Mayor Bosley recently created Neighborhood Stabilization Officers to assist every neighborhood in the city. Neighborhood Stabilization replaces the neighborhood liaison officers and Operation ConServ.
Jackie Wellington, a resident of the Central West End, has been assigned to Skinker DeBaliviere, DeBaliviere Place, and Skinker Wydown. At one time, Wellington worked at the Community Development Agency, handling tax incentive programs. For the past 11 years, she has worked in a family-owned construction company. She is married and has two children. Her son is a freshman at Emory University and her daughter, a graduate of New City School, is now a freshman at John Burroughs.
Wellington has an office at the Ford Community Education Center. The stabilization officers are using four of these centers as offices. Her hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and she can be reached at 454-9749. Citizens with problems may also call the downtown office at 622-4628.
Wellington’s primary focus will be crime prevention and neighborhood stability. She wishes to focus on public safety, housing, education, recreation, neighborhood marketing, and clean-up and beautification. She will basically be a liaison between city services and residents, working in conjunction with Aldermen McGuire and Clay. She wants to see that services are provided for specific community needs. She will also try to organize neighborhood-based block units where none exist. The differences of the communities will be taken into account. In Skinker DeBaliviere, Wellington noted that there is an existing strong neighborhood organization.
Wellington is excited about her new job. She had spent two weeks in training after coming on board on Oct. 24. The training dealt with this new program, familiarized participants with city services and showed the NSOs how to access them.
Wellington is particularly urging neighbors to call her if they notice graffiti, debris, possible drug activity, derelict cars, refuse accumulating in alleys, weeds over 7 inches tall, damaged dumpsters, or to talk about problem residents. Neighbors are also welcome to stop by her Ford School office at 5599 Ridge.
