Sharing with Lansing's new mayor; get real people to answer phones
December 18, 2005
I wonder if anybody in Michigan's capital city, Lansing, has had a similar experience.
Early in this past summer, I talked with a neighbor down the street, who told about how burglars were breaking into nearby houses while peoople were sleeping. Listening to his stories, I was concerned. My first impuse was to call the Lansing Police Department to talk to a community relations officer.
I wanted to verify what my neighbor said and to ask what people in our neighborhood could do to protect themselves.
My attempt to be a responsible citizen was met with instant frustration. I called all the non-emergency numbers in our southside station and all I got was automated answering machines that sent me on a circular jouney back to where I started. Then, I looked for the identity of the city council person who represents my area and really got lost in the city's website.
If a Realtor had called, I would have been tempted to say enough is enough and look for a house out in a township more responsive to constituents.
Our new Mayor-elect Virg Bernero needs to fix this. You should be able to talk to real people, especially when there's a public safety concern.
- Summary of problem to be addressed by mayor and council: Improve access to city employees. Get rid of the automated answering machines, especially for the police.
- I will talk about the city website in another post.
- City Council members need more visibility in the neighborhoods. They need to be available for constituent service.
technorati tags: Lansing, Virg Bernero, City of Lansing, Lansing Police Department, Lansing City Council, City of Lansing politics,