Dear Editor:Next Tuesday, the Downey Redevelopment Project Area Committee, or PAC, will conduct its Annual Election. This event is an opportunity for the PAC and Downey citizens to interact with the goals of explaining the PAC's role and function, gauging public sentiment and recruiting new members. The PAC is an advisory panel to the City Council comprised of citizens that have a stake in the Project Area, a zone that incorporates most of the land along Firestone Boulevard, Downtown Downey, and the Lakewood/Gallatin intersection. The designation as Project Area grants the City expanded powers to redevelop these regions, but the PAC has resisted redevelopment abuse for over 20 years and is the reason eminent domain has not existed here for development purposes since 1987. Members volunteer their time to protect the residents of the Project Area while advising the City Council and staff on the direction and emphases of redevelopment. All interested citizens are invited to attend this year's Annual Election on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Cormack Room of the Downey City Library and to take part, either to voice your concerns, to learn more about redevelopment, or to apply for membership. Members are selected from four categories to represent their respective interests: Homeowners, Residential Tenants, Business Owners, and Community Organizations. Candidates and voters must be from the Project Area but need not be property owners; residential and business tenants within the Project Area are equally affected and welcome. Representatives for another party, such as a business or community organization, will need to provide a letter confirming their authorization to participate. Please come, even if you have no intention of joining-active voters are just as important as the candidates they elect. The PAC membership still seeks your opinion as an affected party in the Project Area, and you might discover some useful information. Concerned citizens from outside the Project Area are also welcome to attend and give input, although they cannot vote in the election or serve as members on the committee unless as the confirmed representative of an eligible party. So long as the PAC exists, we can prevent the return of eminent domain for economic development while advising the City on the fair and proper course of redevelopment planning. But to do this, we need the support and membership of the community-you. Come to the Cormack Room of the Downey City Library at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6 and see how you can shape our future! If you have any questions or need additional information, please call (562) 896-2000. -The Downey Redevelopment Project Area Committee

********** Published: October 2, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 24