With the holiday spirit in full swing this week, I want to connect before we are all spending quality time with family and friends.
We must never forget the government works for the people, and the best way to maintain that dialog is through direct communication. One of my primary focuses as a Councilor is to be a microphone for the people. I cannot think of a better way to amplify their voice than to bring them together.
My principles of government communications are bidirectional. Meaning, the government must make an effort to listen to its citizens' concerns, and Citizens must be engaged and listen to the contacts from the government.
In 2022 I will be entering my third year as Councilor for District 18 in Indianapolis. Over the last two years, I have had many opportunities to listen and see events and challenges throughout Indianapolis.
Two of the challenges I plan on working on in 2022 are:
Helping Indianapolis to become more neighborly
Creating better communication channels with the City
I will promote a more neighborly Indianapolis and create better communication channels by creating community neighborhood groups to share and receive information to and from the City of Indianapolis.
The vision for the groups is to be an aggregate of around 250 homes within specific geographical boundaries within District 18. Ideally, residents of the community groups formed will meet regularly at a local community landmark. Objectively, the groups will meet to discuss topics relevant to their neighborhood, meet their neighbors in person, and provide an outlet for City agencies and representatives to listen to the concerns and ideas of its citizens.
My team and I have been working on the first community group for the last six weeks. Up to this point, we have identified the geographical location for the first neighborhood group, met with leaders from a local church who have agreed to use their community space for meetings, and have created a palm card to share information while canvassing. Our next steps are to canvas the 250 homes and host our first meeting, which we are looking at canvasing in January and meeting in February of 2022.
Next year will be a better year for Indianapolis, starting in District 18. There are 43,000 residents in the district that I will work on engaging to better our City. By bringing neighbors together, we can work to address our challenges collectively.
Thank you for a beautiful year, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and New Year! I look forward to connecting with all of you in 2022.
Respectfully,
Michael Hart