Councilor Lukes Demands Gifts To City Be Vetted Prior to Approval
Tuesday, August 05, 2014
Lukes brought up the order to the members of the City Council in order to unify the process in which the city vets such donations in the hopes that through a proper process, the city won’t be faced with an embarrassing situation in the future.
“I think we out to be more thorough on how we handle some of these issues to prevent embarrassing ourselves as a city,” said Lukes. “The issue of vetting donations has been an issue that has come up on more than a few crime and community watch meetings. It occurred to me after I filed this that probably the easiest way of dealing with this donations issue as it has been raised on a neighborhood level is to have guidelines to place an individuals name on any installation on public property.”
Worcester recently saw a controversy come to light when concerns rose about a dedicated bench in University Park. If a proper protocol was in place, the arguments could have been vetted prior to the bench’s implementation, creating a lot less controversy for the city and the neighborhood.
A Better Protocol
Councilor Lukes wants to see a better process in place for vetting donations to the city, a process that is clear, defined, and takes all aspects of the situation into account.
Ultimately, Lukes would like to see the protocol take into account the person in question’s prior achievements and Worcester connection to determine whether or not the donation is just.
Additionally, Lukes would like to see the decision come down to a decision by whichever commission the donation would preside under, whether the local commission that presides over parks, schools, or streets and roadways.
Awaiting Results
Many of the councilors and neighborhood groups are waiting to hear the results of Councilor Luke’s inquiry to the City Manager, hoping to create a policy if a clear one does not already exist.
Because many Worcester residents are passionate about their neighborhoods and their local parks, this is something that could ultimately impact the future of city donations.
“I think that vetting donations to the city is definitely something to look into more,” said Bill Breault of the Main South Alliance for Public Safety. “It is an issue that has previously come up in Main South meetings; it definitely warrants attention.”
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