When I established Town Halls Hamilton, the basis of the notion was increasing engagement from the resident side.
And to that end, my belief is that you have to consider neighbourhood associations (NAs) to be the primary element towards energizing our citizenry.
To this end, I created a 'marker' for my 'Grand Intent', the goal of having an NA in every neighbourhood in Hamilton. Why do I see a 'federation' or a 'congress' of NAs as being so important?
In a nutshell, to provide a cohesive voice for residents, a means by which critical 'community-reaction' efforts can be fuelled...ultimately, to allow Hamiltonians to finally and properly take their place in local governance. An 'It's about time!' thing, if you will. (Additionally, 'Put up or shut up'.)
Take a look at these maps of the traditional neighbourhoods in Wards 3, 4 and 5...and guess what percentage of the 35 highlighted actually have City-recognized NAs. (These neighbourhoods contain almost 120,000 people.)
Ward 3
Ward 4
Ward 5
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I'm always interested in feedback, differing opinions, even contrarian blasts...as long as they're delivered with decorum...with panache and flair always helping.