When the mayor’s office denied a west Mobile neighborhood association’s request to use space for meetings in the West Mobile Regional Senior Community Center at times when no other programs were scheduled, District 6 councilwoman Connie Hudson was left with no choice other than to publicly confront the administration at Government Plaza on behalf of her curious constituents.

When Hudson asked about the denial in front of cable access television cameras and colleagues, she thought she might get a straight answer, she said.

But, according to Hudson, the response the mayor’s chief of staff Al Stokes offered was just more of the same when he told her the mayor’s office didn’t wish to break policy over the matter.

When probed further, Stokes informed Hudson the policy was still being formulated.

“They’re telling me no based on the fact that it would violate a policy,” Hudson said. “Well on the other hand the policy hasn’t been developed. So, we’re supposed to adhere to a policy that hasn’t been developed yet. The mayor doesn’t want to violate a policy that he hasn’t even approved yet.”

When the policy is approved, parks and recreation director Rick Rambeau will be the person to sign off. City spokesperson Barbara Drummond told Lagniappe Rambeau has been on vacation since the start of Hudson’s requests.

Before being informed of the administration’s wish to stick with policy –whether it exists or not – Hudson said she went through all the required protocol.

“I contacted Sheryl White, who is the superintendent of recreational centers, and she basically told me in an e-mail – this is because she’s been instructed this way – that all inquiries be directed to the mayor’s office.” Hudson said. “You can’t even ask the superintendent a question like ‘Why can’t neighborhood groups use the senior center?’”

Hudson said she then turned around and wrote a letter to the mayor’s office asking the same question on Oct. 8, shortly after her interaction with the recreation superintendent. After writing the letter she said she never heard anything back, so she called Stokes who informed her that while he didn’t know too much about the request, he would check on it.

Eventually, after a series of calls and more e-mails, Hudson said she was provided with the same answer she received when she most recently brought her request out in an open forum.

“I was just trying to get an answer. I said, hey, look, I don’t mean to keep bugging you but we are trying to schedule a neighborhood association meeting.” Hudson said. “It seems like a simple straight forward request to ask why a neighborhood association can’t use the center.”

One element of the answer provided to Hudson ultimately involved the Southridge neighborhood association needing the designation of a CAG, or Community Action Group, in order to use the space. CAG groups share a more official relationship with the Mobile Police Department and its enhanced neighborhood department, according to Hudson.

“Many of my neighborhoods in my district have been active (with the police) for a long time. They didn’t need that kind of encouragement because they were already formed,” Hudson said. “Many of them, even through they’re only neighborhood associations, have a very close rapport with the police department and MPD officers go to their meetings all the time.”

On the subject of CAG’s getting preference over neighborhood associations, Hudson is still wondering if the Senior Center situation is unique because her own past personal experiences have provided her with contradictory information.

“There’s no difference between a CAG and a neighborhood association for all intents and purposes. It mainly has to do with whenever they were formed,” Hudson said. “At the library’s community room, anyone who wants to reserve it on a night it’s not being used, can, as far as I know. I know Regency Oaks homeowners association has all their meetings there. I know because I attended them. And, they’re not a CAG to my knowledge.”

As to the existence of an official list of CAG groups, Hudson also notes a point of contention.

“Right now we don’t even have a registered CAG list, by the way. There’s no such thing. I also want them (the administration) to know if they come up with any policy that gives preference to CAG’s over neighborhood organizations, I want them to know I don’t support that policy,” Hudson said. “As far as community perception, it sends a poor message out to the community that you would allow some and not others. It certainly appears as if it could be discriminatory.”

When contacted to see if any sort of general recreational policy or outline existed for public buildings similar to the Senior Center, city spokesperson Barbara Drummond said she didn’t know of any that she could provide to Lagniappe.

After e-mailing Rambeau, that sentiment was further enforced as Rambeau told Drummond the policy is still truly in the works.

“The main problem is that we have nothing,” Drummond reported on Rambeau’s behalf.

The policy Rambeau spoke of will apply to all public buildings, Drummond added.

“It’s been extremely frustrating,” Hudson said of not being able to answer the questions of her constituents.

At the end of the conversation Hudson and Stokes shared at the auditorium in Government Plaza, Mayor Jones interjected with a request of his own.

Jones asked Hudson to hand over the Southridge neighborhood association leader’s contact information.

“A lot is lost in conversation,” Jones told Hudson.

“The solution is simple,” Hudson said. “All we have to do is let these people meet at the center.”