The Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods has launched a new biweekly e-newsletter to help keep Baltimore's community leaders and citizens interested in the City's official goings in the know. The Neighborhood News will be sent to community leaders and will be available on a subscription basis to all City residents.
The Neighborhood News will include features to help citizens more easily access City services, from how to get a building permit to the proper disposal of trash and recycling. The newsletter encourages citizen participation in political and civic life by listing City of Baltimore public meetings, as well as citywide and neighborhood-sponsored events.
The newsletter's Focus On section will highlight a City department or service that community leaders or citizens routinely have questions or concerns about. It could also be used to explain a newly-introduced bill in City Council or in Annapolis that affects City residents. Examples: The 2010 Census, the City budget process, or zoning issues.
The Neighborhood Spotlight section will feature the efforts by city neighborhoods or groups of neighborhoods who work together to launch initiatives like beautification projects, block parties, or crime awareness campaigns. Communities will be encouraged to share their success stories and submit stories and photos for this feature.
The City will use the Call to Action section as a soliciting tool to request assistance from neighborhood leaders and citizens on grassroots issues, correcting misinformation, spreading the word on important time-sensitive policies/initiatives. Example: Carbon monoxide detectors are now mandatory in Baltimore.
"Baltimore has outstanding neighborhoods," says Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "The launch of The Neighborhood News is a great first step to keeping our citizens informed and building safe, strong and healthy neighborhoods."
Source: The Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods
Writer: Walaika Haskins