Last week, the Seton Hill Association held a special general election to discuss and vote on whether to update the 16 year old associaiton by-laws.
The vote overwhelmingly supported the update to the by-laws. The updates will:
- Enhance fiscal policies
- Increase the clarity of the By-laws language
- Modernize SHA operations
- Expand the physical boundaries of the SHA increasing eligibility to become an active and voting member of the greater community
Reason for boundary changes: The current SHA boundaries have not been modified in almost 50 years, despite changes to the surrounding area like the construction of MLK Blvd, and newer housing. The board believes modernization of SHA boundaries will better reflect the neighborhood’s identity. Expanding the boundaries for voting membership eligibility to the Seton Hill Neighborhood Statistical Area, as defined by the Baltimore City Department of Planning (see map), will allow SHA to:
- Recruit new members who live in areas commonly associated with Seton Hill, and increase participation in activities, meetings, and committees.
- Increase the number of businesses and institutions (e.g. Greater Baltimore Urban League, Silver Park West, and Arena Players) to be eligible for voting membership.
- Increase the number of members who identify with under-represented groups, including people of color, renters, and those with lower incomes.
- Better represent Seton Hill neighbors, business, and institutions currently not eligible for membership in any neighborhood organization.
- Preserve the historic character of the neighborhood while fostering a stronger shared neighborhood identity with surrounding areas.
- Develop closer relationships of mutual trust to improve the quality of life in Seton Hill.
Background:
SHA has made this a public process to consider the expansion of the boundaries for eligibility to become a voting member. Discussions and meetings have been conducted over two years, although the idea has been discussed for over a decade. Most recent efforts involved:
- April 2023: SHA board discussed proposed boundary expansion with members at a general meeting and through email. SHA members wanted feedback from residents and organizations that would be newly eligible to be voting members and help from an organization like Community Law Center.
- August 2023: Further conversations occurred at SHA general Meeting
- August-October 2023: SHA board conducted outreach and solicited feedback from residents and organizations that would be newly eligible members. Institutions such as the Greater Baltimore Urban League, Arena Players, and Silver Park Westconfirmed interest in becoming members and working more closely with SHA.
- September 2023: SHA board voted to retain the Community Law Center to help prepare draft revised bylaws.
- October 2023 – February 2024: SHA board works with Community Law Center to prepare draft revised bylaws
- February 2024: at the general meeting SHA was asked to clarify outreach conducted and began further outreach to Edgewood housing which is ongoing – see language for an option 2 for the southern boundary line
Thank you to everyone who came out to participate in this vote! And a big thank you to the last SHA board members who did so much work to make this happen!