2. What a Time to be Inspired
In the coming months, we will follow up with each team to share progress and see how they are
changing Charlotte for the better. To learn more about each project, visit charlottenc.gov/civicinnovation.
The second round of the Knight Cities Challenge recently concluded, soliciting innovative ideas from thinkers
across the nation that will make cities smarter and more successful. Top submissions will receive a portion of a
$5 million grant that will be used to bring these ideas to life. Last year, three city of Charlotte teams submitted
winning ideas which are well underway.
No Barriers Project
Led by Sarah Hazel (CMO), Eugene Bradley (N&BS), Amy Nicholson (N&BS)
and Ashley Simmons (Mayor’s Office), this team’s goal is to bring down
barriers that divide neighborhoods. After selecting three neighborhoods
to focus their sights on - Genesis Park, Brightwalk and Park at Oaklawn
- the team identified Anita Stroud Park as a physical barrier and is
encouraging residents to reimagine and turn the space into a catalyst for
inspiration and reinvigorate the connection between the neighborhoods.
Take 10
Sometimes all it takes is learning more about one another. The Take
10 initiative, created by Alyssa Dodd (E&PM), Cindy Clemens (HR),
Wilson Hooper (CMO), Brian Wilson (E&PM) and Sam Smith (project
intern) have rounded up 150 city employees to engage 5,000 Charlotte
residents to learn how we can make the city better one conversation
at a time. At the end of the campaign, the results will be compiled and
analyzed for a deeper look into our community.
Public Swings
Beyond sweet tea, there isn’t much that’s more southern than
porch swings. This idea aims to leverage this staple of the south to build
community. The team, consisting of Tom Warshauer (N&BS), Chandler
Crofts (E&PM), Jason Lawrence (CATS) and Veronica Wallace (E&PM), will
install swings in commercial centers and near school bus stops along
Central Avenue in an effort to connect Charlotte’s millenial and immigrant
communities. They will create a unifying element, making the sidewalk
and bus stops a new civic front porch.
3. Assistant City manager Hyong Yi asks the We Love CLT crowd, “If you love this
city and love the neighborhood that you’re a part of, how can you not be actively
engaged?”
The Yi
Theory
There’s something happening in Charlotte. There’s a
spur of innovation and collaboration, and an increasing
willingness to play a part in building and bettering our
community. We see it internally at events like the City
Manager’s Awards, where employees are praised for going
above and beyond the call of duty to make the city a better
place. Within the community, there are dozens of initiatives
that look to connect and introduce Charlotteans to new
experiences. Earlier this month, one of our very own
Assistant City Managers and an exciting new intiative were
on full display.
We Love CLT, is a grassroots effort founded with one
central purpose: to bring the people of Charlotte together,
one introduction at a time. Over the past 10 months, the
group has hosted ‘talks’ featuring regular Joe’s and up-and-
comers willing to share their personal experiences living
in Charlotte. The latest introduction, and the final We Love
CLT talk, was conducted by Assistant City Manager
Hyong Yi.
During the talk, Yi, better known as @budgetbadger in
the Twitterverse, shared the BEST story that he has, and
shared some insight on how he approaches his work in
government. But he spent most of his time talking about
the most important aspect of Charlotte: the people.
An overarching theme throughout the talk spoke to
the importance of deepening relationships and more
specifically, breaking down barriers that exist between
the pubic and local government. To put it simply, Yi’s
underlying premise goes back to the age-old saying it takes
a village. It takes every person and every entity within a
community to support one another to make a city truly
great. Great cities aren’t great on their own, it’s the people
that inhabit a city that define and make it exceptional.
Yi challenged the crowd and essentially everyone in
Charlotte, to be an active participant in building a better
community. Whether it’s on the job or in your spare time,
the actions you take to connect, engage or try new things
will make Charlotte a truly exceptional city.
To watch an excerpt from Hyong Yi’s We Love CLT talk, click
the photo on the right. To watch the full talk, click here.
PLAY
4.
5. Brown, an Ohio native, is the records management liaison within
Engineering & Property Management (E&PM) and is tasked with
managing records for the entire department. She shares the details
of her day-to-day responsbilities and insight on the importance of
records management.
CROWN: What’s your official title with the city of Charlotte?
Nyota Brown: My official title is Engineering & Property
Management records manager.
C: Share a little bit about your professional background?
NB: Before I moved to Charlotte I was the human resource and
operations manager in the private sector in Ohio. This position
helped me hone in on my skills and love for gaining information.
C: Describe your day-to-day management of city records.
NB: My routine consists of reviewing files and analyzing the accuracy
and validity of the records. To accurately achieve that goal, I verify
that the documentation is correct and necessary to retain and I
monitor the citywide records management request website for new
engineering requests. I also serve as the intermediary between the
engineering liaisons and the City Manager’s Office. In addition to my
role as records manager, I am the records liaison for the contracts
section of E&PM.
As records manager, I oversee all of the records for E&PM. Each
division within the department has a liaison that provides me
with reports of the records that pertain to their particular areas.
Records could range from administrative paperwork such as
meeting minutes, copies of personnel files and policy and procedure
manuals, to deeds and mapping/survey records.
C: In your time here with the city, how many records do you
think you’ve had to analyze/file?
NB: Oh, that is a hard question to answer. You have to understand
that when we started this venture we had boxes on top of boxes full,
storage rooms full, and even some in personal office space. But with
the help of my team we have weeded through the storage rooms
and boxes to bring us up to State standards and free up a little more
space.
C: Why is records management so important?
NB: This is important to gain functionality and structure while
limiting liability. The state of North Carolina provides a records
retention and disposition schedule to achieve this goal.
C: What’s the most enjoyable part of your job? The hardest?
NB: Purging! Cleaning up and cleaning out unnecessary files is the
most enjoyable part of my job. The hardest is probably easing the
fear of purging for others.
C: What’s an interesting fact you’ve learned about public
records management?
In answering a citizen’s request for a record we want to make sure
not to create new records in answering their question. A great
example of this would be if a citizen wanted to know if I attended
any council-related meeting and if so, the number of meetings
attended.
Because we do not sign in at any meeting, the only way to provide
this information would be to go through my calendar and provide
the dates and related information if it is documented. If it does not
exist as a record, we would not create a new record to answer a
citizen’s request.
During the course of the interview, we discovered that our attempt at a
clever play on the records theme was more relevant than we thought.
Turns out, Nyota is a pretty serious vinyl collector.
C: How did you start your collection?
NB: I [started out by] purchasing a few on my own, but when my
father found out that I had gained a desire for vinyl, he gave me is
collection.
C: Of all the albums that you own, which vinyl is your favorite?
NB: Stevie Wonder – “I’ll Be Loving You Always” from Songs in the
Key of Life.
C: What’s the one album you want to add to your collection?
NB: Michael Jackson - Thriller.
Keeping the Record Straight
Public records have become a hot topic in the world of government, especially as we continue to build trust and
transparency with the public. But with all of the hard-copy documents, digital files, emails and photos created
by government employees, properly maintaining these records can be a daunting task. Good thing we’ve got
Nyota Brown.
6. September Service Awards
Five Years
Adam Ulery, Fire
Angel Satmiento, CDOT
Ashleigh Price, E&PM
Bradley Allen, Fire
Brian Rushing, CDOT
Calvin Hall, Fire
Charles Auten Jr., Fire
David Castaneda, Aviation
Gregory Sherrell, Fire
Guillermo Vazquez, Charlotte Water
Henry Calle, Fire
Hunter Meadows, Fire
Jessica Garon, Fire
John Homan, Fire
Joseph Blumberg, Fire
Karen Weatherly, Attorney’s Office
Kenneth Williams, CDOT
Megan Akstin, Fire
Morgan Frazier, Police
Nicole Young, CATS
Reginald Blackmon Jr., Fire
Stacey Palmer, City Manager’s Office
Stephen Warren, M&FS
Thomas Powers III, Attorney’s Office
Travis Matthews, Fire
Timothy Porter, E&PM
Willie Young, Aviation
Ten Years
Allison Naftel, N&BS
Ashleigh Kemp, Police
Bernice Peay, CATS
Bruce Maki, Solid Waste Services
Jennifer Robson, M&FS
Jesse Fox, Police
Kimberlee Burch-Vann, CATS
Laura Benton, CATS
Timothy Taylor, CATS
Travis Mumbulo, N&BS
Fifteen Years
Casey Dowell, Police
Clara Proffitt, Charlotte Water
Donald Moore, N&BS
Glen Stuart, Police
James Ware, Charlotte Water
Jason Peetz, Police
Jessica Smith, Police
Julie Barry, Police
Marqvis Rhyne, CDOT
Maurice Tillman, Aviation
Michael Blee, Police
Olin Lester, Police
Pamela White, CATS
Phillip Reiger, CDOT
Ron Kimble, Deputy City Manager
Sheryl Haig, Charlotte Water
Tracey Kirchhofer, Police
Wendy Cashion, Charlotte Water
Wesley Terry, Police
Yassir Basulto, Police
Twenty-five Years
Albert Pisano, Police
Angela Caroway, Police
Brian Cunningham, Police
Gina Black, Police
Gordon Ogilvie, Police
Jimmie Gaddy, Solid Waste Services
John Hurlocker Jr., Police
Kevin Dozier, Police
Kevin Edwards, N&BS
Kelvin Isom, CDOT
Lee Oehler, Police
Lisa Goelz, Police
Marty Baucom, Police
Michael Sloop, Police
Muriel Hughes, Police
Paul Siler, Police
Stephen Whitesel, Police
Thomas Barry, Police
William Carey, Police
William Walther, Police
Thirty Years
Dee Crayton, Charmeck 311
