Ivanhoe residents vote on big changes following months long battle between board and members
"We want to get back to being a thriving neighborhood,” longtime resident Alana Henry said.
"We want to get back to being a thriving neighborhood,” longtime resident Alana Henry said.
"We want to get back to being a thriving neighborhood,” longtime resident Alana Henry said.
Residents voted on some big changes in the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Association on Saturday afternoon.
This comes after a months-long battle between the board and residents. Residents are calling the meeting a huge win.
For years, the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Association has been known for being resident-led and resident-driven. But in the past few years, residents said membership and participation have been dropping.
“Today the members spoke and it's clear that the membership of Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council are interested in going in a different direction,” Alana Henry, longtime Ivanhoe resident, said. “It's been a big battle, honestly."
Wearing hats, gloves and winter coats, Ivanhoe residents voted to remove six board members. They did it in their neighborhood building that doesn't currently have the funding to turn the heat on.
"We want to get back to being a thriving neighborhood,” Henry said. “It's been a months-long challenge and a months-long fight. You know, at every turn there was a roadblock put in our path.”
This move is something they have been trying to do for a while now. In the last few months, residents said the association ran into financial issues and said the board wasn’t being transparent.
In October, residents stood outside the building during a closed-door board meeting. Dozens were protesting and collecting signatures, trying to keep their association open.
On Saturday, residents made it inside and made their voices heard.
“I’m willing to do what I can to bring us back together,” one resident said in the meeting.
Residents voted in 12 new board members, hoping to get the association back on track.
"Ivanhoe had built a name for itself as an organization that really cared about its membership, and it really cared about its residents,” Henry said.
Now, the board is ready to get to work with a packed agenda for its meeting on Monday.
“People really care about this neighborhood,” Henry said. “We definitely have a lot of work, but we are looking forward to moving forward.”
KMBC 9 talked with the executive director of the association afterward. She did not wish to provide a comment regarding the meeting.