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Show government on every level. There is no doubt that without a citizen participation requirment, it is The following series of articles are an attempt to assist in the educational process of unlikely that cities would residents in order to make their roles more defined as participants in the Model Cities program, to explain the relationship of local Model Cities government, residents and to staff and provide background material encourage citizen involvement or be willing to bargain power away, but there must be some effort on the part of residents to cooperate with local government or to at least understand their broader, thinking, to insure the outlining the Model Cities long-rang- additional information Most local officials now see the value of active citizen participation in affairs of providing services, running the city and solving urban problems, but their feelings may soon change if, at every turn, they are if it is needed. Your comments and viewpoints on the materia! presented here or any other aspect of the Model Cities program will be most welcome and such opinions will be published in future issues of the newspaper. For further information, call Faron Model Cities Agency, 467-941- Ith, 6 or Marlene Young, Model Neighborhood News, Residents 467-801- accused of plunged into this cluttered and bewildering situation with a program called Model Cities, whose goal is to marshal a coordinated force of local, state and federal resources, concentrate them in a Staff Government -- Partners in Community Improvement Even though involved in the Model Cities program, many residents appear to be somewhat confused about the program and their role as participants. The founders of the 1966 Model Cities program knew then what a few Americans were beginning to discover - that many of our established institutions are not tuned in to today's poor and their social needs; the welfare system is little more than a costly crutch; federally funded state employment services have produced an elaborate referral system which is not referring; schools may be serving suburban college-boun- d youth with upward aspirations, but they are not talking the language of urban youth in many central cities. Tax policies are not meshing with housing goals; hunger exists despite food stamps and school lunch programs, and public transportation is ensnarled by the private automobile. Worst of all, our representative many of are leaving institutions political too many citizens at the bottom unrepresented. The Federal government more Congress in 1966 brought the federal government's plan into neighborhood areas. Therefore, we see the role of the citizen as an advisory one, allowing strong input into identifying problems and planning solutions but with the final responsbility for the program in the hands of the local government. However, the local reality. governmental officials One of the most misunderstood aspects of the Model Cities program is the area of citizen participation. Is it name-calling- Responsibility In Participation were recommendations are conceived, looked more to the experiences of Urban Renewal than to Community Action as the basis for "widespread citizen participation." HUD saw the Model Cities program as "planning WITH people, not FOR people." The program did not seek to pick up from the Office of Economic coordination of intergovermental relations in its most tangled arena, the slums of American cities." Local governmental officials chose not to get deeply involved Opportunity the ball of community action and Action Program an experiment in better in CommunityActionPrograms because they were not welcome by poverty area community leaders and because the Community was a confrontation program with government on one side and citizens on the other. Model Cities, however, was designed as a mayor's program first and included a requirement that citizens be allowed to participate, resulting improvement in most relationships. Perhaps the most significant accomplishment of Model Cities is the creation of a n of planning and carrying out community process the program, however, community responsibility for the Model Cities program in each city is vested in the principal local between city hall and residents. . when it is allowed to evolve. The executive officer (Mayor, CityManager) andor elected governing body (Council, Commission). Because the Model Cities program is designed to improve the target area and involvement and partnership . in a is progam attempting to give the poor a chance to find solutions to their own problems, but it is not a poverty program. Residents from all income levels are encouraged to take part in the planning of projects to serve the entire model neighborhood and even the community. The program was originally set up by the Department of Housing and Development (HUD) to develop an increased awareness for the purpose of enhancing the planning abilities of the residents in stimulating them to organize their self interests in such areas as education, housing, health and Urban employment. One of the key Model Cities processes is that of Citizen Citizen Participation. in the Model Cities participants program are to be agents of There is also a responsibility change, interpreting to the in full participation and that is general citizenry, the constraints and complexities of the Model the responsibility for sharing with the Model Cities staff and local Cities programs. Yet, some citizen participants are not government not only the credit for good programs, but the blame for familiar with the local political bad ones. If you accept the right processes and do not understand to participate in government, you them enough to know what is must also accept the completely possible. As a result, responsibility for the kind of they either make impossible demands or do not negotiate with government you get. It is the RESPONSIBILITY of the local government to insure resident to be INFORMED and funding of projects the residents use that information in a deem important. If their demands are rejected, responsible way. Model Cities allows for actual direct anger and frustration flare. By the same token, local governmental participation in decisions about officials need to be reminded that governmental activities that affect your lives and your they are elected to represent the must be and it community people and if the people want demonstrated that this process certain projects and programs, will work if it is to continue. the officials should take their Citizen participation, recommendations or sit down is with the residents to discuss why therefore, a very real part of the Model Cities program in that they can't support their wishes. citizens work together to identify What citizen participants should seek out, is the improvement of problems, plan solutions, create the citizen participation process, projects and make funding decisions all of which serve as rather than broad institutional recommendations to the local changes. They shoud seek to in the city-citizegovernment establishing improve final program. All along this relationships; they should seek to have are residents to the process, open a dialogue between technical assistance and advice of residents and local government. the Model Cities staff in order to Citizen participants in the - in considerable city-citze- Model Cities - elected to represent the people and should work as partners with the residents to insure that their acknowledged. Professor Judson James, City University of New York, says that, "Above all. Model Cities is The program envisioned residents and their municipal officials working together in something like a partnership. The program was an opportunity for residents of the defined model neighborhood and the city as a whole (including labor, business and other civic groups in the community) to have a hand in identifying problems, fighting for things you believe in does not necessarily have to , include threats or refusing to see other sides to the problem and residents need to become more informed about specific projects in order to in a defend them logical and rational manner. in model involvement? Participation? Control? Partnership? Each resident seemingly views it differently. The Model Cities program, as it was orginally confrontation. being less than honest with residents. Standing up and healthy city and metropolitan area, it should also further develop the capability of local government to deal with citywide problems similiar to neighborhood) and demonstrate that such an effort can make a (Model Cities), passed by -- being selfish and unfair in funding programs and well-balance- those faced Metropolitan Development Act AA.C. contribute to a selected area (model difference. Thus, the Demonstration Cities -- of such involvement. Model Cities Agency for Participation e continuation its intent and program, purpose. We urge all residents to read the following material call the carefully and then Model Neighborhood News or the Problems in Citizen Salt Lake City is that problem some of the residents participating in the Model Cities program were schooled in the Community Action's strategy of confrontation and see their role as one in opposition with local n make educated decisions, resulting in residents, Model Salt Lake Model Cities program are attempting to "bring back the Cities staff and local government working together to make the neighborhood" by forging a new stronger link between people and their government. Despite the many pitfalls, federal programs such as Model Cities, through the efforts of community a better place in which to live. So the challenge for all of us is to start working as partners and not allow destructive tactics to surface which will benefit no one. citizen participants, local government and Model Cities |