Great Expectations

Here's your opportunity to help Great Expectations craft a civic to-do list for Philadelphia's next mayor - likely Democratic primary winner Michael Nutter - and City Council.

Imagine that Michael Nutter has shown up at your home and is sitting across the kitchen table from you. You have his undivided attention.

So, complete the following sentence: "Yo, Mike, the one thing I really need you to do is ..."

You've only got a few minutes to make your pitch, so narrow it down to the one thing that you feel most passionate about when it comes to this city or region.

Once you've decided how you'd finish that sentence, post 150 words or so to the comments section of this thread. (Please include your name and hometown or neighborhood.)

Nutter has agreed to read these citizen messages and to respond to as many of them as he can.

We've got seven months until our new leaders take office. Let's get started.

(Read the full Inquirer editorial on the Yo, Mike! project here.)

The good news: Early response to the Yo, Mike invitation (see the original Yo, Mike! post below) is strong.
The bad news: People have a lot to say to Mr. Nutter, so that comment string is approaching James Michener length.
So I'm starting a second string for more comments ... HERE.

Try to write your comment so as to complete the unfinished sentence in the prompt:

Yo, Mike! The one thing I really need you to do is ...

Thanks. - Chris Satullo

The comments keep pouring in from citizens who have something to say to Michael Nutter. Here, I'll be posting ideas that came in via email in the last few days. Add your own response in this comments area, or go to the "Yo, Mike II" thread below.

Remember, you're completing the sentence:

"Yo, Mike! The one thing I really need you to do is ..."

Look for a sampling of Yo, Mike! essays, along with a note from Michael Nutter thanking citizens their energetic input and good wishes, on Thursday's commentary page in the published Inquirer.

In July, we'll start running one essay a week in the paper, with replies from Nutter and, if he wants, Al Taubenberger as well.

-- Chris Satullo

As promised, the first sampling of responses was printed in today's Inquirer, along with a note from Michael Nutter. Check them out on the Great Expecations Web site's Yo, Mike! page.

Citizens' voices will be featured throughout the summer, so keep the comments coming. (For those of you hoping to make it into print, I'd suggest that you stick to one topic, follow the 150-word limit, and include your name and neighborhood/town. That said, I don't choose which ones make the cut. I'm just offering tips based on past experience.)

After many months of politicking, and many millions in political spending, Philadelphia has its mayor-elect: Michael Nutter.

Even though that result has been 100 percent predictable for more than five months, Tuesday made if official - and that's a notable milestone.

Political junkies were bored by the fall election; they thought the May Democratic primary was the interesting part.

But for people who care about issues, who live the issues at rowhouse level, the really interesting, the really important, the really exciting part begins right now. The part where the people they elected get a chance to work on addressing the city's ills and realizing its promise. To all but the political junkie, that's what really matters.

For the citizens who have given their time, their ideas and their passion to this Great Expectations project, Nutter's election is a hopeful moment.

Earlier this year, Tom Ferrick Jr. sat down with Rob Dubow as part of the "Talking with Tom" series. Today, Mayor-elect Michael Nutter has named Dubow, who is executive director of PICA -- the state board that oversees Philadelphia's budget, as the city's next director of finance.

Dubow led the budget office under Mayor Street and knows the inside story on the city's budget. Listen in as Dubow outlines some of the budget problems the next mayor will face during the first year in office. He also discusses long-term trends when it comes to spending and taxation in Philadelphia.

The Inquirer reports that Mayor-elect Michael Nutter has named former Washington, D.C., police chief Charles H. Ramsey as the city's next police commissioner.

Not surprisingly, crime fighting and violence were identified by citizens as one of their top concerns during our neighborhood forums earlier this year. As such, they were featured issues in the Great Expectation's "Challenges Ahead" series. Read the segment on crime here.

What characteristics do think the next top cop should have? Any suggestions on what he should tackle first?

As we roll out the Citizens Agenda for Philadelphia's Future in print in the daily Inquirer, with the issues appearing two at a time, some pairings are more obvious than others. Education and Knowledge Economy were obvious, as were City Budget & Taxes with City Services.

The duo for today (Wednesday) might seem to offer a little less of a slam-dunk linkage.

http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1214Eight citizen bloggers attended the Dec. 2 Citizens Convention. The first to send in a post is Whitney Hoffman. Whitney is a parent of children attending public schools in the Philly suburbs and a tutor at Kennett Middle School. She podcasts about learning and learning disabilities and has been actively involved with the new media community in Philadelphia. She blogs regularly at Parent's Eye View and GNM Parents Blog, and is part of the Mommycast and Friends podcast channel. She is also director of operations for the Podcamp Foundation.

Today, she weighs in on the opening activities, which included the Michael Nutter speach. Tomorrow, look for her thoughts about the education segment.
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By Whitney Hoffman
On a blustery Sunday morning, over 500 citizens from all walks of life gathered in the Philadelphia Convention Center to be a part of the Great Expectations Citizens Convention and to discuss issues facing Philadelphia and the region.

I sat with diverse group of people for the opening speakers, including Bill Leonard, an attorney and part of Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA), and Fred Vincent, who has been a high school teacher but now develops tours of local neighborhoods in Philadelphia, giving people the real Philly. Everyone seemed favorably impressed by incoming Mayor Michael Nutter’s remarks.

Albert Yee, who blogs at dragonballyee.com returns to the Great Expectations blog for the first in a series of posts on the Great Expectations Citizens Convention. Albert writes:

I spent this Dec. 2 at a convention. It wasn't in Las Vegas, and there weren't any cars showcased. What took center stage was 500+ Philadelphians coming out, in the cold, to talk about the future of this city. Above is a shot from the Pennsylvania Convention Center where the convention took place. After people registered and picked up their lunches, they went into this large room to take a seat and meet fellow concerned citizens. I saw many familiar faces, some people I had met at previous Great Expectations events, some from my own political/community venturings. I inhaled my Italian hoagie and got to shooting.

Above is Gerry Lenfest from The Lenfest Foundation, one of, if not, the largest monetary backers of this Great Expectations experiment. He spoke only a few words of the promise he saw in the project and how his foundation was proud to be a part of it.

Mayor-elect Michael Nutter was running a little late so the a film by Richard Power Hoffmann was shown. Prayer for Philadelphia won the Great Expectations film contest. You can see Hoffmann's film here and all of the entries here. This is the second Hoffmann film I've seen, the other being Fridays at the Farm. Both films were shot using thousands of photos from a still camera and voice over. His knack for storytelling is obvious and I look forward to seeing more from him in the coming years.

The new round of neighborhood forums, on a City That Works, got off to a rousing start in South Philly last night. Mayor Nutter put in a surprise appearance at St. Gabriel's Church Hall, to thank the 40-plus attendees for their efforts to help the city craft new standards for customer service and to praise Great Expectations for its continued efforts to connect citizens with government.

City Budget Director Steve Agostini and two other city officials gave citizens a quick tour of the city budget and a rundown on the city's two big initiatives to improve services, the PhillyStat accountability system and the 311 city services hotline. Agostini will be at most of these forums, and city Managing Director Camille Barnett, the driving force behind PhillyStat, will attend some. Council members have been invited and many will attend some events.

Then the citizens got down the work of identifying what their service expectations are in five areas: public safety, education, neighborhoods, economic development and ethics. Agostini and the others, including Council communication director Anthony Radwanski, wrapped up the evening by answering citizen questions.

Nine more of these forums will be held around the city in May. If you haven't signed up to attend one, there's still plenty of time and room. We do ask that you register in advance, because a hot dinner is served and we have to know how much food to order. Check the attached flyer for forum dates, sites and times. You can register on the Web site or by calling 215-854-5956.

If you live in Council District 2 (Anna Verna's) but didn't get word on last night's session, you can still attend one of the others; District 1, in particular, also covers part of South Philly. But the program is essentially the same no matter where the forum is being held.

If you belong to or know about civic group that you think could help get the word out about the forums, please let us know.

-- The Great Expectations Team