Four New Faces Added to Neighborhood Council

Two months after the held elections, the volunteer advisory board added four new members.

There were five openings on the board, which can have up to 20 members. Those openings are because not enough people signed up to run for seats in the run-up to the September elections.

One of those openings came after the election, when Brian Squadrille, elected to serve as an Area A representative, .

All four people who showed up at Tuesday night's meeting and asked to join the board were accepted "by acclamation." That means there wasn't a formal vote, since there were more candidates than openings.

The four new members are:

• Alex Rodriguez of South Street (Area B)
• Erin Colgan-Snyder of Child Street (Area B)
• Courtney Snegroff of Paul Gore Street (Area A)
• Cooper Renfro of Union Avenue (Area B)

That leaves one opening on the council for an Area A representative. Here is a map of the Areas if you want to determine if you could be a candidate. If you are interested in joining the neighborhood council, email them or show up to their .

Rodriguez, who has lived in JP two years, said he was interested in small businesses.

"I think there's a lot of really great small business opportunities in the area that can lead to employment for our residents," he said.

Colgan-Snyder, a JP resident since September, said he is a social worker who has a particular concern for the neighborhood's elders.

Snegroff, who has lived in JP for 7 years, is political director of the Service Employees International Union Local 615, which represents janitorial workers. She said that her day job is wrapped up in state and local politics and she was seeking a way to work on local issues.

Renfro, a certified , is a grant writer who lives across from the English High School fields.

The Neighborhood Council advises downtown boards on issues like zoning, liquor licenses and city services. Downtown boards like the Zoning Board of Appeal often, but do not always, abide by the recommendations made by the council.

The meeting was the first Neighborhood Council gathering held at the newly-reopened Curtis Hall Community Center.