Austin City Council Taskforce on running/tri events
I got this email and thought I would pass it on here in case you guys haven't gotten it.
On Mon, 8/11/08, wrote:
-----
Hello friends!
Apologies for this very long note.
As some of you may know, I am on a City Council Task Force that has
been charged with finding some remedies to the disruption to downtown
traffic caused by special events. The Task Force consists of 16 citizens who represent various stakeholders in the issue.
So here's the situation:
· Two-thirds of the task force represent 'aggrieved parties' who seek
to limit and control running events and triathlons.
· I am the only race director on the task force. Paul Carrozza is a
co-chair and he is obviously on the side of event promotion.
· Even though over 60% of the special events in the downtown central
business district are street festivals or parades, not a single street
festival or parade organizer is on the task force.
· It is no longer possible to add new members to the task force.
· The task force will likely take a hard stance on downtown running
events but any recommendations adopted by the city council may also be
applied city-wide.
· The rich and varied running events that have defined Austin as a
'fit-city', generated millions, upon millions of dollars for the local
economy and the local non-profit community are at high risk of being
over-regulated and in some cases priced out of existence in the next
six to twelve months.
Here's the challenge
· If we don't advocate for our running events, then nobody else
will.
· A city council member once remarked to me, that after a race, she
only hears from people who are angry and inconvenienced. She never
hears from people thanking the city or complimenting a race or the charity
that benefitted from the race.
· If we can get 18,000 people out to run the Cap 10K or 22,000 people
out to run the Komen Race for the Cure, then can we get 100 people to
email City Council Members this week, to tell them that running events are
important to this community and our non-profits?
Can we get 100 people to come to the next Task Force Meeting and the one after that and the one after that one until we make our point that runners are not anonymous or invisible people.
Can we get 10 people at each meeting to get on the citizens communication part of the agenda to tell the task force of how important running events are to them personally?
If we can make our voices heard, then perhaps we can re-establish the
balance that is missing in the composition of the task force.
A solution needs to be generated that reflects a true compromise. We will get there, but so far, the only public energy is from the side that would like to see Austin running events go away. The silence of the runners is deafening.
In the last three meetings, the only people speaking during the
citizens communication part of the agenda are angry, aggrieved people.
No runners or race organizers have spoken.
I would like to ask you to contact 5 of your running buddies and ask
them to attend one or more of our task force meetings. I would ask that they let the chairman know that they would like to address the task force for 3 minutes during the citizens communication period. 10 people are
allowed to speak at this time. They can say anything they want and the task force will listen. They might want to give the task force three simple messages:
1. Running events benefit the city economy and its non-profits.
2. Running events help define Austin as a fit and desirable city
3. Running events contribute to the health and wellness of the entire
community.
If they don't wish to speak, their presence will still be noted by the
task force. We need runners to take an interest in this process and make
their voices heard.
The task force will meet on an every-other- Monday schedule, always at
5:00 p.m. in room 1029 at City Hall. I will alert you to any changes.
Please let me know if you are willing to come and if you or others
would like to be put on the citizens communication part of the agenda.
Meetings usually last 2 hours but the citizens communication period is first on the agenda and is over in 15 to 20 minutes.
Thanks for your time!
Best regards,
John Conley
Race Director, Nike Human Race 10K- Austin
Race Director, The Austin Marathon & Half Marathon
P.O Box 684587
Austin, Texas 78768
www.conleysports. com
racetheworld@ conleysports. com
On Mon, 8/11/08, wrote:
-----
Hello friends!
Apologies for this very long note.
As some of you may know, I am on a City Council Task Force that has
been charged with finding some remedies to the disruption to downtown
traffic caused by special events. The Task Force consists of 16 citizens who represent various stakeholders in the issue.
So here's the situation:
· Two-thirds of the task force represent 'aggrieved parties' who seek
to limit and control running events and triathlons.
· I am the only race director on the task force. Paul Carrozza is a
co-chair and he is obviously on the side of event promotion.
· Even though over 60% of the special events in the downtown central
business district are street festivals or parades, not a single street
festival or parade organizer is on the task force.
· It is no longer possible to add new members to the task force.
· The task force will likely take a hard stance on downtown running
events but any recommendations adopted by the city council may also be
applied city-wide.
· The rich and varied running events that have defined Austin as a
'fit-city', generated millions, upon millions of dollars for the local
economy and the local non-profit community are at high risk of being
over-regulated and in some cases priced out of existence in the next
six to twelve months.
Here's the challenge
· If we don't advocate for our running events, then nobody else
will.
· A city council member once remarked to me, that after a race, she
only hears from people who are angry and inconvenienced. She never
hears from people thanking the city or complimenting a race or the charity
that benefitted from the race.
· If we can get 18,000 people out to run the Cap 10K or 22,000 people
out to run the Komen Race for the Cure, then can we get 100 people to
email City Council Members this week, to tell them that running events are
important to this community and our non-profits?
Can we get 100 people to come to the next Task Force Meeting and the one after that and the one after that one until we make our point that runners are not anonymous or invisible people.
Can we get 10 people at each meeting to get on the citizens communication part of the agenda to tell the task force of how important running events are to them personally?
If we can make our voices heard, then perhaps we can re-establish the
balance that is missing in the composition of the task force.
A solution needs to be generated that reflects a true compromise. We will get there, but so far, the only public energy is from the side that would like to see Austin running events go away. The silence of the runners is deafening.
In the last three meetings, the only people speaking during the
citizens communication part of the agenda are angry, aggrieved people.
No runners or race organizers have spoken.
I would like to ask you to contact 5 of your running buddies and ask
them to attend one or more of our task force meetings. I would ask that they let the chairman know that they would like to address the task force for 3 minutes during the citizens communication period. 10 people are
allowed to speak at this time. They can say anything they want and the task force will listen. They might want to give the task force three simple messages:
1. Running events benefit the city economy and its non-profits.
2. Running events help define Austin as a fit and desirable city
3. Running events contribute to the health and wellness of the entire
community.
If they don't wish to speak, their presence will still be noted by the
task force. We need runners to take an interest in this process and make
their voices heard.
The task force will meet on an every-other- Monday schedule, always at
5:00 p.m. in room 1029 at City Hall. I will alert you to any changes.
Please let me know if you are willing to come and if you or others
would like to be put on the citizens communication part of the agenda.
Meetings usually last 2 hours but the citizens communication period is first on the agenda and is over in 15 to 20 minutes.
Thanks for your time!
Best regards,
John Conley
Race Director, Nike Human Race 10K- Austin
Race Director, The Austin Marathon & Half Marathon
P.O Box 684587
Austin, Texas 78768
www.conleysports. com
racetheworld@ conleysports. com