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Date:                   Jan. 3, 2007

Location:             Nicetown Library

Citizens attending: 12

Moderator: Ilene Wasserman and Fatima Hafiz

 

Participants in each group were first asked to describe one hope or one fear as the city enters its election year.  Then each group did an exercise that asked participants to imagine they were giving a good friend’s family advice on whether to move to Philadelphia.

  • What would be the pros and cons of that move?
  • What forces and factors underlie those pros and cons?
  • What steps could the city and region take to strengthen those pros or weaken those cons?

For a full description of the exercise, see http://go.philly.com/friendsdilemma

Moderators' Report:

By Ilene Wasserman and Fatima Hafiz

 

What were the group's most striking hopes/fears?

 

HOPES:

  • We can hold those elected accountable to all voices.

  • Energy around the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative will not be lost.

  • Find leadership to promote a great city.

  • Citizens can discover what THEY can do.

  • Leadership will connect with youth.

  • Can clean up the city and create vibrant communities.

  • We will improve the schools.

  • School reform will address crime.

  • Revolutionary leadership with a new set of ethics.

  • Citizen forums like these will continue.

  • Whoever gets elected as mayor can work with federal, state and local governments.

  • There will be more recreational activities for children to help mold good values early on.

  • Citizens will be honest with themselves and vote for who will be best for the city.

FEARS:

  • We will not recognize all communities.

  • Responses to crime issues will be short sighted.

  • That a family member will be caught up in crime.

  • We will miss this change, this moment in time.

  • We have a Ferrari with no qualified driver.

  • More pay-to-play.

  • More uneven development.

  • Crime won’t decline.

  • Drugs will take over, and progress won’t happen.

  • Election will be overrun by special interests.

What "pros" emerged as most important?

1. Talent in the city at multiple levels – e.g., level of talent emerging in the mayoral race

2. Colleges and universities

3. Schools

4. Diversity

5. City of neighborhoods

6. Employment – wide range of opportunities.

7. People in the suburbs feel connected to the city.

8. Relatively low cost of living (in relationship to other Northeastern cities)

9. Natural beauty

10. Walkability

11. Entertainment and night life 

 

What "cons" emerged as most important?

1. Crime and unemployment

2. Talent is not connected across levels

3. Schools - uneven

4. Uneven development of communities

5. Institutional racism/classism

6. Uneven employment opportunities

7. Uneven development is shifting affordability of housing – (tale of two cities)

8. Inequitable distribution of green space

9. Lost children – lack of commitment to children – re: lack of recreation centers, libraries and music programs

10. Taxes (business and wage)

11. Lack of transparency in government – pay-to-play

 

Let's look at the cons in detail:

1. Con: Crime and unemployment

What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them?

  • Promote family-life education for positive influence on our children.
  • Increase equitable educational opportunities
  • Enhance pre-school programs to involve parents in their children’s education early on.
  • Involve businesses with schools – provide apprenticeships.
  • Increase employment opportunities for teenagers to make good use their time.
  • Mix social class in schools to diminish class prejudice.
  • Increase employment in the city e.g., blue-collar jobs. 

2. Con: Schools 

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Appearance: Ugly and not maintained

  • Lack of parental involvement (Parents don’t see teachers because teachers are not available after hours.)

What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them?

  • Have teacher-parent meetings to discuss issues first in the class – then the grade – then the HAS. This would build relationships one level at a time, and HAS meetings would be more focused.
  • Make the schools a resource beyond the day, and use the school building as a community center
  • Donate buses for community use.
  • Change the way the schools look.

3. Con: Housing  

Why is this con important?

  • Connects to a person’s sense of self: security and stability.
  • Housing is the building block of community.
  • There is a great need among the elderly community who are in danger of losing their homes.
  • We have resources that are untapped: vacant land and abandoned housing.

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Need to have affordable housing for people who are poor while having people with means live and invest in these areas.

  • Prejudice against people in Section 8 housing.

  • Deinstitutionalization of mental institutions.

What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them? 

  • Reform zoning laws to: support sustainable development, energy efficient buildings and the building codes.
  • Reach out to people below the subways with blankets and shelter.
  • Give homeless people a check.
  • Create more housing for mentally ill – the availability of personal-care homes is insufficient.
  • Strengthen housing market by supporting green space.
  • Create affordable housing for home ownership as well as rental units; home ownership encourages residents to be committed to the quality of their neighborhoods.
  • Build community resources to support housing e.g., schools, parks and shopping
  • Educate and encourage communities to understand the value of low-income programs including Section 8.
  • Promote leadership that confronts negative stereotypes and encourages public good will.

4. Con: Transparency in government  

Why is this con important?

     An unresponsive government is the root of many of the problems in the city. 

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Money

  • Special-interest groups

  • Pay-to-play culture

What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them? 

  • Better education
  • Community forums
  • Partnership between government and community
  • MORE COMMUNITY FORUMS
  • Voter education
  • Civic associations involvement
  • Partnerships
  • Registering people to vote