District 2 City Councilmember Goldie Wells is holding a town hall meeting on Thursday, Jan. 16 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Bennett College Global Learning Center at 521 Gorrell St.
City Councilmember Justin Outling is holding his monthly “Java with Justin” on Friday, Jan. 17 at 8:30 a.m. at Dolce Aroma coffee shop at 233 N. Elm St.
Wells emphasizes issues of particular importance to District 2 residents, but the meetings are open to the public and the topics discussed during the town hall portion are wide ranging, or at least as wide as Greensboro.
At the town hall meetings hosted by Wells, there are usually brief presentations, and this one has three. There will be a presentation on the US Census, which begins in a couple of months, and no doubt the importance or making sure everyone gets counted will be emphasized. Not only is the representation in Congress and the state legislature determined by the population, but also many federal grants and appropriations are based on the Census figures for the area.
There will also be an introduction to Oak Street Health: Doctors for Adults on Medicare at 1007 Summit Ave. and an update on community housing solutions.
Wells runs a good meeting and provides ample opportunity for people to speak as long as they are polite.
Outling holds a Java with Justin on the Friday prior to the City Council business meeting on the third Tuesday of the month.
Of all the town halls and community conversations held by city councilmembers, Outling’s are the most informal. Outling describes the participants as “diverse” and the discussions as “eclectic.” The meetings usually begin with Outling giving a brief overview of the more noteworthy items on the agenda for the next City Council meeting and the conversations can go anywhere from there.
It is usually a group of less than 10, so anyone who wants to speak, ask a question or introduce a topic for discussion has an opportunity.
