May 12, 2009 - The City of Minneapolis Department of Neighborhood and Community Relations announced today that applications are now being sought for the eight neighborhood representatives to the City's Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission (NCEC). The NCEC is a 16 member, resident based commission which will provide direction to the next phase of NRP and the City's community engagement work. The NCEC has eight members elected by the neighborhoods, five members appointed by the City Council, two members appointed by the Mayor and one member appointed by the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. The City Council, Mayoral and Park Board appointments are complete.

The NCEC will work directly with the newly established Neighborhood and Community Relations Department of the City of Minneapolis. This department will work on supporting:

1) Neighborhood Vitality: Supporting the ongoing work of the neighborhood organizations,
2) Access and Outreach: Strengthening the link between the City, neighborhoods, community organizations, and all residents of Minneapolis,
3) Community Participation and Engagement: Supporting the principles of community engagement,
4) Support to the City Enterprise: Incorporating the work of neighborhoods and city departments, and
5) Strategic Partnerships: Building broader support for neighborhood and community engagement work through partnerships with institutions, corporations and foundations.

The Call for Applications represents an opportunity to engage new residents and communities as well as existing leadership in this work. The Department of Neighborhood and Community Relations encourages people to help identify and seek applicants that represent all the residents of the city.

Some highlights of the application process:

* The application process opens today and continues until 4:00 pm, Tuesday, May 26th.
* The neighborhood members represent 8 different geographic districts in the city. The neighborhood organizations will be electing their members to the NCEC beginning June 1.
* The NCEC will be meeting monthly at various locations around the city. All of the NCEC meetings will be televised and open to the public.
* The first NCEC meeting will be Tuesday, June 23rd.
* To be eligible, applicants must be 18 years of age and a resident in the district they intend to represent.

Attached is the complete candidate application form including eligibility requirements, voting district and NCEC background information.

For more information or to see a map of the neighborhood districts, please visit the City of Minneapolis website at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ncr.


NCEC Candidate Application Packet





####