District 4's Unanswered Concerns

Members of Monroe's District 4 met with their council member and city liaisons on Monday, December 20, 2021, to discuss hot topics important to the group, hoping to end the year with something to look forward to; Carday Marshall, the district's representative, shared a few of the neighborhood successes which included infrastructure-heavy projects like drainage repairs and road re-striping. The gathered crew, however, came to have a real conversation about the ways the city is changing and the financial needs and programs available to citizens of District 4. The lesser of the group's grievances was regarding a room dedication at Emily P. Robinson Community Center. The community rallied to name a room at the center to honor the late Faye Comanche, a community advocate, and city of Monroe employee. They received approval from city leadership and paid for the lettering to be installed only for it to be taken down at the word of new city leaders who "did not approve" of the gesture. During the meeting city leadership reassured the group new lettering would be put up by the city in acknowledgment of honoring what had been established. The group also shared concerns about developing new cultural districts throughout the city. The group gave a small nod to the administration's efforts but expressed that it seemed to be designed only to benefit a small group and only mask the city's issues. The concerned group also questioned leadership about the money it receives that is supposedly allocated to low-income individuals. City leaders did acknowledge some funding for home improvements has been given to District 4 residents through the city's Planning and Urban Development department but that only accounts for about $150k. Since the meeting ended with many unanswered questions, the group hopes the new year will bring an opportunity for many to right wrongs.