Sunny Side /South Park Super Neighborhood

Communication with Council Member Ada Edwards I

Backing Up

ADA EDWARDS

Houston City Council Member, District D
“Partnership Of Service”


COMMITTEES
Chair, Public Safety & Homeland Security Council Governance Regulatory Affairs
Neighborhood Protection & Quality of Life M/WBE & Small Contractor Development Fiscal Affairs & Management Initiative
Regional Planning & Economic Development Housing Initiatives Legislative Affairs
Transportation, Technology & Infrastructure Sister Cities Ethics


December 17, 2002


Charles X. White
Super Neighborhood President
Charity Productions Executive Director


Dear Mr. White,

In your most recent letter of December 11, 2002 directed to Mayor Lee Brown and carbon-copied to me, you reiterated your request for answers to five questions from the Director of the Planning and Development Department, Robert Litke.

Your request for information and clarification was directed to Mayor Lee P. Brown. We will await a response to your letter from Mr. Litke and the Mayor. In your letter, you note that you require answers to these questions prior to any meeting with Mr. Litke in the community. After you receive adequate response to your questions from the Mayor and Mr. Litke, the District D Council Office would be happy to assist you and the Super Neighborhood in any way feasible.

Once again, I would like to thank you for your continued involvement in the communities of southern Houston. I look forward to a speedy resolution to the questions and concerns you and the Ethics Committee of the Super Neighborhood have raised. We look forward to working with you and the Super Neighborhood in the future.

Sincerely,




Ada Edwards
Houston City Council Member
District D

Cc: Mayor Brown, All Council Members, Robert Litke, Marvin Delaney, Willie Belle Boone, Stephen Tinnermon

Protocol

Memorandum
December 18, 2002


To: Council Member Edwards
From: Charles X White, Sunny Side/South Park Super Neighborhood,cxw
Subject: Protocol
Cc. Mayor Lee P. Brown, Steve Tinnermon, Robert Litke, All Council Members, Sunny Side/South Park Ethics Committee and Stakeholders

Council Member Edwards, after Robert Litke refused to answer our questions, our request to get answers has not and is not limited to Mayor Brown. However, we do agree that the mayor should be able to get the answers as well as you and other council members. The first responsibility lies with Robert Litke.

It appears that in your communication dated 12/17/02, that you misinterpreted our meaning or you were misinformed by someone. I would suggest that you re-read the material presented on 12/10 and before to keep our requests in context or call me 713-734-3599. Waiting for the mayor? We really don't understand your statement. If you review the tape of our statements at council -- what we need is written answers to our questions. According to (Webster's Universal College Dictionary) protocol is defined as: the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality, precedence, and etiquette. It is out of diplomatic formality and etiquette that we addressed the 12/11/02 letter to Mayor Brown. Not for you or any other council member to wait on the mayor. Contained in the material we presented on 12/10/02 our recommendations were reasonable and based on ethical good public policy principles.
12/10/02 our request at council meeting was to the mayor, you, council member Wiseman and all other council members. The mayor is ex-officio to all committees.
12/10/02 in your office after council meeting your statement to me was to give you an agenda for the meeting with Robert Litke. That is what was sent to the mayor, you and others. One of the reasons we use written communications is due to the fact that some of our memories become selective in what we remember and as a measure to ensure that integrity is maintained we have decided to write.
In this case you may forget what you said in your office on 12/10/02 related to me preparing an agenda. Then things could be put in the context of this is something personal etc., we are not going to be reduced to a black on black issue. We are clearly addressing policy issues. Personally we don't like to go through all of this to get some simple answers, however so be it.
Have you ask the director of planning for written answers? If not, why not?
Someone should be honest enough to say, the answers to some of our questions don't exist and we will develop some preventive policies for the future. That is what council does, make policy where policies don't exist or clarify policies that are unclear/incomplete.

Is Robert Litke and the planning department beyond revising policy and being accountable for his decisions?
Why is the Mayor and some council members protecting Robert Litke in the area of responding to our questions related to governance policy and procedures? (super neighborhoods, super neighborhood clusters, civic clubs, homeowner associations and community groups)
Our requests are consistent and reasonable. Our requests are to all who have the responsibility to maintain good government, for the people, develop good public policies and to those who can not only talk the talk but walk the walk with integrity.

The request for answers to our public policy questions are directed to all city elected officials that have accepted the responsibility of a public servant dedicated to serving the peoples interest and public trust. It is our understanding that the (protocol) order of responsibility and shared responsibility directly related to our request for assistance is as follows:
Robert Litke..................................No answer, denial & incorrect reference
Mayor Lee P. Brown....................No meeting, then will look into the matter
Steve Tinnermon..........................Will not seek answers from Robert Litke
Council Member Edwards.........Will facilitate, then will wait on the Mayor
Council Member Wiseman....... Will look into the matter
Mayor Pro Tem Quan..................Will look into the matter
Council Member Gibbs...............Will look into the matter
All remaining Council Members..Position not known
Office of Inspector General..........No suggested policy
City of Houston's Ethics Committee...Researching the matter
Public policy and public trust are two prime functions to be carried out by the department head, mayor and council members. Directing our request to the mayor does not release Robert Litke, you or any other council member from participating in resolving a simple matter of securing the policies used by a department head as well as writing new policies to prevent future misunderstandings between and departments and citizens.

It would seem that any elected official would be duty bound to direct Mr. Litke to answer every reasonable questions presented to him as well as develop new policies to prevent future misunderstandings between his department and citizens who are volunteers in a project titled Neighborhood Oriented Government.

One of the repeated stated outcomes of NOG is, problem solving. We have a problem that can be solved but it appears no one is interested in requiring a department head (Robert Litke) to be accountable. We wonder why?

Ada we have been knowing each other for twenty-two years and working in the cause of improving the quality of life for all citizens of Houston. I hope that your current political station will not impede your judgment to see that what we (SSSPSN) are asking will serve the public good as well as improve city and community relations.

We look forward to your proactive involvement in resolving this and future matters. Thank you for your consideration and time.

Sincerely

Super Neighborhood Resolution

To: All Interested Parties with the Super Neighborhood
From: Charles X White
Subject: Resolution
Date: January 31, 2003


Dear Interested Parties and Council Members:

I will be contacting you in regards to the up coming vote on the proposed super neighborhood resolution. There are several key factors that must be rectified, clarified and codified before any serious consideration be given to this matter.

We all have matured in this process and can see around the corner a little better. I will start contacting you next week for an appointment.

FYI -- There has been no resolution to our (Sunny Side/South Park Super Neighborhood) request in fact it seems that there is a lot of talk from Council Member Edwards and double talk from the Chief of Staff Tinnermon but no action from Robert Litke. Would you allow any of your friends or customers to be ignored by a so-called public servant (department head) without a response or would you be outraged?

Thank you for your consideration and time.

I will bring all of the latest communications on our situation when we meet.