A better city, thwarted?

The possible suspension of the Neighborhod Renaissance Program – City Hall’s plan to radically change how local government delivers services, dividing the city into 37 neighborhoods, each wielding power over services – may be the greatest tragedy of the recession.

Services, infrastructure and quality of life in Stockton remain substandard because the low-wage agrarian economy makes for an anemic tax base. Scant resources make such things as crime and blight tough challenges to meet. Empowering the neighbrhoods was worth a try. A similar program helped to make San Jose the safest big American city. 

But now the city that cannot fix its crime and blight may not even be able to afford empowering the neighborhoods to do it. The better Stockton always visible on the horizon has become harder to reach. A shame.

But hope is not lost, said Greg Bahr, a resident of the UOP neighborhood in the Neighborhood Renaissance pilot program. ”The tone of ‘the program is not going forward’ isn’t accurate,” said Bahr.

Council member Diana Lowery called Bahr just today to say the Council is seeking a way to keep the program going. “Really the tone that comes from the dais is, ‘We think this is great, we want to go forward with this but how does this fit in with our current constraints and circumstances?’ Bahr said. 

They’re not giving up. “I am encouraged by that,” Bahr said.

Even if the Council can’t fund the program, “Our goal is to be the voice for this specific community, not only be depending on the city itself but look for ways to make the priorities and the projets that we have happen.”

Of course, that may amount to greater citizen engagement, not the fundamental government restructuring envisioned by the Council. Still a good thing, though.