On Mon, Sep 28, 2015 at 4:40 PM, Nick Sadler  wrote:

Ms. [Erin] Salmon

My name is Nick Sadler and I work as a Policy Analyst in the City Council Office.

We understand that you have been contacting various departments throughout the City in an effort to gather information about the Lorimer Drive Street and Sidewalk Improvements that was approved by council in September. To better serve this effort I have been asked to  be the point of contact for you moving forward. Any request for information should be sent to me. Once I receive the request I will ensure that it gets to the correct staff  and ensure that you get the information you request.

I appreciate your understanding of this. If you have any questions please let me know.

Nick

Nick Sadler, Policy Analyst

City of Raleigh | City Manager’s Office

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On Sep 29, 2015, at 12:09 AM, Erin Salmon wrote:

Hello Nick,

Thank you for your email.  I am curious who asked you to be the point person for directing my questions.  Prior to your email, I spoke at length with Chris Johnson, and he asked that I direct my questions to himself and to Jimmy Upchurch.  To oblige you all, I will copy the three of you on future emails.

In any case, I believe your assistance will be invaluable for my neighborhood’s future.  This project has created a huge divide within our quiet streets, and I have been working hard since September 1 to bridge this divide, to find common ground where neighbors can work together to address concerns and issues.  The petition process itself has generated much of the contention that residents feel.  I believe that this could have been avoided had the city been more involved during that time before the petition was submitted and before the resolution went before the Council.  I know that many residents did email and call the appropriate city staff to ask questions and voice concerns, myself included. However, not all calls and emails were answered, and the information that was given to various residents was contradictory to some of the information I have gathered from the city’s website as well as from direct conversations with the departments and divisions pertinent to this project.  There continue to be unanswered questions from residents, and as a neighborhood, we have been meeting frequently over the past four weeks to sort through the information that has been gathered since September 1.

We have another meeting scheduled on Monday October 5 from 7-9 pm at the Western Boulevard Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall.  I invite you to attend, as your knowledge of city policy and council procedures is exactly what residents need at this time.

Chris Johnson is unable to attend due to his class schedule, and Jimmy Upchurch is currently out of the office.  I had planned to call Jimmy on Wednesday, but if you are able to reach him and inform him of this meeting, I would greatly appreciate your help.  In addition, Scott Bryant or anyone from Stormwater Management would also be invaluable to our discussion.  Stormwater issues are a huge problem for many residents in our neighborhood and have been for many years, yet many property owners are unaware of the Drainage Assistance Program that our city offers.  I was informed today, however, that someone from Stormwater Management would attend if Chris Johnson or Jimmy Upchurch thought it important, as the Lorimer Road project is theirs.  I do not understand this, as Stormwater Management has already been involved in a cursory evaluation for this project according to public records.  In addition, residents on Onslow Road, who deal with some of the worst flooding and erosion problems in our neighborhood, are not on this project.  Therefore, it is puzzling to me why there needs to be approval from the Design/Construction Division to have a representative from Stormwater available to answer these residents’ questions.  Is there any light you can shed on this reasoning?

Thank you again for reaching out to me, and I look forward to your help.

Sincerely,

Erin Salmon

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From: Erin Salmon
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2015 7:32 AM
To: Sadler, Nick
Subject: Re: Lorimer Road Improvements

Hi Nick,

One more comment, perhaps Sharon Banks, the Community Relations Administrator would be helpful at our meeting. According to the city’s website, she “resolves issues raised by citizens regarding City services and processes.”

I would like to work with you, as you have requested. In order to serve my community, however, I will contact staff relevant to our inquiries, if our requests are unanswered through this channel. Particularly with our meeting coming up in less than a week, as we would like help reestablishing trust and connection within our neighborhood and with the city.

Thanks again,

Erin

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From: “Sadler, Nick”
Date: September 29, 2015 at 11:06:16 AM EDT
To: Erin Salmon
Cc: “Buonpane, Louis”
Subject: RE: Lorimer Road Improvements

Erin

I was instructed to ask that you funnel all information requests through me from the Chief of Staff Louis Buonpane, who is included on this email. Given the information that you shared in your email I believe that it would be best for me to schedule a meeting with you, Mr. Buonpane and myself. I would request that you call me, at the number below, so that I can determine a time that works for all three of us.

Any inquires for Public Information should go directly to the Public Affairs Office….

Thanks,

Nick Sadler

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