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Marcus Harcus for Minneapolis City Council - 4th Ward, November 3rd, 2009!
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The Camden News Board of Directors asked the four candidates running for the Minneapolis 4th Ward seat to answer the following question in 500 words or less: “If elected, how will you communicate with the residents of the Fourth Ward and get input from them?”
Here is the response from Marcus Harcus:
"I envision a better organized 4th Ward, with a widely informed and involved community helping me to effectively represent and serve the best interests of residential living in North Minneapolis. I believe that people who are affected by issues need to be involved in public decision making to address them. I’ll champion deep community engagement on the Northside to provide truly representative government and participatory democracy in local politics.
I’m proposing a new model of community engagement from City Hall. We’ll build what I’m tentatively calling a Northside Community Coalition, a vast and diverse network of residents interested in holding their city government accountable. Residents will identify the issues that concern them and when we dealt with those issues on the City Council I will inform them of what’s going on, genuinely seeking their input. You will decide the mode and frequency of our communications and there’s no specific level of commitment required to be a member of this coalition. Do what you can!
This will be a responsive communications system designed to foster a critical mass of resident leadership which may potentially be mobilized for strategic community improvement actions. I’ll consistently seek common ground on which we can work together to achieve real progress. I’ll encourage less complaining and doing more of what works!
It’s my intention to represent and serve the entire ward, not just a small segment. I’ll consistently visit your neighborhood to remain accessible and in touch with community conditions. Northsiders will get a far more engaging council member with me, one who is comfortable and competent in dealing with people from all walks of life. I’ll remain sensitive to and inclusive of all the diversity in our community: generational, cultural, economic, religious, political, etc. Engaging the constituents in our ward that the incumbent doesn’t have the heart to interact with is a fundamental difference between us.
We’ll produce an interactive website for the 4th Ward. We’ll publish a monthly electronic newsletter. We’ll develop innovative constituent service software to track inquiries and complaints, so we’ll remember what was said and done and ensure that we advocate for the best possible outcomes, continually learning and refining best practices.
When I’m elected, I’ll make city hall more accessible to Northsiders than ever before. We’ll convene monthly community meetings and hold weekly community office hours ‘over North’, during times when most people are not working (accessibility). I’d love to see the City Council scheduling public hearings in our neighborhoods. Our office will return your calls and emails and I’ll make home visits when necessary.
My grassroots campaign is going door to door, canvassing 400+ blocks! We’re on track to survey more than 1,000 residents before Election Day (already doing more listening than talking)! I’m going to hold a series of campaign forums in late October to present the quantified survey results and facilitate discussions about the future of our community. The way I campaign demonstrates the kind of council member I’ll be. Join this campaign for Northside change! 612-600-0155, peace."
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