The city managers office sent the following email out yesterday:
All,
There are a number of common issues that have been raised during recent Greater Wards Corner Task Force meetings. Many of the issues are related to the Wards Corner Neighborhood Plan. We are attempting to find better ways to communicate meaningful information to task force members. However, currently the meetings are not structured in a way that creates opportunities to problem solve or opportunities to engage in productive conversations that are results oriented.
During the past month, we have heard these concerns from City Council members as well as residents and business owners in the Greater Wards Corner area. As a result of these dialogues, we are cancelling the next scheduled task force meeting (February 14) in order to gather additional feedback as we restructure the task force. During this period of time, we will solicit additional ideas and provide feedback to the task force members at the next scheduled meeting (March 13).
It is our intention that through this dialogue, we will establish a stronger task force which will include representation from each of the neighborhoods as well as representation from schools, hospitals, and other businesses. Our expectation is that the larger task force group will continue to meet on a regular basis and a smaller task-oriented group will meet more frequently. The key in both groups is to ensure that all stakeholders are at the table and that their concerns are heard.
Again, the Greater Wards Corner Task Force meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 14, 2008 has been cancelled. The next regularly scheduled task force meeting will be held on March 13, 2008.
Wards Corner Now - Wards Corner, Norfolk, Virginia 
Interesting… Guess we’ll see one another at the meeting on Tuesday evening, Feb. 26th, then.
It never ceases to amaze me at the audacity of the City Manager’s office. When a tax paying citizen expresses their view on issues in the city, which by the way is our right, the citizens get the shell game. Why is it that the City Managers office feels that the team is not strong enough? It appears that the City Manager does not like the comments that are being expressed at the Greater Wards Corner Task Force Meeting nor at the City Council meeting. I for one will not be detered by a cancelled meeting, if anything it energizes me more to look into the lack of activity from the City Manager’s office.