Board Matter

April 10, 2012

Announcing a Braddock District Citizen Governance Conference 

Madame Chairman,

To ensure that we meet our responsibility to our constituents, I think we all agree that we must maintain an open line of communication and seek ways to encourage them to become active members of the community. A community of engaged citizens has the potential for extraordinary accomplishments and I have remained committed to this goal through my Community Engagement Initiative which has trained over 100 leaders who have since gone out and improved their community.

Serving as a continuation of my pledge to get Braddock residents more involved in our community, I am pleased to announce an all-day conference designed to turn residents into decision makers on the course of Braddock’s future. This Citizen Governance Conference will be held on Saturday, May 5th at the Junior Achievement Finance Park at Frost Middle School and run 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. With this Conference I hope to provide people with the information and structure needed to help form and participate in a number of Advisory Committees that will work directly with me and my office, advising on policy and helping create a long term vision for Braddock District.
The morning of the conference will provide attendees with the context and knowledge base to begin to see where their input is needed. It will include a presentation on the Braddock District’s demographic characteristics, both now and in the future, a review of the current comprehensive land use and transportation plans for Braddock, and a panel discussionmade up of leaders of citizen committees in other districts, so that participants have the background needed to help design their own committees. The afternoon will be focused on five breakout sessions that will each cover a specific policy area: Land Use and Environmental Management, Transportation, Aging in Braddock, Education, and the Fairfax County Budget (a full agenda is attached to this board matter).

While attendance for this event is not capped, I am asking that if you are interested in attending, please RSVP to braddock@ fairfaxcounty.gov so that we may be sure to provide enough lunches for everyone. Additionally, for ease of planning, please indicate which breakout session you think you would like to participate in.

Madame Chairman, I would like to thank the event’s corporate sponsors, Wegmans and Saxbys, for their help and participation. I would also like to extend an invitation to my fellow board members to join me for this Conference and would ask, without objection, that the Office of Public Affairs publicize this event.