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minded, enthusiastic and positive about the future. That does not mean that they don't <br />have strong opinions, it simply means that they are not locked into a position going into <br />the process. <br />One simple selection process that has worked well in the past involves the solicitation of <br />interest by the city counciL This can come in the form of a letter to area businesses and <br />either a letter, newspaper add, or official correspondence to neighborhood property <br />owners. You could set up a simple screening process for applicants, including residence <br />within a specific neighborhood, ability to commit the time and availability to meet when <br />scheduled, acceptance of the Panel's role and responsibilitiesand the process design and <br />perhaps a brief statement of why they want to participate, demonstrating their openness <br />and positive attitude. <br />With respect to the business owners, the council should aspire to good geographic <br />distribution of representatives. There should be some directly adj acent property owners <br />and some located on the opposite side of the area. Some diversity in the types of <br />businesses is also good. When the slate of applicants is available, the council members <br />could then rank the candidates and the top vote getters become the Advisory Panel <br />representatives from the neighborhoods and area businesses. <br />Very, Very Important! Before you start soliciting interest for representatives to serve on <br />the Panel, the city should have a clear description of the process and schedule. The role of <br />the Advisory Panel should be clearly articulated and the decision-making process should <br />be clearly presented. There should be some way to get the candidates to acknowledge <br />their understanding of the above before they are considered for selection. This may seem <br />overly of�icious to you, but it is far better to be careful at the outset rather than deal with <br />misunderstandings and agendas down the road. <br />From the Desk of.... <br />John W. Shardlow • President ' 300 1�' Ave. N. ' Suite210 ■ Minneapolis., MN SS401 <br />612-339-3300 ' faY -612-337-5601 <br />