There was basically one central message at the second Grand Rapids Neighborhood Summit. Here’s Mayor Rosalynn Bliss with the most concise version:
“So your voice matters, I think that’s the big message today. Your voice matters. We want you to have an opportunity to give input on what we need to do to move forward.”
This year’s summit was in fact, one of the recommendations from last year’s summit, but that’s not all that came of it. Mayor Bliss also announced the appointment of the new Assistant City Manager, Stacey Stout whose primary task is neighborhood development. Stout summarized her own priorities this way:
“We have to look at what our policies are already and we do have a grant with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to look at some of those policies, to make sure that they’re equitable impacts. So, sometimes the intent and impact don’t always match, right, and so we’re just trying to look at alignment.”
Other priorities the mayor mentioned were establishing better lines of communication with residents, improving the city’s website, and a $50,000 fund for neighborhood-led projects.
The keynote speaker for the event was Eureka Smith, President of Evolve. Her message:
“Probably the most important thing, right, is the attitude with which you approach community to inquire about wisdom and knowledge. And then the second thing is really to listen.”
