Free Write: Open Accessibility to City Government

The City of Phoenix is surprisingly accessible in terms of being able to speak to officials personally. Of course there is a particular way of going about it, but it is not too much trouble.

An example is speaking with city planning. There is a clear and concise way of moving through lines quickly to speak with a representative to get proper permits and ask any questions.

The city has a great website that is easy to navigate and also very informative. There are bright big areas to link all kinds of information to the public. This was a big factor for me to intern here because I believe the government should be very open in its operations. On the homepage, there is direct access to schedules for all meetings and takes place of public posting of these meetings. What is also really nice about this calendar of events is the links I provides to all documentation needed to be educated about the particular meeting.

The way the city organized its tabs makes it to where residents of Phoenix can look up their areas of interest well before physically having to come to city hall. I have seen that it makes for less time wasted and a better atmosphere in the building.

Most importantly, the adherence to closed-meeting laws is extremely prevalent in this organization and is shown especially between council members in the city council meetings.

From this screenshot of the Phoenix website, city business is clearly shown to the public.

Demonstrating Public Service...

In my opinion, City Council and Mayor’s office are the two parts of city government that demonstrate public service well. The mayor has many staff members that can help in different ways. Some use their skills to help individuals with concerns, and other help with organizing the mayor’s schedule.

Like the mayor’s office, each district has staff attending to the district’s needs and also to help with the needs of the councilmember elected to that district. Each of these elected officials takes their responsibility as representatives of their voters very seriously and is it shown in the professionalism of their work.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the effect their work has with regard to public service is how broad the scope of service really is in how it requires many areas of the city. From education, to economic development, to general concerns about public works, these officials and staff work hard to come up with positive solution to different problems. Also, they work to better the city for the future.

Most significantly, the entire city government, as an organization, is completely for the promotion of teaching and mentoring the next generation of public service professionals. Everywhere I turn, there are intern, staff and job shadowing that occur that make me proud to be a part of Phoenix government.

Finally, the city is moving towards becoming friendlier for international companies to do business. There are many things going on promoting investment and economic development to support a growing city population with jobs and opportunity.

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City Council Chambers

Free Write: Quick Description of Phoenix City Hall

Working in City Hall has let me see the organization as a whole, starting with where thing are located on a floor by floor basis.

Towards the bottom of the building, there is a coffee stand and meeting room where sub-committees hold meetings. This is all adjacent to a small art gallery, which is nice to visit on down times. Attached to city hall is the Orpheum Theater. There is much history at this venue and I would encourage all to take a tour.

Going up to the second floor, you will find records and planning, and permits. This floor can be pretty hectic in that there are many people trying to get business done. Personally, I have spent time here with constituent concerns and have found that these people working are really a professional bunch.

From floors 3 to 10 there are service divisions such as city works and retirement office. The most useful, in my opinion, to citizens of Phoenix is the Neighborhood Services Administration. Hands down, these workers have been the most helpful when constituents of District 8 have issues that require us to look into.

The rest of the building has other important areas like economic development, city clerk, and finance. But, on floor 11 and 12 there are the city council, mayor, and city manager’s offices. These are all secured areas where badges are required. Everyone here is very friendly and helps anyone that has a concern. The people who have offices here make many different decisions, but discussions are limited due to Arizona closed-door laws. Everyone is very mindful of this fact and it is never a problem.  The best part for me is when I am allowed to sit in on meetings with high-level people involved. There are topics discussed that affect many people, which makes them important to many in the city’s government.

Free Write: Update- Evolution of Service Event

It was a really great time where many veterans showed support for our efforts, as well as many young, unaffiliated students who learned about the armed forces and what is like to serve. Brian Fore, President of the Student Veteran's Association downtown, and I were glad to talk to so many interested people.

There were more then enough giveaway items for veterans, such as shirts and schools supplies. Also, there were many different organizations supporting veteran’s issues there offering support to those who asked. There was a great moment when I met a student veteran that said how glad he was that we put that event on because he would have never have know about the Student Veteran’s Association otherwise! Honestly, seeing that many people spend so much time in organization and promotion of an event with this much meaning was really touching.

Many of my former colleagues and staff I know from the university showed up to support. Ultimately, this event was extremely successful and I am really happy to have the opportunity to be involved.

Brian Fore and I at the event.

How leadership plays a role in my internship...

Leadership is core to my experience with the Phoenix City Council. Everyone I encounter has shown or shows leadership on a daily basis. Also, with that leadership there is a large component of patience involved because interns do not know much of the process or people involved.

Unfortunately, I am not able to demonstrate leadership skills around my peers, however it takes leadership to be able to move from one area of city hall to another efficiently and effectively. This movement is require many times to get answers for constituents. There have been quite a few times where I had to be forceful in my tone and approach to come across to different departments the importance of the projects I have worked on.

The council members display leadership all of the time. It takes that mentality to lead in an environment with many people with bold personalities. Another thing is that there is a particular sense of responsibility that they have which seems to drive them to be the best they can for their districts. I really enjoy learning and seeing their ways of leading and have had a great time so far!