The following article was published in this week’s Gazette paper.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/02182010/prinlet123058_32552.php
A Strong Civic association for All North College Park Residents
As a NCPCA member of many years, while I think my fellow long-time members deserve recognition for their contributions to the association, they also bear responsibilities in inviting and retaining them in the association. The credibility of our association to the public officials depends much on the strength of our membership. I wonder how credible our association appears to our elected officials when only 0.01 percent of the population votes on an important matter that affects the entire neighborhood. Thus, instead of being welcoming and neighborly to the new members, blaming them as being part of a bloc or branding them as “recruited” will only repel them from the association.
We need to find strength in these new members, especially when our city’s budget is shrinking at an alarming rate and the demand for services are going up.
Fazlul Kabir is secretary of North College Park Civic Association