In April the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council (EGNC) will be holding elections for the following officer positions:

• Chair
• Vice-chair
• Secretary
• Treasurer

These positions are all currently occupied but should not go uncontested. If you are interested in running, please put your name forward at the next neighborhood council meeting on Wednesday, March 12. Keep in mind that you must be a voting member to throw your hat into the ring — which means you will need to have attended three EGNC meetings in the past six months.

Emerson-Garfield is also looking for representatives to become involved in groups that are important to the neighborhood. These include:

• Pedestrian Traffic and Transportation Committee (PeTT)
• Building Stronger Neighborhoods — focuses on neighborhood info and outreach
• Community Assembly — a powwow of representatives from all neighborhoods across Spokane
• Land Use Committee
• Spokane Bicycle Advisory Board
• Community Housing and Human Services (CHHS) — handles Community Development Block Grant funding
• North Monroe Business Association

All of these volunteer groups generally involve a nominal time commitment of just one meeting per month. Ideally you would also attend the monthly neighborhood council meeting to keep EGNC members apprised of relevant issues and opportunities.

If you’d like to be the neighborhood rep for any of these groups (or co-rep; there’s no reason why two or three people couldn’t share a single responsibility), please speak up at the next neighborhood council meeting or get in touch beforehand. If you’re already involved in one of them and you happen to work or reside in E-G, let us know that too!

These unelected positions are just as essential as the elected officer positions. It’s important for Emerson-Garfield to have a voice as these groups develop citywide plans and policy for the future, and it’s equally important for E-G residents to be kept informed of how those plans and policies are taking shape over time.