An interesting idea popped up this morning on the front page of the Arizona Republic (azcentral.com) Mayor Phil Gordon (yeah, he's up for re-election, but the African-American votes in Phoenix are not large in number) went to NOLA yesterday, met w/Mayor Ray Nagin, and is proposing direct city-to-city assistance.
Join me on the jump to see if you think this idea makes sense.
Under this proposal, Phoenix would "adopt" Pontchartrain Park, a mostly Black and Middle Class area and neighborhood largely devastated, as was much of NOLA, when the levees were breached. The area is situated, as the name might suggest, not far from Lake Pontchartrain, and has not yet recovered from Katrina. That may begin to change if this partnership works out.
Under the idea, and it is that at this point, Phoenix would offer staff time and expertise, but not money, to work alongside NOLA officials and plan for the rejuvenation of this neighborhood. Among the projects might be development of a new recreation center and construction of new housing. While the initiative would begin with staff support, there will be an effort to leverage that beginning by attracting funds and personal help from other sources.
Another intriguing idea was floated as well--this fall Phoenix will open a new public safety high school focused on police and firefighter education in a formerly-abandoned school facility not far from downtown. Particularly with the obvious criticality of these professions in NOLA, such an institution might make great sense in a city where the dedication and expertise of these public servants has been questioned.
No matter which figure you select for the public funds that have been "allocated" to NOLA recovery, the fact is that, almost two years later, the job hasn't gotten done. So looking at alternatives makes sense.
I come to an appreciation of this concept from years of involvement with Sister Cities, where I have seen that direct peer-to-peer support sometimes works best. Over the years, literally hundreds of Phoenix Police and Firefighters have been hosted by families in our Sister City of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico for a Spanish Immersion Program that teaches them functional Spanish so that they are able to communicate with and properly help and serve the thousands of Phoenicians who are far more comfortable, particularly in an emergency situation, with Spanish rather than English. Public safety officials who utilize this Spanish on the job get paid a premium for the time they exercise this skill.
Tomorrow we get to return the favor. Some 26 law enforcement officials from Hermosillo and Sonora, newly-confronted with a virtual war zone and a sophisticated foe in the form of the Narco Gangs, will be here to receive advanced training in selected areas, compliments of Phoenix Sister Cities and the Phoenix PD. These law enforcement officials at all levels (local, state, federal) regularly communicate with each other thru an organization called PISA. As a result, many serious cross-border crimes have been resolved thru cooperation.
That's one example. The receiver gains not only material assistance that is needed, but also a friend and colleague with whom they can consult or commiserate.
Maybe it's time, at least in part, to CUT OUT THE MIDDLEMAN!!! If this is as good as it sounds, then I would challenge other cities to do likewise. The student and other groups who have volunteered have been fantastic, but if cities take this on, the result may be more sustained and meaningful.
What do ya think, Kossacks??? Let me know in the poll....