by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Walking into the room as his transition team members settled into their chairs for their first meeting Friday, Mayor-elect Alvin Brown had a question for his chosen group of City fact-finders.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
With the rhetorical inquiry as a starting point, Brown’s reaffirmed his campaign points of job creation, balancing the City’s budget and improving education, public safety and Downtown.
The group, a collection of Brown appointments charged with studying what’s working and what’s not, began its task Friday with introductions and a refresher in open records laws. The team of 40 operates among 18 policy committees.
Audrey Moran, who along with State Sen. Tony Hill will oversee the transition team’s day-to-day operations, told the group to err on the side of caution when it comes to situations that fall or may fall under the Sunshine Laws.
Beginning early this week, each of the committee heads will form his or her group and begin scheduling meetings to study and develop recommendations for the appointed subjects. Committees will study economic development, Downtown revitalization, military affairs, pensions and transportation, among the areas.
Moran said the group has been inundated by people who want to serve on the policy committees. Individuals can submit resumes and inquiries to [email protected]. Each team could add five to eight members.
Completed reports are expected by the end of the month. Each will be several pages of summarized efforts and results.
“It won’t be all the answers, it won’t be every single issue, but it will be the big ones that jump out at your committee,” said Moran. “And if you feel like something is working well, that’s something Mayor-elect Brown wants to know also.”
Hill concluded the meeting by repeating Brown’s job creation mantra and asking the committee members to identify “low-hanging fruit” and “red tape” that could positively and negatively affect the efforts.
There will be a standing committee meeting at 4 p.m. every Friday throughout the transition period at which Moran and Hill will be available to assist individual committee leaders with questions and problems.
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