February 1, 2000
Re: Search for new Planning Director
Dear Mayor Menino:
Thank you for your letter of November 24, 1999 regarding the planning role of the BRA. We appreciate your attention to our concerns, and we would like to participate in a constructive way as the City restructures the planning process. Your decision to create a separate planning department to support BRA and other departmental functions is seen as a positive step; we hope we can help to fulfill the potential of such a restructuring.
Now that you have appointed a new BRA Director, the next step will be to select a Planning Director. We understand that there will be a search committee, which will determine the specific job description and qualifications, and conduct a search to make the choice among qualified candidates.
The Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods, which now has 26 members from all over the city, wishes to participate in this search process. Our members and their communities have devoted a great deal of time to Boston 400, accessboston 2000-2010, and many other neighborhood and city-wide planning activities conducted by the City. Therefore, we want to help recruit as chief planner a person who is well qualified professionally, and who, we feel, will understand the residents' perspective on the future of the city as he/she balances various interests.
Early involvement of the community will assure a good working relationship with the new Planning Director, and facilitate a smooth process for city-wide and neighborhood planning. Please let us know when the search committee is formed, and we will send a delegate from the Alliance to participate.
We will contact BRA Director Mark Maloney shortly after he takes office in February, to exchange ideas and establish a good flow of communications. He has emphasized his interest in the neighborhoods, and we can, with our wide membership, be helpful in bringing neighborhood concerns to him in an efficient way.
We look forward to participating in the Planning Director search, and in further communications with you and your new BRA Director.
Sincerely,
Shirley Kressel
President, Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods
Cc: BRA, City Council, Press