IF YOU GOWhat: Chattanooga Neighborhood Association CouncilWhen: 6 p.m. FridayWhere: Community Foundation, 1270 Market St.Online: www.facebook.com/CNACouncil
Some neighborhood associations are falling into disrepair, disintegrating under massive infighting or represented by more developers than residents who live in the community, said the newly elected president of the Chattanooga Neighborhood Association Council.
"When I called all 14 neighborhood associations in East Brainerd, only four people answered the phone. That is how poor these neighborhood associations are," said Lana Sutton.
Her immediate goal, she said, is to increase resident participation in the associations.
She is not alone. Her board includes Vice President Cynthia Cash, who also is president of the North Brainerd Neighborhood Association Council; treasurer Michael Gilliland of Chattanooga Organized for Action; and Kenneth Smith, the past president of CNAC and now its secretary.
"It's possible within neighborhood associations to be a catalyst for change, so a council of neighborhood associations could share skills and resources to expand neighborhood associations ability for all citizens of Chattanooga," said Rhiannonan Maynard, assistant secretary of CNAC and also president of the Hill City Neighborhood Association.
At least 25 people attended CNAC's first meeting this month, six times more than the four people who attended the last meeting in 2011, said Sutton.
"Some of us got the word out that this historic group is going to die and people started to show up," she said.
Maynard said she attended her first CNAC meeting in January 2011 after reading comments about the group's relevance on Facebook.
As president, Sutton also established committees within the group, including crime, education, zoning and networking. Such committees are important because they include an unlimited amount of people working on a common goal, she said.
Chattanooga Neighborhood Association Council's governing board currently only allows 27 people, but 50 or 100 could serve on committees, she said. The governing board includes three representatives from each of the nine City Council districts.
Board seats are still available in Districts 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, but Districts 8 and 9 have more people interested in being on the governing board than seats. Sutton said the group is considering rewriting the bylaws to allow more than three decision-makers per district.
But founding CNAC member Gary Ball cautioned the group on expanding its board, telling them that too many people making decisions can hinder action.
In 2001 neighborhood leaders met to solve the city's brush and trash pickup problems and formed CNAC in the process. The city paid $10,000 to hire experienced professionals who worked with members to establish the bylaws.