were broken. Garbage was everywhere. It was a Saturday evening and the prowling police, so I've heard from EVERYWHERE, seemed to have scared everyone off the island. There was a weird hush on the island. ON A WARM SATURDAY NIGHT IN DETROIT???!!! The garden planted at the tip when you first go on near the brick restrooms was completely ripped out with healthy weeds enjoying the soil. And the Verizon tower by the fountain is an abomination. It was disgusting. To all the people that said the state knows how to run things, Detroit doesn't know how to run things, I LAUGH IN YOUR FACE. It enrages anyone who has grown up loving Belle Isle. Below is the original post. So, so sad.

______________________
My grandparents came to Detroit from Ohio for their honeymoon just to visit Belle Isle. I grew up going on field trips to Belle Isle. The trips were inexpensive, close by and full of fun. As as adult, I use it to keep fit through walking and biking. A lot of people have misconceptions about the island. I take as many people as I can there to clear those up. I have explored most of the island and so have a lot of ideas of what could be, but isn't. Part of me would hate to change Belle Isle because for me it is peaceful and lovely just as it is. However, I know that it could be much more fun, more beloved, and a money maker without charging a fee to go on. We can have partnerships to make these things happen while still being in control of the park and not change its essential "Detroitness". Having traveled around the world I know Belle Isle is one of the most beautiful parks on earth, not just in Detroit. NO, it should not be a state park - Detroit should have that revenue and it should not be any closer to Snyder and friends for their severely misguided awful condo commonwealth. For more on this, visit this post.

1. I think most people's first concern is the trash. The trash is mostly where people fish, mostly because there are not garbage cans near the fishing spots. More garbage cans would clear up a lot of the garbage. I wonder why the groups doing court ordered community service don't help clean it up?

2. Grass cutting. There is an awesome amount of grass on the island. Parts of it may be replaced with low growing ground cover and even used as an example for homeowners who may want to switch to ground cover from grass.

3. The old zoo. I think that in an urban area where children are more disconnected from nature there needs to be areas where kids interact with animals. Having taken many field trips with children, I know this is true. There should be a well staffed petting zoo on Belle Isle like the one at Kensington Metropark Farm Center. Also, Belle Isle was just made for horses. Why not basic riding lessons, pony rides, and trips around the island in horse drawn carriages? We can charge for these things and make them pay for themselves. There could be free days for people who can't afford it, and discounts for groups of children from schools where many of the children are below the poverty line. There could be sliding scales. Kids still love a pony ride on their birthday and that should be accessible to everyone. There are a lot of possibilities and I am open to them.

4. The nature trails. A lot of people do not even know they are there. They need a lot of love, but they are wonderful little retreats. In the summer, it smells like you are fully in the woods, but when you come out, bam! the city. They just need a little work on the bridges, the pavement and cutting back the trees. A warning sign about poison ivy would be nice for people who may not know. As well, signs about the types of birds and turtles that live there would be welcome. More guided walks would be great. Once I went with the Detroit Garden Center and MSU and it was fascinating. Who knew that in early spring there are pitcher plants in there?

5. Canoes, kayaks, rowboats, and paddle boats for rent. I do not know why there is not a rental place on Belle Isle like there is at Stony Creek Metropark or Gallup Park in Ann Arbor. I am not sure of the condition of the all the wonderful little lakes, but they seem to be all connected for hours of fun. I have seen those swan paddleboats on occasion and there is the rowing club, but that's it. It could be so much more. Again, this would make some money. We could ask the other parks how much they make off the boats.

6. Bike rental. Why doesn't the City rent bikes there? This then opens the door for guided tours of the island that they could easily charge for. Again, a way to make money.

7. The beach. How I would love to swim at that beach. However, a few years ago I called around and maybe ended up at the health department and they explained that the water moves very quickly there so testing is questionable. They just test before they open the beach in May. In Canada at Sandpoint Beach on the Detroit River, they test the water each week and post the results at the beach and on line. This needs further research. Please let me know if you know more or if I am wrong. I would love love to be wrong.

8. The bandshell. There should be music there every Friday, Saturday and maybe Sunday nights. Why isn't there? That would also be a way to make money. This could be a place to showcase local talent.

9. The conservatory. They offer inexpensive weddings there. This should be promoted and put into packages for people.

10. The Dossin Museum. What a little gem. Kids have always loved that museum. Its too bad that the Diamond Jack doesn't stop there so it could be a really fabulous package tour.

11. The tennis courts. The City should give lessons there. Drop-in and scheduled all the time.

12. There should be a bus that goes to Belle Isle. I do not know why the city stopped that bus, but there should be one.

13. Concessions. You get hungry on Belle Isle. There is a lot of money to be made from food for the City. There should be ONLY healthy choices, especially near the playscape. It is an ideal place to promote healthy eating since so many people come there to get fit.

14. A welcome center. Of course there needs to be one. First time guests to the island have no idea what they can see or do. There should be a welcome center like the one in Windsor by the tunnel, only a mini-version. This should be a branch of the Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

15. Ice Skating. There should be skating and skate rental if the pond near the ice skating building would ever freeze enough.

 I am sure I will add more. I welcome your comments and ideas.

Neighborhood Centers

One of the most important parts of Detroit are its block clubs and neighborhood associations. They need the city to have offices or at least people who go to community meetings to take complaints and follow through with issues residents have. Detroiters have suffered neglect in this area for far too long!

I would bring an expanded version: a rebirth of the neighborhood watch, help in organizing more block clubs, assistance for more than one community clean-up a year and access to bulk pick-up on demand for groups. There would also be help to have block club parties: make bouncy houses available, bring back the swimmobile, and help in blocking off the street safely. Groups may need help in making block club signs and window stickers to show they are a group, as well as how to handle the funds they collect. Across the city there could be organized cook-offs and talent shows through these groups. These activities do not cost a lot of money, can use shared equipment and are essential to bringing Detroit back and capitalizing on the strong sense of neighborhood Detroiters have.

There could also be neighborhood mediators that would be trained to deal with minor disputes that the people involved in would be willing to sit down to for mediation. For example, teen-parent disagreements or next door neighbor non-violent disputes.

So much information can be passed on through block clubs and neighborhood associations both from the city government to the neighbors and also the neighbors giving input into how the city is run. It is a good chance to spread the word about what is happening at the local library, local recreation center, or what is happening to the local bus schedule and to give everyone a chance to have their say. Block clubs and neighborhood associations cut down on crime, improve quality of life and generally make Detroit a happier place to live.