Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 11-13-15 Edition

Local
City Council Delays Decision On Citizens Review Board Selections
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
On Thursday, the City Council met to discuss their selections for the Citizens Review Board.
Mayor Bob Buckhorn mandated that the Board would consist of 11 volunteer members, in- cluding 9 voting members and two alternates serving staggered four-year terms.
Mayor Buckhorn’s five selections were Rev. Bartholomew Banks, Dr. Carolyn Hepburn-Collins, E.J. Salcines, Lincoln Tamayo, and Robert Shimberg. His two al- ternates will be Lee Lowry and Bemetra Sim- mons.
The remaining four selections will come from the Council and Council Chair Frank Reddick said on Thursday, he asked his colleagues to se- lect 4 people each from the list of nearly 160 ap- plicants.
“I asked my colleague to submit their selec- tions to my office by December 3rd, and on De- cember 17th, we will try to narrow it down to four.
“Because of the process each applicant will have to undertake, everything will carry over to 2016 before the final selections are made offi- cial.”
Council Chair Reddick said the duplica- tion process (Council members making some of the same selections) will help in narrowing the field down to four.
“I’m optimistic we can get this done quickly,
CITY COUNCIL CHAIR FRANK REDDICK
but you always have to consider the whole thing becoming political, and that would stretch the process out even longer.”
Council Chair Reddick said the 17th would be their last day before they go on their Christ- mas break.
Review Board members must be 18 years of age, agree to submit to a background check, and successfully complete the Tampa Police Depart- ment’s Citizens Academy.
Review Board members cannot be an em- ployee of the City of Tampa, directly related to a member of the Tampa Police Department, cur- rently working for any law enforcement agency, holding political office or be campaigning for of- fice, have any prior felony convictions or any convictions of moral turpitude.
New Attorney Enters Second Year Of Practice
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Attorney Shaunette Stokes never entertained thoughts of becoming an attor- ney until 1999 when her brother was murdered.
“The man that took his life was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and my family and I thought that was an injustice. That’s when I started exploring the field of law more.”
A graduate of Howard W. Blake High School, Atty. Stokes majored in political science and minored in law be- fore she attended law school at North Carolina Central Univer- sity.
Looking back, she said there are no regrets about her career choice.
“I enjoy being my own boss, and during my studies, almost on a daily basis I felt like quit- ting. But I just knew it was worth it, so I hung in there.
“There are no attorneys in my immediate family, so that makes me the first to embark on law as a career. I’m very comfortable where I am now as I enter my second year of prac- tice.”
Atty. Stokes said before she envisioned a career in law,
ATTORNEY SHAUNETTE STOKES
she studied photography, and actually worked professionally in that field.
“Now, I consider photogra- phy my weekend job. I really enjoy it and I find it very relax- ing. It helps me interact with people.
“Inasmuch as I love practic- ing law, I also hope to develop my teaching career. I’m very in- terested in education and I teach para-legal studies at Hillsborough Community Col- lege-Ybor as an Adjunct Profes- sor.”
Atty. Stokes said her law firm specializes in small busi- ness law, trademarks and copy- rights, non-profit law, personal injury and family law.
Three Grant Writing
Workshops Planned
For November
The Center for Non-Profit and Community Development and the National Institute for Strategic and Tactical Planning will host free professional grant-writing workshops during the month of November. The workshops will take place on three separate dates.
The first workshop this month will take place from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, 1002 E. Palm Avenue. It will be held on Wednesday, November 25th.
The second workshop will take place on Saturday, November 28th, from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. It will take place at the West Tampa Library, 2313 W. Union Street.
The third workshop will take place on Monday, November 30th, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. It will take place at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, 1002 E. Palm Avenue.
The National Institute for Strategic and Tactical Planning workshops will describe the different types of grants available; de- scribe the different types of grantors; identify research tools avail- able to those seeking grants; describe the fundamental of grant writing; describe the proposal writing process; describe the con- cept paper, letter of intent, and letter of inquiry process, and iden- tify grant terms.
All three workshops will cover the same information. Seating is limited and anyone wishing to attend the workshops must e- mail nonprofitcenter1@aol.com to confirm a seat and to obtain an invitation and workshop packet. No one will be admitted without an invitation. For more information contact Michael Randolph at (813) 857-7657.
While the workshops are held at the Children’s Board of Hills- borough County, the organization is not a sponsor of the event and does not endorse or support the content of the materials, presen- tations, staff, volunteers, or messages delivered during the work- shop.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-B