RSVP: Community Luncheon with Lt. Gov Lee Fisher - Tuesday, Feb 17th

[iwasthere]

I attended this circus mentality. It was two hours that i wasted to hear and listen and see the politicians not statesman parade up and down the stage to beat thier own drums esp lee fisher. if anyone believes that he will put ytown on the front burner for more funds i have two ringside tickets for the Palvic fight for two hundred dollars each. fisher was there to promote himself and himself only. the only ones that spoke from the heart were the committee leaders from mvoc. what happen to the q/a period that was supposed to follow after the circus charades? harrison was the only one that asked questions. mvoc was sideswapped by these clowns from dc and columbus.

[irishbobcat]

Phil.....

I thought the event was great...but with such a late start I could not spend all afternoon there and had to leave early to get my sons off the bus from school.

I guesss I'm a stickler for if the agenda calls fora noon start, get that puppy rolling on time....

Good work

Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Greens

[DefendYoungstown]

Yes, there is some truth in that statement.

The agenda called for a start time of 12:30pm. 12-12:25 was scheduled for State of Ohio officials to converse with local leadership/media while simultaneously allowing the 700 plus folks in attendance to find their way to their seats, sign the sign-in sheets, review the packet information, etc. The Lt. Gov arrived a bit late so the timeline was bumped back. This, coupled with the the fact that so many elected officials were on hand, led to the delay.

Minus the late start, I think the meeting went pretty well, logistically. The bus tour ran a bit long and had to be cut a little short. That was disappointing, however, Bill Graves (ODOD) was impressed with the tour which is important.

All told, today was a very important and productive day for Youngstown. The Lt. Gov stated that he has never seen an organized effort regarding community revitalization like the one he saw today. That is powerful and important commentary...however, it is only commentary at this point. I believe the Lt. Gov is sincere in his promise to assit Youngstown, however, the deal isn't done until the State of Ohio delivers. That is the definition of victory regarding this particular organizing campaign, plain and simple.

While organizing to leverage state funding is one component of a larger organizing strategy in dealing with vacant property in the city, we only get one shot at this particular pot of money and we desperately need it. We were wrongly passed over once and now we respectfully yet assertively demand that they find a way to deliever it to us now. That is why we were there today and we must not forget it. This community has suffered from neglect and broken promises from Columbus for far too long and we have never been more unified in our efforts to help us help ourselves than we are right now. The pressure must remain until the State makes good on their promise and that is done by continuing to show, as we did today, that the new Youngstown is well organized, well informed, and has programing and policy being developed that can and will make very good strategic use of the funds that we request, need, and deserve. Most importantly: we are not going away.

With that said, enjoy today's success. It is well deserved.  Thanks again to all who attended.

DEFEND YOUNGSTOWN,
PK

[irishbobcat]

If the program was to begin at noon...why did it take so long and not get started until 12:45pm?  Did all the politicians have to make sure their hair was in place for the media circus?

[jay]

Are any Forum members going to the luncheon with Lt. Governor Lee Fisher?

[DefendYoungstown]

Tomorrow. 12pm. Union Baptist Church.

Attend to Defend.

[DefendYoungstown]

You are invited to a...

Community Event  with Lt. Governor Lee Fisher

Are you concerned about vacant properties and the future of our neighborhoods? It is time for our voice to be heard.

Lunch will be provided free of charge.

Please RSVP in advance at our website: www.mvorganizing.org or call 330-743-1196 by February 16th. If you do not RSVP we cannot guarantee you a seat at the event.