They've sued to block a Wal-Mart, conducted sound studies to
prevent a test race track and helped form a legal aid program for
new immigrants.
From neighborhood organizations to committees that craft land-use
plans, ordinary residents throughout the Charlotte region are
working to chart the area's future. They're making sure it's not
just business leaders and politicians making all the decisions.
When it comes to dealing with growth, half of area residents
believe citizens should take the lead, according to a recent
Charlotte Observer survey. Not government agencies, elected
officials or private business.
"As citizens, we shouldn't sit around and assume someone
else is going to help with the issue," said Greg Coffey,
co-president of the East Lincoln Betterment Association. "We
are that someone else."
Three-quarters of those surveyed said they're somewhat or very
willing to get involved with a public group to work on growth
issues.
With the region's rapid growth over the past decade, community
involvement is becoming more important. Areas outside Mecklenburg
are facing increasing development pressure, while Charlotte is
deciding the appropriate places for high-density and suburban
growth.
Carolyn Lukensmeyer, whose nonprofit AmericaSpeaks shepherded
grassroots conversations about what should replace the World Trade
Center, believes public activism is at the same level today as the
1960s and 70s. But, she said, it has shifted from a federal to local
focus.
"Most people have given up believing they can impact the
federal government, so their activism is locally based," she
said.
Research at Harvard University, however, has found a dramatic
drop in public involvement across the board. Social interaction --
from voting to trust of strangers -- has declined a quarter to a
third since the late 1960s.
"Whether it's going to church ... or joining a local
organization that you care about or voting, all those things have
gone down," said Thomas Sander, executive director of Harvard's
Saguaro Seminar, which focuses on civic engagement.
Television and sprawl play into that, Sander said. According to
research, every 10 minutes of commuting cuts civic involvement by 10
percent, he said. And by watching TV, residents spend less time
interacting directly with others.
Technology could make engagement easier, Sander said. Residents
could meet monthly and then reinforce those relationships through
e-mail.
A 2001 Harvard study found that residents in the Charlotte area
are more generous with their time and money than much of the rest of
the country. While residents here are more involved in formal
organizations, they interact socially less often than in other
areas, the research found.
Residents here also are less trusting of people, including
neighbors, co-workers and those of a different race.
Judy Brown is one of those residents who doesn't believe
political involvement pays off.
For years, she and her family members sent out fliers and
attended public meetings to block development near their northern
Mecklenburg County farm. They've mostly given up.
"We're tired of it. We've been to the meetings. We've voiced
our concerns," she said. "Nothing's changed."
Often, residents get involved only when there's a project in
their neighborhood -- the phenomenon of "not in my
backyard," said Gordon Whitaker, professor at UNC's Institute
of Government.
"That's one reason that governments often try to help
educate citizens and get them involved in ... thinking through
public decisions earlier," he said
Mary Hopper, chairwoman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning
Commission, said residents need to look at the good of the city
rather than just fighting development near them.
"It becomes increasingly important that we think in a larger
picture, and that's just hard to do," Hopper said.
She said it's tough to convince residents to support
higher-density development near them. But adding more residents near
uptown makes better use of city services and cuts down on how much
people have to drive, she said.
Strength in numbers
At the same time, efforts are under way to increase civic
involvement in the region.In University City, for example, a
citizens' group is looking at ways to boost activism. Members are
considering an annual festival and signs to mark the area.
Friday, the Charlotte-based Lee Institute, an organization
focused on building community leadership, is holding a forum of more
than 100 citizens to consider the region's future challenges.
Cabarrus County's Debbie Rater, who successfully fought to keep
her neighborhood from being shifted to Mecklenburg when questions
surfaced over the county line's location, said there's strength in
numbers.
"If it was just me fighting that thing, they wouldn't have
listened to me. They wouldn't have given me the time of day,"
she said. "If you just sit back and let (government) do
everything for you, you have to take what you get and you don't have
any room for complaint."
One nearby Cabarrus resident, Bruce Hoff, sends regular e-mail
messages to residents to update them on rezonings and other issues,
and operates a neighborhood Web site.
In Mecklenburg County alone, there are more than 600 neighborhood
organizations registered with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning
Commission. Cheryl Neely, principal planner, said she has seen the
numbers increase in recent years.
Part of that increase, she said, is because developers of new
subdivisions often form neighborhood associations to care for common
areas. But activism in urban neighborhoods, she said, also is on the
rise.
"There just seems to be an interest overall among the
residents to look out for the well being of their
neighborhood," Neely said.
Arena fallout
Lukensmeyer believes the Charlotte City Council's decision to
build an uptown arena -- despite a referendum against it -- could
hurt resident involvement.
Sander said it could go either way. The arena could mobilize some
residents to get more involved. Or, he said, it could drive cynical
voters to turn their backs on the political process.
Charlotte council member Lynn Wheeler, an arena supporter, hopes
the council's decision doesn't lead to less activism. Wheeler
believes many residents voted against the referendum because they
didn't like the owners of the Hornets, Charlotte's former NBA
franchise.
"It's been my experience ... that the residents of Charlotte
have a tremendous impact on what happens in the community,"
Wheeler said. "I tell people that they have more power than
they think."
Want to Get Involved?
• To get involved in your
neighborhood association in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, call city planner
Cheryl Neely at (704) 336-2672.
• To have Charlotte planners
explain to your neighborhood group how the planning and zoning
process works, call Joyce Gillon at (704) 336-8315.
• Interested in joining a
board or commission such as the planning board, library board of
trustees or parks and recreation commission? Log on to the county
Web sites to learn more about them, download forms or find out about
vacancies.
For information, contact the county in which you reside:
N.C.
(area code 704 unless noted)
Anson: 694-3516, ext. 3
Cabarrus: 920-2110
Catawba: (828) 465-8209
Cleveland: 484-4800
Gaston: 866-3196
Iredell: 878-3058
Lincoln: 736-8473
Mecklenburg: 336-2559; Charlotte: 336-7493
Rowan: 636-0361
Stanly: 986-3602
Union: 283-3853
S.C.
Lancaster: (803) 285-1565
York: (803) 684-8599
Chester: (803) 385-5133
