In November 2015, Patricia Montgomery and I were elected co-chairs of the Eliot Neighborhood Association Board.

Patricia Montgomery is a native Oregonian but has lived in Eliot for 26 years, working and raising her children.  Her favorite things about the neighborhood are the accessibility to the city, the diversity of the neighborhood and the sense of a caring community. When she’s not working Patricia volunteers at her church, St. Philip the Deacon, at Rodney and Knott Street, where the ENA, Eliot Neighborhood Association meetings are held.

I moved here from another neighborhood in Portland with my family in 2009. My husband and I are retired, one of our twin sons is a security guard and the other is a high school math and physics teacher. I volunteer with Metro to lead field trips for children. I am also an organizer of a exercise and fitness meetup for women. But my favorite thing to do in our neighborhood is working with ANTT, our Albina Neighborhood Tree Team, to improve the tree canopy in Eliot,  Boise and Humboldt neighborhoods.

Looking ahead to 2016, Patricia and I are excited to dig deeper into the goals from the Community Conversations that the Neighborhood Association Board hosted in 2014. These include: mail the newsletter; advertise more broadly the ENA website, social media venues and meeting times ; increase the number of streets with Neighborhood Watches; inform neighbors of non-emergency city police numbers and emphasize the importance to the safety of the neighborhood of using them; sponsor social events at the church such as regular game night/potluck, history night, and get togethers; organize neighborhood cleanups, Solv projects, and neighborhood foot patrols in and around places like Dawson Park.

As a team Pat and I are committed to focus on equitable neighborhood consideration for long term and new residents for all diverse groups.

To do this work, the Neighborhood Association needs participation from neighbors like you. We need your talents if we are going to have a more vibrant, supportive community. For instance, can you help out with the Newsletter by reporting, interviewing business owners and workers, graphics, photos, or creating puzzles? The Board will need community help with the annual cleanup or trash patrols. Working alongside neighbors builds community bonds and just plain feels good.

We hope to meet you soon at a neighborhood event.

Jere Fitterman –  NE Graham St
Patricia Montgomery  – NE Morris St

chair@eliotneighborhood.org