ST. PETERSBURG, FL — New leadership hopes to revitalize and rejuvenate a long-running neighborhood advocacy organization.
The new board of officers for St. Petersburg’s Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) was sworn in Jan. 17 at the Sunshine Center, including its new president — the group’s youngest ever, at 28 — Aron Bryce.
“This is a new board, a new era of CONA leadership,” Bryce told Patch. “And it’s the youngest and most diverse board in CONA history. It’s certainly reflective of the city St. Pete is today.”
The volunteer-run not-for-profit organization serves as an advocate for the city’s neighborhood associations, representing them by working cooperatively with elected officials and local government, chambers of commerce, and other entities on issues that impact the quality of life for the city’s residents.
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CONA was first formed in 1955 and incorporated by July 1957, according to its website. It’s been reincorporated with changing boundaries over the years.
The organization’s current configuration, representing the neighborhoods of St. Petersburg, has been in place since the mid-1990s, Bryce said, noting that it’s “been a tumultuous journey” for CONA over the years.
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“There’s been ebbs and flows of attendance and prevalence in the community,” he said. “With this new board put together, we have plans to restructure and grow the organization.”
The board’s swearing-in ceremony alone saw “more attendees than CONA had in years,” Bryce said. Meetings are moving to a quarterly rather than monthly schedule in hopes of drawing more people to them.
Mayor Ken Welch was even there to preside over the swearing in for the first time during his time in office.
Bryce has jumped right into his new role, already establishing district affairs committees that mirror each of St. Petersburg’s districts.
“Ideally, we’re putting together a committee with other neighborhood leaders so they can collaborate on projects, pursue issues and discuss problems,” he said.
Though there are more than 110 neighborhoods in the city, last year CONA only had roughly 30 paid neighborhood associations as members, Bryce said. He hopes to double this number over the next year.
The new board also hopes to focus on neighborhoods in south St. Petersburg.
“A lot of neighborhoods (there) might have some checkered history with CONA in the past, you could say,” according to Bryce. “Maybe CONA didn’t step up for them in the past and maybe they harbored some ill will on the south side. My goal as president is to reengage with these neighborhoods.”
He added, “We want to uplift, energize and mobilize all neighborhoods around the city, and make amends and rebuild relationships, as well. We’re opening a lot of these doors that were previously closed because conversations weren’t happening. So, we’re going to take a step back and start having conversations again.”
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