Tell Norfolk What You Think

O Brave New World 

It is, indeed.

Norfolk, in partnership with Peak Democracy Inc., a software developer, is offering residents the chance to comment online.

It’s called Open City Hall, an online forum for civic engagements, the city said.

This is a novel initiative for Norfolk, a city that has often been viewed as less than transparent and frequently intransigent about disclosing the workings of its inner sanctum.

Here’s your chance to comment. Here’s your chance to engage with the city’s administration and make your views known and possibly implemented.

Residents are asked:

Which of these actions would best help to develop our local economy and improve lifelong learning opportunities?

· Expand, attract and retain businesses; increase entertainment choices

· Connect Norfolk residents to jobs

· Expand life-long learning opportunities

· Make Norfolk more business friendly

· Incentivize new business

· Expand use of schools, libraries and recreation centers

· Increase revenue

· School facilities

· Parent training; emphasis on toddlers

· Other activities

· Close a school in response to dropping enrollment

The names of the individuals submitting the comments are kept anonymous. Only the date, time and Ward where the resident is living are listed on the city's Web site. For simplicity, I deleted the date and time and inserted the Ward representative in which each comment originated.

Ward 5 – Tommy Smigiel

Connecting Norfolk residents to jobs available with the City and local businesses, is an excellent method of increasing the civil pride of our residents to living in Norfolk.
Ward 2 – Theresa Whibley
There needs to be a year by year chronological historical research done on Norfolk, describing the development of the City neighborhood by neighborhood, highlighting any significant historical notation that can be found concerning who visited, who built it, what destroyed it, why it was built. 

This historical account of the life of Norfolk should begin with discovery of the land to present day. Once this historical profile of Norfolk is developed it should be used to train tour guides, training them as certified tour guides to speak intelligently of the City, making their tours interesting and fun. The City should establish the tour routes. These tour routes should be controlled as to prevent congestion so that the tours flow properly and do not land on top of each other. Local attractions and venues should participate with tour companies to set up tours of their venues.

The City leaders have done a fantastic job bringing Norfolk along to it's present high rankings as places… they should be applauded! However...there is money to be made in the transient tourism industry and we need to jump on board and provide an alternative to the beach for summer vacationers coming to this area...at the very least provide the beach goers with something to do outside of sunning on the beach once here.
Norfolk is a beautiful City and very easy to walk and ride around to see the many sites and tourist attractions. Unfortunately there are no tour companies...no Greyline Tours...no walking tours...no riding tours...no carriage tours...nothing that I can find or that is promoted. Norfolk's history is the best kept secret in Virginia...it is time to let the secret out!

The extra tax dollars from this kind of tourism can be mind boggling to say the least...but you have to do your homework first...start with the history of Norfolk...attract some tour companies....assist in promoting Norfolk as a place to visit and tour....and listen to the cash register sing! It happened in Charleston SC and it can happen here!
Ward 2- Theresa Whibley
Improve schools by paying teachers well, placing much less emphasis on test scores, especially as a measure of teachers, expanding trade schools, seriously addressing poverty and parental support and bringing back teachers aides, library aides and other resources that have been slashed from schools.

Don't disrupt the higher performing schools by removing teachers after school has started resulting in larger class sizes than at other schools. If these strong schools want to retain strong families, leave well enough alone.

Let citizens elect a school board. Find a way to retain a strong leadership at the School Board.

Find out what makes other school districts more successful and follow their lead.

Publicize school achievements instead of constantly publicizing bad news.

Stronger schools will obviously help increase property values. Do all you can to help our schools.
Ward 2- Theresa Whibley
I have two "Other Activity" for consideration.

1. Existing expenditures should be reprioritized to address the activities identified on this list. The "Other Activity" reprioritizes existing expenditures (reducing or eliminating) by taking the following actions: close older recreation centers (Campostella) and libraries (Blyden), sell surplus property, consolidate office space, and get out of leased properties.

2. Incentivize the "Cruise Ship" industry to make Norfolk a major player as a cruise ship destination along the eastern seaboard.
I must confess. Apparently, this is the third annual Open City Hall forum, a fact which I missed in previous years.

Let’s assume the city kept the comments from the previous two years. Would it be of interest to the public to read the comments from previous years?