Norristown Needs Effective Leadership

Published in The Times Herald, Sunday, Jan. 5

A few years ago, Norristown council changed its zoning laws to ban pawn shops and check cashers in central business districts on both the east and west sides of town.

But you would never know by the digital advertising you see driving across the Dannehower Bridge. Just the other day I saw a sign blazing for www.marshallstreetcheckcashing.com, which advertises, “We do one thing right. Cash checks.”

The sign is a clear indicator that legislation is no replacement for leadership.

Across this town, there are more clear signs that laws, and plans and committees alone are insufficient to overcome the general crisis in confidence citizens, homeowners, businesses and consumers have with the county seat.

This is why I have decided to go public with my quest to be president of Norristown council.

I am convinced that strong, clear, creative and community-focused leadership can and will make a difference where other approaches have failed.

Some will say why make this appeal because your council colleagues will decide who leads them. And this is true, council votes on the matter, and some of them won’t vote for me. But it should also be true that our community has a voice in the matter too.

Elections matter, and the primary and general elections of 2013 were an expression of the voters’ desire to move beyond the status quo and see some form of change in not just the composition of council, but its leadership as well.

Like never before, we need strong, bold and clear leadership.

For decades we have been reading headlines about this community’s decline.

One article, from 1995 begins, “The candidates running for open council seats here agree on at least one thing: After surviving the collapse of a bridge, a fire that devastated a Main Street block, the ongoing bitter feud between the council and the mayor, and the slowly dwindling tax base, Norristown must change direction now, or follow the path of such blighted boroughs as Chester.”

It is the same story, but a different date, because what hasn’t truly changed is the quality, character and credibility of our leadership.

We have an opportunity to go in a truly different direction – and to do so now.

My top priority as council president would be to restore confidence in local government – first and foremost by doing the public’s business in public, and not behind closed doors. As a political activist, I will offer tough decision making and a clear understanding of complex issues that will enable us to keep simple commitments like clean and safe streets.

At the same time we need a leader that truly understands the complexities of financing transformative developments through public-private partnerships, while at the same time tackling cycles of poverty, gang violence and general lack of opportunity that threaten many vulnerable Norristown young people and their families.

We need leadership that has truly listened to Norristown in all its diversity. As I participated in the search for a new police chief in 2013, I heard the strong opinions of black people who felt denied, white people who felt misunderstood and Latinos who felt profiled. I understood that being effective in Norristown is not quickly claiming to represent a town with so many competing identities and constituencies, but building trust and credibility as a listener and bridge builder.

My work with Latinos to support immigration reform, and young professionals to promote the arts, and with long-time natives to make grassroots groups strong and relevant, along with a clear commitment to intergovernmental cooperation to get money for anti-violence work, fair housing and economic development opportunities – it all speaks to the kind of leadership that cannot legislate change, but can help restore confidence – the confidence that inspires investment in a land development deal, a new home, a neighborhood playground, or a just a night out for dinner and theater in downtown.

On Monday, January 6, I want the public to know you can indeed determine who the next council president is if you speak up and speak out. I want your support. I might not be council’s choice, but I want to be the people’s choice for council president.

I want to further support the emerging and evolving civic engagement that has been steadily increasing in Norristown, and I want to turn frustrated activism based on opposition into faithful advocacy for our town based on confidence in our ability to broker opportunity – together.

Marlon Millner is councilman at large in Norristown, PA. Follow him on Facebook at Councilman Millner or on Twitter at NorristownPOL.

Marlon Millner Seeks Re-election to Norristown Council

For Immediate Release

Norristown Council Member Marlon Millner to Run for Re-election

(Norristown, PA) March, 13^th, 2013- Four years ago Marlon Millner sought office to bring more openness and new ideas to local government, a better use of tax dollars and a desire to reduce youth and gun violence in Norristown. There has been improvement in Norristown since he started in 2010, but for Millner the job is not finished.

"I'm running again because I believe strongly there is more work to be done that my voice is needed, and my desire to fight for residents' concerns is essential to making Norristown government work for more people."

The measurable improvement of Norristown for residents is Millner’s primary focus. During his four years in office Millner has worked with community leaders and Norristown police to confront youth violence so that Norristown can continue to attract new residents and businesses who accept Norristown’s value proposition. He has also been integrally involved in the search for the next police chief of Norristown.

“Residents are in agreement they want the very best police chief we can hire. And concerns about diversity, working across cultural contexts, community-police relations, and crime-fighting competency are front and center as I work with residents to find us the best person to lead our men and women who protect and serve.”

In addition to continuing to work to make the streets of Norristown safer, Millner has plans to address the needs of the community by working with already established programs such as “Weed and Seed” as well as working to come up with a plan for the Montgomery Hospital property. One of Millner’s goals is to have council build stronger relationships at the state and federal level to address pressing needs.

“I have worked to bring hundreds of thousands of dollars from the county, state and federal level through various programs and funding streams to improve Norristown. It’s pivotal that we maintain strong working relationships with other branches of government and manage these programs well.”

Millner lives in Norristown’s North End, and is a freelance communications professional. Over the past four years he has worked for a web-media start-up company, the financial services industry and presently is leading an awareness campaign to bridge the digital divide in the city of Philadelphia in collaboration with over 50 non-profit organizations. Millner is also a Christian minister, and serves a congregation in Willow Grove, PA as pastor. Marlon is happily married to Diana Aubourg Millner -- a philanthropy professional. They have two children, a 5-year-old son EJ and a 3-year-old daughter Imma.

Contact:
John Fennell
Campaign Manager

politicsjohnfennell@gmail.com
Phone # 484-897-0489

###

SIGN UP NOW for Forum for Cops and Youth Saturday Dec. 1.

Open Letter to Residents Who Met to Talk about Violence in Norristown

Greetings residents,

I'm sorry I cannot attend your meeting at Norris Hose Firehouse on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 28. I work as Christian clergy and I was obligated to conduct a worship service this afternoon at 3:30pm in Philadelphia.

I'm glad residents are mobilizing to express their concerns and to demand action. I fully support that effort.

I know full well all of us in Norristown have strong opinions and strong views about what the problems are, and from where the solutions ought to come. I won't spend my brief letter trying to disagree about problems or solutions.

I want to say a few things however.

First, if the full municipal council is asked to do something, to take some action, then I will first follow the proposals of the council president Gary Simpson and vice president William Caldwell. It is well known that I can express my own opinions, and will continue to do so, but any ordinance or funding action you want from council, I will start with their direction.

Second, I one thousand percent support a faith-based strategy to tackle youth violence. I am a true believer in the TenPoint model. Research the model for yourself. Do a background check for yourself.

http://www.sasnet.com/bostonstrategy/default.html

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/9740.htm


It will never work in Norristown unless some churches embrace it and I really hope they will embrace it.

Finally, grassroots organizations and grassroots leaders must effectively, positively and consistently engage county and state elected and appointed officials and find ways to work with business corporations and foundations. Being authentically grassroots will not necessarily lead to long-term viability and evidence of improved outcomes in the lives of youth.

http://www.justicepolicy.org/research/category/38

http://stoneleighfoundation.org/solutions

As I walked the streets late at night in Norristown, I actually saw kids who were part of grassroots groups, who went to churches, and who did well in school. We have to know the factors that will truly move the needle and address them.

We won't agree on everything, or every method. But I agree and stand with you that residents must act and speak up and make their voices heard.

Thank you and I look forward to working with you where you deem appropriate.

Winning the “fight” on youth violence

Over the past several weeks, youth violence has grabbed the headlines in Norristown. We haven’t had a dramatic incident, like the cold-blooded and calculated murder of a 16-year-old girl in an alley, like we had last year. On the other hand, it has been chilling to read about 12- and 14-year-olds getting into fights resulting in a stabbing.

I have remained silent, until now because I thought it was important to hear other voices on youth violence. I believe in Norristown, so-called leaders cannot compete for the microphone, or at least we should not. We need to amplify each other’s voices, and magnify each other’s efforts.

Police Can’t Do It All

I want to commend Norristown Police Chief Russell Bono for speaking out. His comments in a recent Times Herald column relay the position that the police cannot do it all, they need the community. As one expert said last year, communities are learning we cannot arrest our way out of this situation of violence.

Partners Must Build and Sustain Programs

Unlike some leaders, I have promoted what experts call evidence-based programming. In brief, the rates of contact with the criminal justice system among minority youth dictate we do more than demand parents raise kids, or kids should go to church. Research has shown even when a kid is not religious, or comes from a broken home, tutoring or mentoring programs, done consistently and over time, has positive outcomes on at-risk youth. Norristown has lacked capacity and or consistency with such programs. We know now, better than ever, how to target the kids most at-risk of getting caught in the criminal justice system. We can help them avoid incarceration with proven programs that work. But we can’t wait for the government grant or the big donor’s gift. We have to be willing to start now, with what we have and prove we can stick with it.

We Have to Try All Ideas Now

This year, Unity Day – held annually at MLK Park – reached more youth than it has in years. We have to keep up doing such activities. Weed & Seed just hosted a community forum to talk about really tackling the tensions between youth and police. And the Weed & Seed Chair, Rochelle Culbreath, has challenged other institutions to join Weed & Seed in this work. The Police Athletic League remains a consistent place of youth after-school programming. And there are volunteers who are willing to open it up late at night. We still need church, school, and business leaders to offer their ideas and programs. And we need our police department to redouble its efforts.

Let’s get every program doing everything it can do right now.

Rather than fighting over money, or who gets to do what, if everyone will do what they can, and share ideas, information and even resources, we can focus on the real enemy – the violence that claims too many young people in Norristown.

The Art of Economic Growth

There is a new painting in town – on a wall.

This mural – Norristown’s first – is designed to be a sign of a gateway to the municipality. But we hope it will be a gateway to economic growth in town through the arts as well.

Creativity and Capital Go Together

According to a study by the National Governors’ Association, the non-profit arts industry is a $36.8 billion business that supports 1.3 million jobs. That economic impact for civic good is magnified when you consider the benefits to governments: an estimated $790 million in revenue at the local level, $1.2 billion at the state level, and $3.4 billion at the federal level. Beyond the dollars and cents, the study also points out three important areas the arts impact.

The arts:

• Leverage human capital and cultural resources;
• Restore and revitalize communities
• Create vibrant public spaces
• Contribute to a region’s ability to innovate and attract those who are innovators

This impact has been demonstrated locally as well. The Avenue of the Arts in Philadelphia estimated that in 2006 arts in Philadelphia supported almost 6,000 jobs. And an estimated 1.9 million people supported the area, spending about $46 per person for meals, gifts, parking and more in a recent study.

 

Norristown Has Arts Impact Too! 

In Norristown, we have started to see the kind of impact the studies have demonstrated in Philadelphia and across the nation. In 2011, Theatre Horizon, which has shared space with another theater in the Montgomery County Cultural Center, launched plans to build a new theater in downtown Norristown. Located in the former Bell Telelphone Building at 401 Dekalb Street, the project generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in public and private investment, and the new 120-theater, will be our second venue downtown for the arts, launching in October. Theatre Horizon estimates they bring 1,000 to 1,200 visitors into Norristown for performances, and those people also spend money on other things, such as gifts, meals and parking. I have written before about what a night on the town in Norristown can look like because of the arts.

 

Art Reproduces Positive Results

 

Investment in the Arts enables more creativity and innovation, which in turn sparks more investment. Right after Theatre Horizon launched its bid to expand, the Cultural Center, also home to the Centre Theater, won funding to put a new set of lighted signs on its front façade.

And State Senator Daylin Leach won a state grant to produce the mural.

The County has also received funding from the William Penn Foundation to launch Creative Montco, which will help Norristown too.

The mural, which brought the town together for community planning and even painting, will only spark more creativity and more investment.

You can participate too.

Attend a show.

Support the Arts Festival.

Join the Arts Council!

Paint the town green, by spending leisure time and dollars in our Arts community!

If you can read this blog, you can get a job

We are in a presidential election cycle in 2012 and I heard someone say it is all about JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!

Indeed, economic issues are at the top of the list, and finding or keeping a good job is important to most Americans, and folks in Norristown. However, many people lack the skills they need to find a good job.

INTERNET? What’s That?

One of the biggest hurdles a person may have to overcome today to find a job is lack of knowledge about, or access to, the Internet. Now, if you are reading this blog, you are already way ahead of the game. But, let’s say someone had to type the address for you to find this blog, or if you could not follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you might not know everything you need to know about using the Internet to find a job.

Looking for a job? Go online!

According to research, 90 percent of all jobs advertised, may be found online. This means websites like Monster and CareerBuilder are the go-to places to find a job in today’s world. In fact, in the state of Pennsylvania, if you unfortunately are unemployed, you must register with CareerLink. And to use CareerLink, you must go online. You must be able to type and fill out forms and questionnaires online. Many people are intimidated about this – and maybe you are too! But you don’t have to be.

Digital Job Training is Available

I presently work for a program -- KEYSPOT -- that helps bridge the digital divide. I work to help people learn basic skills to use computers and navigate the Internet. The goal, empower them to do basic things like create a resume online, or yes, apply for a job at the millions of websites that list work openings. On July 30, 2012, I hosted more than 700 people at the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library for a digital job fair. Many people, for the first time, sat down at a computer and completed an application for a job.

Our job center for this fair was the new Einstein Medical Center – Montgomery, where they have pledged to hire up to 250 new positions. Obviously, we had more people than we had jobs. But they recommend two things that I recommend to you in order to use their jobs website.

You need:

Internet Access

An Email Address

If you lack those two things, consider going to the public library, where classes are offered for computers. You can learn how to use the Internet on a computer, and you can learn how to create and use an email address. 

There is no turning back. Now is the time. You can do it!