Please see the message below and the blog link concerning the proposed Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group Charter. Members of the public are welcome to comment on the draft charter and/or to attend the April 21* meeting to discuss the charter (see details* below) and the general CAG meeting on April 26 at 6:30 pm at Metrotech Center in downtown Brooklyn.
RSVPs to edelstein@psouth.net are requested as space may be limited.
As always, we welcome all of our readers' questions and comments. Be assured that your comments will be brought to the meetings.
Email comments to: cgcord@gmail.com
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION....
and A SPECIAL MEETING INVITATION to tell us what you think …...
The Operating Procedures Committee of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) respectfully submits the attached CAG Charter draft for your approval
(Please see the draft in full at the CORD blog set up for longer documetns at http://www.cgcord.blogspot.com/)
We have crafted this charter with care and diligence. We hope you will recognize the strength of the basic structure, the thoughtful design of the overall framework and the breadth of our consideration.
The next step is yours. It is our hope that you can review our work and be ready to ratify it by the full CAG meeting on April 26. Yes, we know it is close, but please consider that while we have been working, the CAG committees have been hobbled by the absence of this charter. We are hoping that you will be ready and willing to consider its adoption at the coming meeting.
We are asking you to:
-- Scrutinize this document.
-- Present this to your assorted Memberships and/or Boards for their consideration, if necessary
-- If board/membership approval is a requirement of your organization, please advise us if anything about the timing suggested here would make it impossible to attempt a vote on April 26th.
While reviewing keep in mind:
-- The CAG is an advisory body only, a group that has no real authority. Therefore our greatest strengths will lie in our commitment to adhering to the principles we set for ourselves as a group and our ability to publicly express our wishes from a stance of great solidarity.
-- We opted for an' inclusive of all' policy with a variety of decision making tools including consensus based decisions to demonstrate that solidarity.
-- We opted for structure that put the emphasis on the CAG as a whole instead of a hierarchy.
-- and most importantly, we took great pains to produce a living document capable, willing and expectant of change -- complete with a mechanism built into it with that specific purpose in mind.
-- We had the good fortune and ability to obtain guidance and direction from our Facilitator's wealth of experience.
-- At the end of the day, this committee has built this charter based on the shared values of community, transparency, commitment and honesty; we hope you agree.
Respectfully yours, from the Operating Procedures Committee Members:
Craig Hammerman (Community Board 6)
Rita Miller (Carroll Gardens Coalition for Respectful Development)
Steven Miller (At-Large)
Maria Pagano (Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association)
RSVPs to edelstein@psouth.net are requested as space may be limited.
