[NFBF-Tampa] Hart board meeting Monday, August 6

Thu Aug 2 23:47:14 UTC 2018

Dear Tampa Bay Chapter Members,

                I received a telephone call today from John Melendez, a
member of the HART board of directors. We had a very lengthy telephone
conversation (1-1/2 hours) and he seems very committed to championing our
needs and holding HART accountable. I believe it is very important that we
have a good showing on Monday and will be inviting Mr. Melendez to meet each
chapter member present. I would like to encourage as many of you to join us
this Monday to impress upon him that the issues on which we are advocating
have a significant impact on our lives! Following our conversation, Mr.
Melendez sent me the following message 

Marion,

Thank you for your time on the phone today.  As promised, Monday's amended
Board agenda is attached as a pdf file.  To ensure you have the latest, here
is the page where a link to the pdf is posted for all Board meetings:
http://gohart.org/Pages/AboutUS-PublicMeetings.aspx

I enjoyed our time on the phone and truly appreciate the insight you
provided. Our conversation solidified something I've been considering.
Accordingly, as of today I am prepared serve as an informal advocate on the
Board for the transportation disadvantaged/dependent.  What that means is
that I want to make it a focus of my service, just as elected officials
might focus or put an emphasis on their geographic constituents (those from
their District who elected them).  In particular, I want to focus on
technology, systems, procedures and personnel (training/informing) - all as
it relates to the transportation dependent and customer experience.  The
overall thought would be for our ongoing joint efforts and coordination,
including HART staff (CEO), to result in a cultural shift that enhances
"customer experience" with regards to the past opportunities and challenges
you so clearly pointed out to me on the phone.

That said, I am prepared to act informally as a "background facilitator" and
"accountability monitor" (my terms - those are not formal or official) to
ensure HART is:

*	work with staff to ensure HART is following up on its word (NOTE -
this is not to imply or suggest current leadership has not kept its word);
*	looking to our sibling properties such as LYNX (with guidance from
you and your associates on what's working) to emulate what they're doing
right from a customer experience standpoint;
*	putting an informal yet comprehensive list of issues to be addressed
(this will act as an informal accountability tool for my use - it's not
binding or guaranteed, but is a reference for me to use to serve you
better); and
*	maintaining an open line of communication with you with the goal of
seeing an overall improvement in areas of concern you pointed out.

I look forward to bringing this topic up on Monday as the situation
dictates, and as necessary mentioning the Committee opportunity for you to
serve, which I support based upon our conversation of today.

Have a great weekend, and I look forward to seeing you on Monday.  I am
copying Interim CEO Jeff Seward on this email.

John Melendez

Board Member

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART)

There you have it for our records and your information. Let's join
collectively to make a difference in the lives of the blind of Hillsborough
County!

Fraternally yours,

Marion

. 

From: NFBF-Tampa [mailto:nfbf-tampa-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of tampa
President via NFBF-Tampa
Sent: Thursday, August 2, 2018 7:11 PM
To: nfbf-tampa at nfbnet.org
Cc: tampa President
Subject: [NFBF-Tampa] Hart board meeting Monday, August 6

Greetings all,
Please see attached the agenda for the Hart board meeting scheduled for
Monday, August 6 at 9 AM. If you have any questions please feel free to give
me a call or email. Thanks

P.S.the address for this meeting is 1201 E. 7th Ave.

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