The Program: Sally Hartman introduced Andria McClellan, representative of Superward 6 on Norfolk City Council, who is wasting no time in her quest to make Norfolk a city of innovators. She outlined an aggressive agenda to use technology to improve education, citizen access to information, and economic development.

 

Councilwoman McClellan says most people now use their smartphones to access information, so the City of Norfolk needs to update its technology to accommodate this trend. She’d like to see Norfolk develop a series of mobile apps designed to make information more accessible. For example, she says Norfolk Cares Center – which serves as a single point of contact for city services such as pothole repairs, street light outages, and trash pickup – needs its own app.

 

Taking it further, she would like Norfolk to develop a series of mobile apps that allow residents and visitors to locate available parking spaces, notify drivers of flooding issues on streets, and alert students and parents when school buses are about to arrive at bus stops. What’s more, she envisions a day in the not-so-distant future when street lights can serve as Wi-Fi hot spots and provide information about local events.

 

Councilwoman McClellan would also like to use technology to create a more open government. If a resident wants to look up the voting history of a councilmember, she says they have to pull up individual archives for each meeting. She wants the city to upgrade its website to include searchable voting by member and issue. Moreover, she’s pushing for the city to create an online government checkbook much like the one developed by the City of Denver and cites a recent bill (SB 795) filed by Virginia Senator Glen H. Sturtevant, Jr.

 

Councilman McClellan also wants Norfolk to become more vigilant in collecting comprehensive data and making it publicly available to citizens, as well as developers and entrepreneurs who use this information to select locations for new business development and expansion. Other high-priority items on her agenda include televising the public comments portion of city council meetings and changing the way schools are funded, allocating a percentage of annual city revenues instead of council determining funding levels.

 

 

Kelly Stefanko gave the invocation.  Sigur Whitaker led the singing.

 

 

·         Linwood Beckner is healing fast after having both knees replaced and hopes to be back with us at our next meeting.

·         Bill Eisenbeiss is doing well after hip surgery.

 

Visitors: We welcomed two guest from Rotary Clubs in Switzerland.

 

 

President Bryce recognized Carlisle Wroton who is now a Paul Harris Fellow +6.

 

President Bryce also encouraged members to consider attending the Rotary International Conference this year, as it is Atlanta and probably as close as it will be to us for quite a while.

 

 

-          Bob Ash whose photo was in the ODU alumni magazine.

-          Sigur Whitaker went to Texas for a family Thanksgiving and her book about the history of Christ & St. Luke’s Church is now available.

-          Chip Vogan – His son, William, has just completed his first month of a new job as an editorial assistant with Penguin Random House Publishers in New York.

-          Jim Kitz and Jim O’Brien for Army’s win over Navy.

-          Win Lewis in honor of our speaker – a member of Christ & St. Luke’s – Councilwoman Andria McClellan.

-          Michael Desplaines for a recent trip he and his partner took to celebrate his parent’s anniversary.

-          David Brandt for his daughter, Hallsey, who has accepted a position as Client Service Associate with Compton Wealth Advisory Group in Norfolk