Norcross revamps citizens academy to promote civic involvement

A handful of Norcross officials spoke about a new city program for residents, the Academy of Citizen Engagement, at the July 8 Norcross PDC meet-up at 45 Cafe South.

Council member Josh Bare, leading an effort to transition city leadership to the next generation, brought his Norcross 101 binder from 2002 to introduce the city’s revamped citizens academy, Norcross ACE.

“We’re modeling this a little bit on Glance Gwinnett and Leadership Gwinnett; those are terrific programs,” Bare said. “In fact, our own Elliot Brack was one of the pioneer leaders in getting the program started.”

Ongoing leadership transition

Bare, now in his late 40s with 13 years of public service, was first elected to his hometown’s city council more than 20 years ago. He said he’s the youngest person to ever serve in Norcross that he is aware of, but the city is 155 years old.

When Bare first joined the council, Mayor Lillian Webb put him “in charge of the police department” because Norcross did not have a city manager. He said city operations naturally evolve over the years with different mayors.

Bare said just about every elected official has told him they are not sure they will run for reelection. This November, voters will decide who fills the unexpired term of Marshall Cheek, who passed away in June.

“We’re looking out into the future and realizing that we’re coming up on a big change when it comes to leadership at the city,” Bare said. “Eric Johnson, our current city manager, is retiring and moving to Florida.”

City officials approved a roughly $30,000 contract with Arndt Municipal Support to find Johnson’s replacement by this fall. Bare said he thinks Arndt is “head and shoulders above everyone else,” and things are on track.

“I don’t really know if I’m supposed to run for reelection either,” Bare said. “We’re coming up on, in my opinion, possibly a big shift in leadership. I thought what we need to do to be ready for that is try to get some education out there so folks can know what’s involved in being a council member and how the city works.”

Learn how the city works

The Norcross Academy of Citizen Engagement is modeled after the city’s previous local government series and on similar programs in other metro Atlanta cities. The class is capped at 20 people and requires a seven-week commitment on Thursdays from 6-8:30 p.m.

Because city officials want to introduce residents to a wide variety of operations, classes are held at various facilities, including the Public Works outpost on Lively Avenue, city hall, and the soon-to-be-opened public safety building along Buford Highway.

The Academy of Citizen Engagement is free to attend and includes a weekly dinner with city staff and program participants. The inaugural class is set to meet weekly from Sept. 17 to Oct. 29.

Participants will meet with city staff and elected officials serving the community, learn how to get involved on boards and initiatives, and build relationships that shape the city’s future.

Assistant City Manager Tracy Rye-Chapman said applications will open soon and there will be a social media blast when the application is live.

“It’s a way to get involved and help shape Norcross’ future going forward,” Rye-Chapman said. “Many graduates of citizen academies like these go on to serve on those boards, commissions, and authorities.”

Intro to public service

Norcross Communications Director Julie Brechbill said if the program receives more than 20 applicants, the city will most likely schedule another session next spring.

“Nobody wants to sit for two hours and have someone talk at them,” Brechbill said. “There’s going to be a lot of interaction in this class. We wanted to do dinner because that is a time for fellowship and to sit down, not just with your elected officials, but with staff, and to talk to them and get to know them a little bit and what they do and how they do it.”

Brechbill said some of the program exercises will ask participants to propose new developments that adhere to code and budget for different city projects.

“We wanted to make it educational while also fun for you,” she said. “It’s about transparency. Once people understand what it takes to do specific things, they become advocates, not only for their government, but for their community.”

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