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A Communication From Your City Councilwoman...
August 4, 2008
I have previously communicated with you in a variety of capacities--as a prospective candidate for City Council, as an active candidate for the District 3 Council position and as your councilwoman-elect. It is my distinctive honor now to communicate with you as your City Councilwoman.
I write you at the completion of my first month in office, which has been a whirlwind of activity that has included attending meetings with neighborhood and civic groups, addressing individual constituent concerns, conferring with City staff on a broad range of issues and participating in my first two meetings of City Council. This first month has been a demanding, educational and, at times, exhilarating experience. I wake up every morning excited about addressing the great needs and demands of our city and her residents and appreciating the good that can come from our combined efforts.
Here is a report on my first Council meetings and an introduction to my new City Council website, www.BelindaGergel.com.
My First Council Meetings
I attended my first City Council meetings as the new District 3 Councilwoman on July 9 and 16th.
Both meetings, quite appropriately, addressed important safety and financial matters in our city. I reiterated my desire to hear from Police Chief Tandy Carter in the near future on his assessment of our Police Department and whether additional police officers are necessary to fully implement community policing. Our city's great need to put its financial house in order moved forward with the appointment of a special search committee for a new Chief Financial Officer. The committee will be comprised of citizens from our financial and business community and will work to secure a strong and well qualified Chief Financial Officer to help restore public confidence in the city's financial management and internal controls.
At City Council -
Five Points Parking
With the city-financed garage in the Five Points South project now off the table, I addressed parking needs in Five Points with my Council colleagues. Parking always is about the future, and, if Five Points is to grow and attract new retail and professional entities, it must have safe and convenient parking. I proposed that Council appoint a Citizens Parking Advisory Committee to determine the need for additional parking in this historic urban district and, if determined appropriate, to explore various parking options and costs. Council approved this proposal. 
It is clear that if the city decides to provide new parking arrangements for Five Points, it must be reasonably priced, preserve the urban context of Five Points, respect the character of the surrounding neighborhoods, and serve the needs of our business and professional community. I anticipate that the Citizens Parking Advisory Committee, including representatives of the Five Points business community and nearby neighborhoods, will soon be appointed and will work collaboratively to address and resolve parking issues in Five Points. I will keep you advised through my website of our progress on this issue.
At City Council - Protecting Neighborhood Character
I had the pleasure of voting to support the first reading of the proposed "Interim Measures for Community Character Protection" ordinance that has been under consideration for the past year. The Interim Measures provide a two year period of protection for our neighborhoods while residents consider alternative plans to preserve the integrity of their communities. As many of you are aware, I made the protection of neighborhood character and the adoption of the Interim Measures a central point of my campaign for City Council. A year ago this month I participated in a press conference with numerous District 3 neighborhood presidents that called for city action to protect neighborhood integrity. In a demonstration of the power of an idea whose time has come, City Council began deliberations on the adoption of the Interim Measures last fall and received broad and enthusiastic support from neighborhoods from across the city. It was deeply gratifying to have cast my "yea" vote for this landmark ordinance in my very first month in office.
District 3 includes some of the city's most historic and beautiful neighborhoods. It is not surprising that numerous District 3 neighborhoods which do not presently have historic designation or design protection have been among the first neighborhoods to seek protection under the Interim Measures, including Bradley, Forest Hills, Hollywood Rose Hill, Shandon, and Sherwood Forest. Several District 3 neighborhoods, including Melrose Heights, Oakwood Court, Old Shandon, University Hills, and, most recently, Wales Gardens already enjoy the protection of historic designation which provides for review of development plans by the city's DDRC Board and the opportunity for public comment. If your neighborhood is not mentioned among those seeking interim protection or which already have historic designation and would like to be considered for inclusion with in the Interim Measures, you can contact your neighborhood president or communicate with me through my website.
Future City Council Meetings
City Council will be addressing important issues vital to the future of our city in the coming months, including the issues of homelessness, preservation of our bus service, public safety and financial management. I invite you to join us at our City Council meetings or to follow our progress through taped replays of our meetings on Public Access Channel 2. Council generally meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month, and the next meeting will be August 6th at City Hall at 9:00am. Click here for the agenda. The city website at www.columbiasc.net contains a host of helpful information about City Council.
Introducing My New Website
I discovered during my campaign the extraordinary effectiveness of web-based communications. Thousands of District 3 residents visited my campaign website and hundreds sent helpful and thoughtful emails to me. Communication over the internet is fast, efficient and virtually free. Our society is obviously going through a great sea change in the manner in which we communicate, and I am committed to embracing this technology in the service of my constituents.
Shortly after my election, I consulted my campaign web guru and good friend, Barbara Rackes, about designing a state of the art website that will allow my constituents to stay informed of the great issues confronting our city as well as my activities as their councilwoman. I also wanted an easy method for my constituents to communicate with me and vice versa.
We have now launched my new constituent website, www.BelindaGergel.com, which is entirely paid for by personal funds. Any email sent to the website is forwarded instantly to the Blackberry I carry in my pocketbook. All emails sent to my city website address are also automatically forwarded to my Blackberry. Further, I am maintaining a regular journal of my activities on the website. I invite you to visit the website and read my recent journal entries on homelessness and a "Ride through Rosewood."
It is my hope that my website will be the easiest and most effective point of communication between me and city residents. I will, of course, welcome telephone calls, letters or being hailed down as I walk my two dogs in my University Hills neighborhood. Please visit the site often, let me hear your suggestions for improving it and share with me every good idea you have for making Columbia the great 21st Century city we know it is capable of becoming.
Sincerely,
Belinda Gergel