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Northeast Ohio Poll
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Northeast Ohio Poll
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Comments
Can I split my vote? More united -- yes; stronger -- no.
The concept of regionalization has been much discussed ,but bringing it to reality has proved far more elusive. As inflationary pressures mount we all need to work together to help eliminate duplication and focus our resources on the pressing problems our region faces.
We have made some strides among school districts in purchasing, transportation,and special education services, but little to reduce the number of school districts and improvement to aging school facilities in many communities.
Jim, Thanks for the comment. Progress does seem to be slow. One of the objectives of this web site is to highlight examples of progress and encourage others to emulate those examples.
Today, I was meeting with an official in the Mahoning Valley who noted that governments there are looking at expanding group purchasing programs, but only one community at the meeting was a member of NEOSO, the group purchasing organization that is helping governments save as much as 20% on some expenditures. If you city or village isn't a member of NEOSO, ask them why not. It's one small step we can all take to save money.
Consolidating school districts will require strong commitments from citizens. We shouldn't expect school officials to lead that effort. Through Voices & Choices, the citizens of Northeast Ohio said they wanted excellent schools. Are they willing to consolidate districts if that will increase the amount of money devoted to the classroom and reduce overhead? Will citizens rally behind the idea being pushed by the Regional Chamber in the Mahoning Valley to centralize school administration and use the proceeds to pay for scholarships? What do you think?
Maybe voices and intents are stronger but not unified in defined goals. There is still a need to take the recognized problems of all involved and decide on solution priorities. Then we need either to lock step together or decide who steps forward first. What troubles me is that leadership does not fully engage the public in the forums that the public talks in. Body count town meetings are limited and not everybody uses the web to be informed. So, we must use the media a little better to get beyond the boardrooms, university walls, and mayor's chambers and drill down into the public conscious. See the same thing, want the same thing, that is strength. If we work it right we might even move forward together.
Arnold,
I could not agree more with both your premise and your suggestion of the public doing more to engage and learn. The public does have a critical role in shaping decisions. It also has a responsibility to be informed when it engages in dialogue. I think we would see lock step action for change if the public were organized to learn, speak and act. How do we get the public organized so we can see lock step action? I think we need to look at best practice from our past and today: the process to ratify the Constitution (i.e. the Federalist Papers -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Papers ) and the Citizen's League of Minnesota (http://www.citizensleague.org/). And, we need to incorporate technology & tools to speed our collective learning curve so that we can get to action. I'm having conversations like this all over Northeast Ohio with people just like you and will connect you with your like-minded colleagues. As I've said to them - I'm on your team and we both need to share responsibility for getting the job done. What role will you play - what action will you take? (I'm at lsteinbrink@futurefundneo.org if you'd like to follow-up offline.)
How do you get an apathetic public more engaged? With so many tools available to us through various media sources and the internet, giving them all of the information doesn't seem to hit the mark until after a decision has been made. Public forums, internet message forums all help, but my experience is that the public chooses to grasp at certain facts, uses them as their "drum beat", and remains uninformed about the big picture.
I'd love to hear how we can be more effective at reaching the audience well before its too late.
The public seems to look up the ladder to see if the same voice at the top is what they are hearing below. The governor of Ohio said green would be good for Ohio. Many are echoing that same word. He thinks, as businessmen do, it is a risk, so he doesn't say strongly " we in Ohio are going green". Then the president doesn't say, "America we are going green, do your best". These leaders, the large picture specialist, should set the tone and let us work out the details. Why must change in America come at the hands of social upheaval or economic threat? Do we need another counter culture revolution like the 60's or a reality TV sitcom with green subject matter? I am guessing it will take a combination of things to pound new ideas into the public domain. I use green as an example. We have a home and garden show every spring. There are a few greenish model homes on display. The show is over in a few days. Why not put a few very green model homes in the middle of the city so that people can really look at them? Then you can give tours, field questions and concerns, do blogs and videos about life in a green home and have the all important energy use report. People can see what green is. People will talk because they can see it. That's my two cents.
Dbucci, I think one of the easiest things we can do is share our perspectives and the stories of the region with our neighbors and our associates at work. For example, on March 31 there will be significant changes proposed to Ohio's higher education system. Each one of us should take the time to familiarize ourselves with the recommendations and their implications on the future of the region. We should then advocate for (or against) the changes with our neighbors, associates, legislators and others. These recommendations will not be "done deals." They will require significant input and support from the public. This will be a chance to turn what you call an apathetic public into a very engaged public.
We have a common problem and common problems unite people. The economy and jobs are number one. We must each do what we can to improve the prospects for both.