Snyder announces plans to elevate community pride in Lincoln

[January 22, 2009]  Keith Snyder, Republican candidate for mayor of Lincoln, has released details on the second of three issues that make up his campaign: "Elevate Community Pride."

"The Heartland Center for Leadership Development says that the No. 1 clue to the survival of rural communities is evidence of community pride," Snyder said. "A city that takes pride in all it does and that takes the lead in displaying that pride makes a statement to the world that it is a great and desirable place to live, work and raise a family. With all of us working together, we can elevate community pride in Lincoln."

He outlined three proposals to elevate community pride:

1. Start the "Great Lincoln Clean-Up," an annual event intended to spruce up and refresh our community.

2. Create strategic, cost-effective beautification plans and projects for downtown, city parks, streets and neighborhoods.

3. Mobilize our greatest source of pride, our young people, to use their creativity and energy to solve city issues.

The "Great Lincoln Clean-Up" would be an annual event held one week each spring to spruce up, clean up and refresh the community. The cleanup would mobilize colleges, schools, churches, Scout troops, civic and service clubs, and neighborhoods in each ward to join forces with the city to identify, staff and complete projects such as cleaning; painting; planting flowers, shrubs and trees; picking up litter and trash; and much more.

Snyder said the city would keep the city landfill open extended hours throughout the week of the cleanup and would explore the possibility of placing dumpsters at the landfill to accept large trash items. "While budget realities will not allow a return to the curbside pickup program of old, this 'dumpster at the dump' project could provide residents a similar service," he said.

Snyder said that beautification plans need to be both affordable and strategic -- "affordable because dollars (are) tight and strategic because improvements need to tie into a shared vision for the city," he said. He suggested the city investigate planning and design ideas for downtown, city parks, and the city's gateways and main thoroughfares -- the entrances into Lincoln off state and county highways and the major traffic routes through town.

He also proposed low-cost beautification projects intended to involve and acknowledge local citizens. "I'd like to see us institute an 'adopt-a-block' program where local residents can step up and assume responsibility for keeping their assigned block beautiful," Snyder said. He also called for a formal "adopt-a-median" program to supplement the work of residents who have already informally adopted some medians around town. "Could you imagine what Wyatt Avenue would look like if we could get each of its medians adopted and transformed with flowers, shrubs and ornamental grasses?" he asked.

Finally, Snyder called for the formation of a Lincoln Youth Council as a way to mobilize our young people in the discussion and solution of city issues. The Lincoln Youth Council would consist of one junior high or high school student appointed by each city council member from their ward and an additional student appointed by the mayor. "We should turn our young people loose to tackle issues such as: What can be done to assist young people in need in our community? And, how do we make Lincoln a 'greener' (or more environmentally friendly) city? We are justifiably proud of our kids, and we can engage their ideas and dreams for Lincoln," he said.

Additional information about Snyder's proposals is presented in his "Elevate Community Pride" platform paper, copied below. The platform paper is also posted at SnyderForMayor.com.

Snyder promised that details on his third issue, "Engage the Future," will be released in the coming weeks.

[Text from file received from Keith Snyder, candidate for mayor of Lincoln]

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'Elevate Community Pride' platform paper

From Keith Snyder, mayoral candidate

I. Start the "Great Lincoln Clean-Up"

We need to start an annual event, to be held each spring, that we will call the "Great Lincoln Clean-Up." We can have the entire city of Lincoln come together one week each spring to spruce up, clean up, and refresh our community. We want to engage our colleges, schools, churches, Scout troops, civic and service clubs, and neighborhoods in each ward to join forces with the city to identify, staff, and complete projects.

The projects would include cleaning, painting, planting flowers, shrubs, and trees, picking up litter and trash, and much more. We would have the city landfill open extended hours each day throughout the Clean-Up to accept leaf, branch, and yard debris.

In addition, we'll explore the possibilities of placing dumpsters at the city landfill where residents and volunteers can dispose of broken furniture, building materials, and other large trash items. The curbside pick-up program done in past administrations was a wonderful service provided by the city, but it is probably unaffordable given current budget realities. This "dumpster at the dump" project could serve a similar purpose at much less cost.

During the "Great Lincoln Clean-Up" week we'll ask the groups that serve as adopt-a-highway volunteers to sweep their assigned roadways. We'll work with the Logan County Joint Solid Waste Agency to schedule recycling projects during the "Clean-Up." We'll have projects across the community for our students (from grade school through college) to complete. We'll ask Scout troops and civic clubs to identify and carry out projects. Our churches can be mobilized, perhaps even utilizing the infrastructure they developed so well for their "Together for Lincoln" projects.

The "Great Lincoln Clean-Up" should be a joint public/private partnership with the aim of beautifying and refreshing our community each spring. By having the city link arms with volunteers we can stretch limited city dollars, greatly increase the number of projects that can be completed, and annually revitalize Lincoln.

II. Create strategic, cost-effective beautification plans

The "Great Lincoln Clean-Up" will provide a boost of energy and cooperation each spring to tidy up our city. We also need to develop affordable and strategic plans to beautify our downtown, city parks, streets, and neighborhoods. The plans need to be cost-effective because budgets are tight and grandiose proposals will simply gather dust on a shelf. The plans need to be strategic because they need to tie into a shared vision that we will be developing for our city.

Certain areas of town need special attention. Our downtown remains a great asset for our city, but much could be done in the area of beautification from simple benches and flower plantings to the redesign of parking lots, sidewalks, and other public spaces.

Our community is dotted with small parks. Some of those are controlled by the city, some by the county, and some by the Lincoln Park District. Good planning and strategic revitalization of city green spaces and coordination with those other entities can utilize each location to its fullest and make them true assets for the neighborhoods in which they are located.

While we may sometimes take our streets for granted, they often send the first and loudest message to visitors about the pride we take in ours town. This is particularly true about the gateways into our community (the entrances into Lincoln off of state and county highways) and our main thoroughfares. These front doors and corridors of Lincoln need to communicate loud and clear that Lincoln is a great place to live and run a business. With coordinated designs for gateway signage and some affordable "streetscaping" (think of it as landscaping for streets; possibly involving plantings, lighting, etc.) for our major traffic routes, we can send that message.

In addition to elements that would involve some planning and design, there are some low-cost proposals that can elevate community pride. The city can institute an "adopt-a-block" program where local residents step up and assume responsibility for keeping their assigned block beautiful by keeping the lawns mowed, the trees and shrubs trimmed, flowers planted, branches and leaves picked up, snow removed from their sidewalks, and other projects. The purpose would not be to take over city responsibilities, but to let the adopters express their pride by keeping their properties (residential and business) looking great. The adopted blocks could be designated by simple markers attached to street signs, and we could begin some friendly competitions between the adopted blocks and award flowers or privately funded mini-beautification grants to winners.

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In conjunction with adopt-a-block we can also start an "adopt-a-median" program for those streets that have center medians. Some residents have already informally adopted medians in various parts of town, and their handiwork is a community asset. We could formalize a program where we encourage civic groups, Scout troops, 4-H groups, master gardeners, and simply residents with green thumbs to adopt a median and take responsibility for its beautification and care. Imagine what Wyatt Avenue (a major thoroughfare that takes thousands of community visitors to and from the high school each year) would look like if we could get each of its medians adopted and transformed with flowers, shrubs, and ornamental grasses.

As a way to acknowledge residents who are already taking pride in their properties, the City also needs to develop a program where it thanks and recognizes those property owners who have made improvements so their actions would, in turn, encourage others to do the same. The acknowledgements could take the form of Council recognition, a formal proclamation, or inexpensive signs or placards that could be displayed.

III. Mobilize our greatest source of pride, our young people, to use their creativity and energy to solve city problems

One of our greatest sources of pride in this community is our young people. We support them every step of the way, from their birth through their graduation from high school and beyond. We do that by attending programs, by purchasing fundraising candy, by going to ballgames, by applauding their successes.

When in the LCHS school song we sing, "Lincoln, Lincoln, we are proud of you," we mean that in a very real way about our young people. Their successes in the classroom, on the field, in the gym, and in life itself are reasons to be proud of this community.

Yet, how do we engage those young people in our civic discussions and how do we address their thoughts and concerns? The City should establish a Lincoln Youth Council to mobilize our young people and utilize their energy, creativity, and visions. The Lincoln Youth Council would consist of one jr. high or high school student appointed by each Council member from their ward and an additional student appointed by the mayor. The Council could meet as needed in the City Council chambers to brainstorm, hold hearings, and suggest solutions to city problems. The solutions they devise could be researched and fine-tuned and then presented to the Council and the mayor.

Initially, the Youth Council would be asked to address two types of issues. Taking off on the colors of Lincoln Community High School, the Youth Council would be asked to develop Railer Red and Railer Green solutions. The Railer Red project would ask the Youth Council to answer this question: "What can be done to assist young people in need in our community?" The Railer Green project would ask them to answer this question: "How do we make Lincoln a 'greener' (or more environmentally friendly) city?"

Those young people on the Youth Council may come up with some wildly different ideas, but those ideas will be innovative, they will be ideas adults hadn't thought of, and many will be well worth pursuing.

If we can Elevate Community Pride Lincoln will become known as a community that does things well and that does things right. That reputation will spread and become a major attractor for new businesses and new residents. It will also demonstrate that Lincoln is a successful and thriving community that cares about its past, its present, and its future.

[Text copied from file received from Keith Snyder, candidate for mayor of Lincoln]