Great Expectations

To start off the evening, Chris Satullo provided an overview of the Great Expectations project and what has been accomplished thus far. The Citizens Agenda (draft) that had been put forth at the December 2007 Great Expectations Convention was revised based upon citizen input (really!). I liked the analogy that Great Expectations is Philadelphia’s “12 Step Program” to break bad city habits. Each of the 12 core issues has a #1 Priority as well as a list of items that are doable in the near term and those that are most likely to be addressed in the future (far more challenging goals). I was pleased to learn that Mayor Nutter considers the Great Expectations' Agenda to be his guide – I think knowing that is a critical motivator for all citizens.

Some ground rules were laid…like, “It’s OK to disagree.” Important rule worth mentioning as oftentimes discussions can become heated.

Since Marian Tasco was at another event, Councilman At-Large Frank Rizzo spoke briefly about his commitment to the program and his constituency.

Apparently, no one came only for the free food! After the intro, everyone seemed a bit roused and ready to get to work. We divided ourselves into four groups – I chose to sit with the group that wished to discuss Budget & Taxes, City Services, and Reform and Leadership.

We were asked to peruse the agenda and speak to what resonated with us. Apparently, there is A LOT that resonates!

Many are concerned with the bureaucracy and duplication of effort in City Hall. Some people who actually work for the city were able to provide very specific and detailed accounts of what goes on behind the scenes, confirming experiences that many face when trying to get a zoning variance or deal with an abandoned property. There’s logic in the expectation that streamlining efforts will help the city be more “customer focused” (see the #1 priority for City Services) and save money as well.

One citizen pointed out that the standard thought is that lower business taxes should bring business to the city, thus more employment. However, has there ever been a concrete example of that actually happening? (I could not think of one myself.) The group discussed this for a while, and it was decided that perhaps business leave the city regardless of taxes.

One person who works for the city felt that the “Tough-At-The-Table” agenda item was very important but that the measure needs to be applied to city employees at all levels, not just the rank-and-file. Much of the time, upper management gets their pay as others get cut out.

Weaving back and forth among many topics (our moderator tried to keep things focused and moving along), we moved onto more local-level issues – the appearance of Stop-N-Go take out beer joints, deadbeat landlords. All the while, our moderator encouraged people to write these questions on 3X5 cards for the Q&A with Tasco at the end.

As far as Reform and Leadership go, we discussed lack of accountability – agency responsibilities are unclear; this perpetuates passing issues back-and-forth. Also, our group was vocal about our city hiring outside consultants when a great deal of knowledge and expertise exists within its own walls. I think that this is a problem that many corporations have as well.

After the break-out sessions, a panel was assembled to address some of the district-specific issues raised during the discussion. The panel consisted of Chris Satullo, City Councilwoman Marian Tasco and State Rep. Cherelle Parker.

Here, the group discussed questions about SEPTA running along Cheltenham Avenue, what Tasco thought about Nutter’s “Stop-And-Frisk” policy (she politely avoided taking sides on that one), proliferation about Section 8 Housing, and how to address “PO Box Landlords” who buy up old homes and illegally put multiple families into single-family dwellings.

This led to a discussion about zoning hearings – how is the typical citizen supposed to keep track in order to be able to attend? From what I gather, there is no simple way. Apparently civic groups can pay to subscribe to a hearing list (which may not even be able to provide enough lead time). Other than that, citizens need to be on the look out for the orange zoning sign in a business or residence window. Now that is something that I would like to see change – let’s make public information more easily available to the public!

Throughout this process, I am continuously struck by people’s level of knowledge and commitment to the city of Philadelphia. I look forward to the next Great Expectations' Citizens Convention in 2008!