Abraham Lincoln was right when he said you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
Take The Cranberry Plan, Cranberry Township’s visionary roadmap for the next 25 years. It was a remarkable accomplishment for a number of reasons – its long horizon, its technical sophistication, and its principled commitment to sustainability. However its most significant achievement may be that it was built on a strong and broad foundation of public support. Even so, that support wasn’t unanimous, as a recent unsigned letter to the Cranberry Eagle makes clear. But in a real democracy, dissent is not only inevitable, it is desirable and it leads to better results.
Our entire planning process was transparent, widely publicized, and open to residents of every point of view. Thousands of residents participated in surveys, attended open houses, and testified at hearings which were conducted as part of the planning effort. We were particularly gratified by the 70-plus residents who volunteered as members of a Citizens Advisory Panel which met monthly throughout the plan’s most critical stages. And their views on important issues were far from uniform.
They poured over thousands of pages of analysis, survey results, studies and recommendations. Their feedback led to detailed exchanges with Township staff members and to vigorous, passionate debates with one another. It was one of the most intensive public planning processes ever conducted by any community anywhere. And it led to a plan which was recently honored by the state’s top award from the American Planning Association.
I am proud of the outcome of our planning process and flattered to work for such a great community, including those who hold a different point of view. Thank you.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Cranberry talks shop with area officials
Cranberry Township recently played host to a special seminar offered under the umbrella of the Local Government Academy. In fact, Cranberry wasn’t just the host, we were also the subject matter of the LGA’s first Sustainable Development Academy session. Its focus was on the way we’re going about implementing The Cranberry Plan – the comprehensive plan our Board of Supervisors adopted in April.
Altogether, about two dozen officials from municipalities throughout the region joined a number of our own senior staff members at Cranberry Highlands to hear how we are laying the groundwork for the Township’s next 25 years. Presentation topics included waste collection, traffic signal management, zoning, electric power purchasing, carbon emissions, finances and more. And it concluded with a tour of selected sites including Park Place, Graham Park, and the new Westinghouse campus. Of course it’s very flattering that so many of our counterparts in the region are interested in finding out how we do what we do.
But it’s a two-way street; we are just as eager to learn the best practices of our neighbors and finding better ways of partnering with them to achieve a brighter future.
Altogether, about two dozen officials from municipalities throughout the region joined a number of our own senior staff members at Cranberry Highlands to hear how we are laying the groundwork for the Township’s next 25 years. Presentation topics included waste collection, traffic signal management, zoning, electric power purchasing, carbon emissions, finances and more. And it concluded with a tour of selected sites including Park Place, Graham Park, and the new Westinghouse campus. Of course it’s very flattering that so many of our counterparts in the region are interested in finding out how we do what we do.
But it’s a two-way street; we are just as eager to learn the best practices of our neighbors and finding better ways of partnering with them to achieve a brighter future.
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