WILMINGTON MAYOR JAMES M. BAKER ANNOUNCES WILMINGTON HOPE COMMISSION
Panel of 25 Executive Committee Members and Associated Subcommittee Members Will Develop 'Wilmington Plan' to Address Societal Issues Related to Criminal and Violent Behavior
Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker today announced the leadership and membership of the Wilmington HOPE Commission, which he established to identify, review, and act on the social and community issues related to instances of crime and/or violence in some areas of the City. In naming the new Commission today, Mayor Baker said he is following through on his belief that the root causes of crime and violence can only be addressed through a combination of effective law enforcement and substantive solutions to the community and social issues that contribute to criminal and violent behavior.
In a Mayoral Executive Order establishing the Wilmington HOPE Commission, Mayor Baker charges the 25-member Executive Committee of the Commission and six associated subcommittees with reviewing and assessing the myriad of social service, educational, recreational, and cultural programs available to City residents and developing a 'Wilmington Plan' to deliver those services and programs in a more effective, comprehensive, and targeted fashion. The Mayor said the goal is to improve coordination and cooperation among the service providers, reduce duplication of effort, and provide a foundation of service delivery that can help to reduce instances of crime and violence.
The title of the Commission is based on the word 'hope' which, according to Roget's Thesaurus, is a noun that expresses the concepts of expectation, optimism, anticipation, faith, and hopefulness. Mayor Baker said the word 'hope' is also the opposite of despair and should signal to those caught up in crime and violence, largely due to drugs, and to those who are the victims of crime and violence, that there is great hope that the Commission can propose changes to make their lives better and improve the community as a whole.
Named today by Mayor Baker as Co-Chairs of the HOPE Commission are Delaware's Lt. Governor John C. Carney, Provey Powell, Jr., President of the Stop the Violence Coalition, Inc., and Tabatha Castro, an Associate Attorney with the firm of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin and a Board Member of the Latin American Community Center.
Other members include:
- Dr. Lisa Barkley, Interim Dean, College of Health and Public Policy, Delaware State University
- Dr. Timothy K. Barnekov, Dean, Human Service, Education & Public Policy, University of Delaware
- Timothy Brandau, Executive Director, YMCA Resource Center of Delaware
- Charles Brittingham, President, Delaware NAACP
- Debbie Chang, Sr. Vice President and Executive Director, Nemour's Foundation
- Cari DeSantis, Cabinet Secretary, Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth And Their Families
- Allan DeWalle, President & CEO, AAA Mid-Atlantic
- Theopalis K. Gregory, Wilmington City Council Member At-Large
- Lynne Howard, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, New Castle County Government
- Connie Hughes, Executive Director, Delaware Association of Non-Profit Agencies
- Drew Langloh, President, United Way of Delaware
- Samuel E. Lathem, President, Delaware State AFL-CIO
- The Honorable Jack A. Markell, Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League
- Karryl McManus, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Delaware Department of Health & Social Services
- William S. Montgomery, Chief of Staff to Mayor Baker
- Bishop Aretha E. Morton, Pastor, Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Church
- James N. Mosley, Director of Public Safety, City of Wilmington
- William Rodriguez, Community Member, Retired from Hercules Corporation
- Allen L. Samuels, Director of Branches, Girls, Inc.
- Fred Sears, Executive Director, Delaware Community Foundation
- Richelle Vible, President & CEO, Citizens Bank
- James A. Wolfe, President, Delaware State Chamber of Commerce
Mayor Baker today also announced that the Executive Committee of the HOPE Commission would be assisted in carrying out its work by six subcommittees that will research various areas of concern and formulate action steps to be presented to the Executive Committee. The subcommittees will be chaired by a member of the Executive Committee of the Commission and will be comprised of members of the Executive Committee, as well as other community members appointed by the Mayor or the Commission Co-Chairs. These subcommittees are:
• Education and Development
• Youth Leadership
• Public Safety
• Community Services and Development
• Resource Development
• Faith-Based Opportunities
Mayor Baker has also asked the HOPE Commission to review the City's law enforcement efforts with respect to how those efforts mesh with the delivery of services into the community. The Mayor noted that the City has already adopted a policing plan developed by Yale University that combines elements of law enforcement efforts with the social service needs of individuals and families. Members of the Wilmington Police Department are in New Haven, Connecticut this week to begin training under what is know as the Yale Model of policing.
The Mayor said the Commission would begin its work immediately to seize a unique window of opportunity to formulate a comprehensive plan addressing crime and/or violence that touch communities in areas of Wilmington. The Mayor said he is very hopeful that a 'Wilmington Plan' can address real problems with real solutions and change the behavior, attitudes, actions, and beliefs of persons who engage in criminal or violent behavior. According to the Mayor's Executive Order, the Commission's short and long-term goals, strategies, programs, and a final version of the 'Wilmington Plan' are to be presented to the Mayor and Wilmington City Council within nine months or sooner.
