GreatExpectations2007 - Germantown REPORT ON CITIZENS FORUM

Date: Jan. 23, 2007

Location: Germantown Friends School

Inquirer observer: Carolyn Davis, Editorial Board

Check out reports from the dialogues:

Group One: "Friend's Dilemma," led by moderators Louise Giugliano and Jose Morales.

Group Two: "History of the Future," led by moderators Jean di Sabatino, Harris Sokoloff, Chris Satullo and Fatima Hafiz.

Participants in each group were first asked to describe one hope or one fear as the city enters its election year. Participants then took part in one of two exercises.

Friend's Dilemma: This exercise 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

History of the Future: In this exercise, participants were asked to imagine that it's 2015 and that the city has mobilized to fulfill its pontential as The Next Great City. Participants put together a narrative about what it's like to live in Philadelphia, what the city does that it didn't use to do, and what does better than before.

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

Observer's Notes:

Carolyn Davis

Editorial Board

If pride of neighborhood is a sign of strength, then Germantown might be one of the mightiest neighborhoods in Philadelphia. As participants introduced themselves in one of the forum's groups, one person after the next talked enthusiastically about growing up or living in Germantown.

Numerous people had been lifetime residents of this community and had attended the School District of Philadelphia. They dearly want to see their elected officials -- the next mayor and City Council -- improve public safety, the economy, education and infrastructure in Germantown and the rest of Philadelphia.

The group I sat in on not only brought up individual issues of concern but also saw the connections between them. For example, one participant said Philadelphia needed to recruit and retain more Fortune 500 company headquarters. Accomplishing that was seen as a way to boost the local economy and to improve education by attracting a wider student population. People also noted that building more mixed-income housing could spur school improvements. They wanted Philadelphia's housing boom to move beyond condo construction.

Other ideas these residents offered:

- Reduce red tape for small-business entrepreneurs;

- Make changes in the zoning codes;

- Make government more friendly and accessible;

- Bring in people with proven expertise and records of success to improve Philadelphia's infrastructure, including mass transit;

- Get guns off the streets by having stronger leadership in the police department and city government;

- Reform the ward-leader structure in Philadelphia to make encourage new people to get involved in city government;

- Strengthen neighborhoods by strengthening neighborhood schools;

- Improve public education by offering pay incentives for younger teachers or teachers willing to work in the most challenging schools.

Only one wish, though, earned applause from everyone in the room: Stop littering.