Historical November 1982 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
After sitting through the two-hour meeting of the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council on Oct. 11, I came away with a handful of notes and an impression that the Council is an organization trying to find its purpose for existence. Old business was my reason for attendance.
The Constitution and By-laws for SDCC are being rewritten, and I was eager to hear them discussed. By-laws Committee chairman Ray Breun gave a progress report. Though the documents are still in working draft form, they were sufficiently complete for distribution and review by the Council.
The Committee now plans to have a discussion on the draft at the December Council meeting.
I was not able to get a copy of the draft (“there aren’t enough copies for the Council members”) but managed to quickly read someone else’s copy.
It is a very important document. Its goals are clarification of purpose, clarification of structure (committees and procedures to be followed), definitions of representation, membership, and of geographic area.
I was surprised to learn that an accurate definition of the geographical area covered by SDCC does not exist and that “core area” and “service area” will be designated for the first time.
This is the first major rewrite of the SDCC Constitution and By-laws since the 1960s and much has changed in that time period.
The present Council is composed of representatives of neighborhoods (e.g., Rosedale Neighbors) and institutions (e.g., Washington University).
The representatives’ obligations and responsibilities are primarily to their constituencies.
The Committee feels that the Council should be restructured so that there is a balance between belonging to a part of the neighborhood and conceiving of the whole neighborhood objectively. – The Constitution and By-laws will be the backbone of the new SDCC; discussion at the December meeting should be vigorous. Additional members of the committee are Jim McCloud, Harold Williams, and Dan McGuire.
The next order of old business was also of major importance. Last month’s resignation of the executive director, Ron Laboe, left an administrative void at SDCC.
The Council immediately initiated a search for his replacement, seeking applicants from our Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood only.
According to Harold Williams, a member of the Selection Committee for a New Executive Director, the criteria for evaluating applicants for the position are: (1)demonstrayed participation within the community; (2) experience in organizational activities on the community level and supervision of other individuals; (3) experience with housing and the bureaucratic paperwork involved; and (4) experience in grant and proposal writing.
For this the salary offered is $13-15,000, and by Oct. 11, 14 individuals had already applied for the position. Karleen Hoerr announced that one of them will be brought to the next Council meeting for approval by the Council.
If the proposed candidate does not obtain a favorable majority vote, the search for a new Director will be carried beyond Skinker-DeBaliviere’s boundaries.
The last item concerned a nuclear freeze petition, which one of our neighbors wishes the Council to discuss and endorse.
A lively discussion concerning “Is this appropriate?” consumed the final half hour. Apart from the issue itself, the significance of the Council debate, it seems to me, was that it dramatized the lack of a clear definition of the role of the Council.
As Council members became entangled in the freeze issue versus its relevance to Council business and constitutional charge, the meeting was assaulted by an additional smoke screen, provided by the St. Louis Fire Department’s trying to find the source of obvious combustion fumes in the meeting room. Neither the firefighters or the Council members appeared to resolve their respective problems. More than a dozen volunteer representatives donated at least two hours of their time to attend that Council meeting in what appeared to be a sincere effort to serve their constituents. Hopefully, with a clearer statement of purpose described in a new Constitution and By-laws, and with an executive director who can define and illuminate important issues for the Board’s consideration and action, the welfare of the residents of Skinker-DeBaliviere and the needs of its users can be better addressed. (Mr. Garin points out that Council meetings are open to the public.)
Originally published in The Neighborhood Paper, November 1982.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1982_11.pdf, printed page(s) 7; PDF page(s) 7.
