laurasteinbrink's blog

On May 5 Advance Norheast Ohio Partner met in Akron - the first time Partners have convened since ANEO's launch in 2007.  Gathering at the Taylor Insitutite for Direct Marketing at the University of Akron (also an ANEO Partner), ANEO partners set out to strengthen relationships with each other and explore opportunities for collaborating on behalf of the region.  ANEO partners include representatives from the civic sector, public sector and business; their diverse perspectives of the work and their role in driving our region's economic competitiveness is impressive.  The challenge at hand is defining HOW Partners will lead Advance Northeast Ohio and regional cooperation.  The short take away based on initial feedback is that the HOW is a big question to answer. 

Over the next few weeks and months the Fund will work with Partners to explore the HOW and your thoughts are also important in this discussion.

You can watch videos from the Partners meeting here.

A group of Ohio Legislators have introduced legislation to create a commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration.   The legislation calls for an appointment of 9 people appointed by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House and the Governor.  The legislation calls for the final report to be due no later than July 1, 2010.

I say YEAH to the notion of a review of this nature.  The citizens of Northeast Ohio who gave voice during Voices & Choices said it needed to happen in our region - so the state is in alignment with their thinking.  In a network based society (which we are in now) versus a hierarchical society (which is what we had in centuries past), it concerns me to think that 9 people are going to issue recommendations that will affect 11+ million Ohioans and there is no mandate to engage or even listen to Ohio citizens in the process of defining the solutions.  The best plan is one that the implementers are part of creating.  I think the legislation should include some metrics and mid-term deliverables like:

1.  Requirement of open, community-engaged processes that reaches no less than 10% of the entire state population (with appropriate documentation of said process reported on some regular basis).
2.  Requirement that an online space be created where citizens of Ohio can track, monitor and engage with the Commission's work and progress.
3.  Requirement that each commission member participates in open forums and workshops (where action is initiated, not just talking taking place) and measure and report commission participation.

So many times I hear, "We've tried that before and it didn't work."  So, the idea gets tossed off the table.  Or I hear, "I had an idea just like that 5 years ago, but it didn't go anywhere."  The first comment is draining as it demonstrates lack of willingness to innovate.  The second comment is hopeful as it shows innovation..but was maybe just before its time.

Yesterday Brad Whitehead was speaking to a bunch of students at Ashland University and getting jazzed up about Turning Technologies, the fastest growing privately held software company - located at the Youngstown Business Incubator.  He was saying that soon Turning Point, the audience response technology pioneered by Turning Technologies, will be embedded into cell phones and asked the students, "Won't it be cool when we are at an Indian's game and people press 3 to say what kind of pitch C.C. throws next and it shows up on the scoreboard?"

I think it will be cool when we hit 3 as a Region to vote on new ideas that will advance our economy.  The voting may be tied to making grants to fund new ideas, and it may be tied to signing up to help on an initiative, or maybe simply just to have fun celebrating our work.  And, it will be cool when we hit send to upload our ideas that we've been storing on the shelf for 5+ years because the time wasn't right for our innovative new ideas.

So, take this as a call to open up the 5-year Idea Machine.  Go back in your minds and remember those great ideas you started - and maybe stopped - or never started - and think again about whether the time is right, RIGHT NOW.  Dust off your ideas and send them here...and let's figure out how to get them working!

Recently I’ve been smacked three times with the notion of accountability and forced to ask myself the questions: Who is accountable? What is the people's role? Reading the Naples Daily News on vacation in “Southern Ohio” I saw under the headline: “… schools stand to loose accreditation”, I learn that Ms. XXX YYY, Executive Director of Accountability for the Florida Schools, the power to take away the district’s accreditation. Reminded me of the Ohio Grantmaker’s Forum even in the winter where John Zitzner of E-City stood up and asked “who in Ohio is accountable for every student in Ohio graduating from High School?” I ask, who is accountable in Ohio? Do titles matter? Can government hold itself accountable?

Food processing alone is a $7 Billion industry annually in Northeast Ohio and that figure does not take into account the value of farming.

The Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District recently published a report on the cost of providing government services to agricultural land, versus the cost of serving agricultural land that is developed for residential use.  The report summarizes that it simply costs more to service residential areas and the net tax revenue from residential areas is less than it was as agricultural land (taking into account lost economic benefit from wineries and beds & breakfast, etc).  Lake County SWCD wants to use this report to increase awareness in the sub-region about agriculture as an economic driver.  They reached out to me at ANEO and said, "how can you help and how can we work together."

While Wayne County may not use its agricultural land exactly the same way they do in Lake County, I can assure you that folks in Wayne County are fighting the same battle - they know that their agricultural heritage creates more economic value than suburban sprawl could ever create in their communities.

I'd like to help the region's agricultural community to come together and create a shared regional agenda for preserving agricultural land.  How should we do this and who will lead the agenda's implementation once its formed?

Advance Northeast Ohio translates the priorities identified by more than 20,000 residents who participated in the Voices & Choices civic engagement program in 2005-06 into a specific set of actions.

 A challenge I face in my work on behalf of Advance Northeast Ohio is engaging the citizens of the region in the work required to implement the many initiatives that make up our action plan and are designed to address the priorities identified by the public.  Our partners in the region’s economic action plan are a diverse group of organizations, but none specialize in citizen engagement – particularly on a regional level. And ultimately, it is the residents of Northeast Ohio – not a governmental entity or some other organization – that will drive the change needed to build a brighter future for the region.

 I am starting this blog for the purpose of initiating dialogue with citizen leaders about mobilizing and organizing the citizenry to lead and drive change in Northeast Ohio. This blog will highlight examples of citizen-led change throughout region and the world. And it will serve, I hope, as a place for people to share ideas and form new networks.

 I hope you will join the conversation and help organize the citizen voice – or better yet, I hope you will meet other motivated citizen leaders through this blog and unite to work together to push forward regional initiatives that will strengthen Northeast Ohio.

 Onward!

 -Laura