I just got back from the Kanawha City Community Association Annual Community Meeting. Present were Mayor Amy Goodwin, Police Chief Opie Smith and several members of the police force to answer questions from residents. I left this meeting with a sense of hope for the future of Charleston. I’ll detail some of my observations below but first a link to the KCCA: http://www.kanawhacity.org/ If you live in Kanawha City then please join. Fee is next to nothing, these folks are doing great work, and the more people that join and get involved the better KC will be for everyone.

Last blog post was about the recent community meeting in Dunbar where residents were incredibly angry with the job their city government was doing. The meeting tonight was a very different experience. Whereas Dunbar officials kept passing the buck and making excuses for why they couldn’t solve the problems of residents, Charleston officials never once did that. Every single complaint, no matter how small or large, was treated with respect. Officials told residents what was being done, what was being planned, then took names and numbers down for follow up. Whenever someone didn’t know an answer they said “we’ll figure it out, get back with you tomorrow, and solve the problem.” No blame assigning, no passing the buck, just a focus on the problem and how best to solve it. Charleston is being proactive in solving problems, they are thinking long term, and they aren’t waiting for things to get to a boiling point before addressing them. That’s the way government should run and it brings me hope.

Some of the things Charleston is doing really well:

Here to Serve Events — Mayor’s Office and all Department heads show up and answer questions from any resident. It’s a great public outreach program and one I plan on attending next time. Be ready Director of Refuse Collection as I complain about my trash pickup!! Check my website and I’ll make sure to add it to events. www.jonhague.com

Charleston Economic Incentive Fund — I hope to be speaking with Mayor Goodwin soon about this program. I want to see what can be learned and applied to other areas of Kanawha County. I have a feeling it will be a model for other cities and communities.

Reunification Program — This is a program designed to combat vagrancy. What it does is it attempts to reunify a criminal vagrant with their family and home community. A lot of homeless are constantly traveling from area to area and this leaves them without a support network when they get into trouble. And having an effective support network is key when attempting to exit out of addiction. Seems to be an effective tool in combating the revolving door of addiction and criminal vagrancy.

Bus Work Program — I’m sure they will come up with a better name but this is something they are considering setting up based on a program Albuquerque New Mexico is doing. Essentially a bus runs every day and picks up homeless people who are willing to work and gives them jobs in landscaping, trash collection, etc. Gives people a paycheck and gets them back on the path to rejoining the workforce.

I did hear some anger directed towards the state Legislature from residents. They feel that the state Legislature is out of touch and more of a hindrance than a help to the people on the front lines. I couldn’t agree more. It’s why I’m running for State Senate. I’ve always been drawn to where there is the greatest need. Right now that’s the Senate. It’s dysfunctional, hyper-partisan, and needs a sea change in how it operates. And a sea change is coming.

Best in Show Awards:

Mayor Goodwin. Amy is a superstar. She’s dynamic and vibrant when she speaks and her method of running city hall is leaps and bounds better than her predecessor. She’s also humble, gives credit away, and is not focused on the politically right thing to do but what is in the best interests of her people. The Democratic Party should put her front and center of all its efforts in the future as it seeks to reclaim power in WV. That’s high praise but people like her don’t come along every day.

Honorable Mention:
Sergeant Jason Webb. Jason is the Public Services Division Commander of the Charleston Police Dept. He spoke at length on the homeless and vagrancy crisis affecting the Kanawha Valley. He spoke in front of an angry crowd (because people are always angry at this) and told them everything Charleston was doing and planning to do to combat this issue. He explained that you needed a systemic approach to solving this issue, that enforcement alone wouldn’t work. He talked about a Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force on Homelessness they formed and how Charleston was actively learning from other areas around the country who are also dealing with this issue. At the end of his speech that angry crowd was on his side. And he was swamped with questions after the meeting from residents who were similarly impressed with him and the job the police force is doing.

Charleston is in good hands folks. It is great to see.