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Successes and Accomplishments of ‘Citizens for a Better Brunswick’ October 2001 – July 2003 ü Persuaded City Council to post pending legislation on the city website so that residents can view legislation prior to Council voting on it without having to go to City Hall during business hours. ü Persuaded City Council to post Council agendas in the front window of City Hall, including committee schedules and agendas. ü During the Fall of 2001, we gave City Council a list of questions concerning the Brunswick Lake project. These questions and answers were later posted on the city website to update residents about the status of the project. (At the time residents had gone for an extensive period of time without being updated or informed at to the current status of the project.) ü Held a “Brain-storming” session for residents in January 2002, so that they could share their thoughts, ideas and concerns about Brunswick. This input has been valuable to our planning and was recently shared with Brunswick’s new City Manager. ü Drafted proposed charter changes, collected signatures to have the form of government issue placed on the ballot, and campaigned for the proposed change. Despite the fact that the proposed amendments were not adopted, we feel that pursuing this issue has led to residents having a better understanding of how their City government is structured and operates, and City Council and the administration now have a clearer picture of how residents view their city and current issues. ü In March 2002, we brought to the attention of Council and Law Director the issue of non-emergency legislation being passed with the rule requiring three readings suspended. This practice was in violation of the city Charter and was contrary to the outcome of the 2000 election when a Charter amendment that would have made such a practice allowable was defeated by voters. In July 2003, the Law Director issued an opinion that suspending the rules on non-emergency legislation was not an option for Brunswick City Council. ü Made financial contributions to: The American Cancer Society in 2002 & 2003, Brunswick’s After-Prom in 2003 and donated the remainder of funds in the “Strong-mayor” campaign fund to the Brunswick Historical Society in 2002. ü Held an information session for residents considering running for City Council in 2003. Information provided included: A realistic look at the role of Councilperson (job duties, time commitment, etc), filing procedures and deadlines with the Board of Elections, tips on running a campaign. ü Provided residents with an opportunity to learn more about tax issues placed on the ballot in November 2002 (Fire Levy) and May 2003 (Library Levy) ü Provided residents with an opportunity to meet personally with the new City Manager and many of our new Council members. ü Took over the Skate Park Project that was started by the previous Mayor. Information about this project is available at: www.brunswickskatepark.com ü Brought the Youth Sports issues to the attention of City Manager Bob Zienkowski in March 2003. Mr. Zienkowski stopped the practice of charging the baseball group $2,500 to lease the fields from the City and has directed the City to maintain the fields, grounds and restrooms. The previous City Manager had even required the baseball group to cut the grass at the city park! ü Currently planning a “Citizens Education lecture Series” for September 2003 thru May 2004. Each month the CBB meeting will feature a guest speaker from a different City department.
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