There are two times a year when I can count on being contacted by news media. One is Thanksgiving where some enterprising reporter is working on a story about communities with names like Drumstick, Arizona or Stuffing, Iowa and, of course, Cranberry Township. The second is at the end of the year when someone is preparing a wrap-up story about the year’s accomplishments.
As a result, I’ve been getting calls lately about what Cranberry achieved in 2010. Perhaps I should have been better prepared for them, because my first reaction was that 2010 seemed to have been a fairly routine year. Everyone at the Township did their job. No great disasters or prize-winning achievements came to mind. I couldn’t think of any noteworthy scandals. Children who regularly went to school and cats that didn’t run away from home don’t make very interesting headlines.
So I decided to make a list. And the list kept growing. Pretty soon, I became astonished by the number of important accomplishments Cranberry actually made in 2010.
That list is posted at http://www.cranberrytownship.org/2010Accomplishments.
But even more significant was the dual revelation that, first, Cranberry is really a very special community, and second, that it’s awfully easy to become complacent and take that for granted – which is a huge mistake. Why?
Just look at any local or national news coverage and what do you see? Partisan politics. Name-calling. Denunciations. Threats. Ultimatums. Posturing. Political gridlock. Fed by shrill cable news and talk radio hosts, dysfunctional government has become the new norm. Much of America today is in a state of paralysis. The idea that units of government are acting in the public interest has become something of a joke in today’s cynical, cash-driven political environment.
That’s why Cranberry is all the more amazing. It’s not as though we are immune from the toxic atmosphere around us, nor is it that our own Board of Supervisors sits around singing Kumbaya. Instead, it’s the Board’s realization that at the end of the day, their work as elected officials will be judged by what they’ve collectively accomplished. So their guidance and encouragement to make Cranberry the best possible community and to run its public functions in the most professional manner, has inspired all of us on staff to do our best and to really get things done.
Happy New Year.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Digital democracy
There’s a growing disconnect between the warp-speed pace at which most people lead their lives and the more deliberative pace with which policy-making occurs in the public sector. Particularly with today’s 24-hour news cycles, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that the democratic process, at least as we’ve known it, has failed. Here’s why:
A little more than 20 years ago, local governments began introducing computers into their office operations. It seemed pretty impressive at the time. Local officials would proudly show visitors the PCs that one or two staff members had sitting atop their desks. And publicity photos depicted municipal office workers peering earnestly into their monitors.
That was then. Today, essentially everybody is in front of a screen for the better part of their work day. And so are most of our constituents. At the outset, we believed that computers would provide us with significant advantages such as easier record keeping, faster work turnaround, and lower cost. And we were right, up to a point. But the expectations of our residents – fueled by the growth of the World Wide Web – rose even faster.
Now, computers and computer-like mobile devices are everywhere, and we’ve become accustomed to that. As a result, people expect to find whatever information they need, transact whatever business they have, and secure whatever decisions they’re looking for, all with just a few keystrokes. Our patience for extensive deliberations, and our attention span for going through the sometimes lengthy processes required by law before enacting new ordinances, are increasingly out of step with public expectations.
For example, amendments to Pennsylvania’s Constitution – which is already three times longer than the U.S. Constitution – require passage in the state’s House of Representatives and Senate during two consecutive years before they can be submitted to the electorate for a vote. Even in routine legislation, the sequence of committee referrals, reporting, multiple considerations, appropriation and Governor’s approval in lawmaking is painstakingly slow, although that probably helps to prevent rash legislation.
Here in Cranberry, the process is a bit more streamlined. But major decisions still require research, consultation, public input, consensus building, and reconciliation with other ordinances and operations – all essential steps for making sound decisions and defensible laws. So it was just this month, after four years of work, that Cranberry’s elected officials finally adopted an updated zoning ordinance for Freedom Road – one that truly reflects what’s happening there and can guide the Township in sustaining it as a healthy area in the future as well.
It was an arduous experience – both for residents and our Township Supervisors. But I’m convinced that its outcome ended up being far better than anything which might have been decided in haste – something which is awfully easy to do today. Instead, it was a process that our Board of Supervisors insisted be undertaken in a deliberate, careful and thoughtful manner.
So I’m pleased to report that the democratic process still works – it’s just that working well, in contrast to the rest of the world we’re in today, sometimes means working slowly.
A little more than 20 years ago, local governments began introducing computers into their office operations. It seemed pretty impressive at the time. Local officials would proudly show visitors the PCs that one or two staff members had sitting atop their desks. And publicity photos depicted municipal office workers peering earnestly into their monitors.
That was then. Today, essentially everybody is in front of a screen for the better part of their work day. And so are most of our constituents. At the outset, we believed that computers would provide us with significant advantages such as easier record keeping, faster work turnaround, and lower cost. And we were right, up to a point. But the expectations of our residents – fueled by the growth of the World Wide Web – rose even faster.
Now, computers and computer-like mobile devices are everywhere, and we’ve become accustomed to that. As a result, people expect to find whatever information they need, transact whatever business they have, and secure whatever decisions they’re looking for, all with just a few keystrokes. Our patience for extensive deliberations, and our attention span for going through the sometimes lengthy processes required by law before enacting new ordinances, are increasingly out of step with public expectations.
For example, amendments to Pennsylvania’s Constitution – which is already three times longer than the U.S. Constitution – require passage in the state’s House of Representatives and Senate during two consecutive years before they can be submitted to the electorate for a vote. Even in routine legislation, the sequence of committee referrals, reporting, multiple considerations, appropriation and Governor’s approval in lawmaking is painstakingly slow, although that probably helps to prevent rash legislation.
Here in Cranberry, the process is a bit more streamlined. But major decisions still require research, consultation, public input, consensus building, and reconciliation with other ordinances and operations – all essential steps for making sound decisions and defensible laws. So it was just this month, after four years of work, that Cranberry’s elected officials finally adopted an updated zoning ordinance for Freedom Road – one that truly reflects what’s happening there and can guide the Township in sustaining it as a healthy area in the future as well.
It was an arduous experience – both for residents and our Township Supervisors. But I’m convinced that its outcome ended up being far better than anything which might have been decided in haste – something which is awfully easy to do today. Instead, it was a process that our Board of Supervisors insisted be undertaken in a deliberate, careful and thoughtful manner.
So I’m pleased to report that the democratic process still works – it’s just that working well, in contrast to the rest of the world we’re in today, sometimes means working slowly.
Monday, October 4, 2010
You can be sure if it’s Cranberry
This past weekend, there was a formal dedication of the new Westinghouse campus in Cranberry Woods. It’s an impressive place with four brand new buildings, more than a million square feet of interior space, and hundreds of millions of dollars in construction costs. It’s a huge investment in our community, and we are deeply flattered.
It’s especially flattering because our Township didn’t lobby for it. We didn’t go out and try to buy the company’s favor or try to snare it like some sort of battle trophy. Instead, it was a business decision – a good business decision, I might add. It was made after lengthy discussions with the Governor’s office and others who really, really wanted Westinghouse to remain in the state. Their interest is understandable; Westinghouse has played a major role in our region’s industrial history, and I’m sure it will be a key player in our future as well.
But even though Cranberry didn’t actively lobby to become Westinghouse’s new hometown, we did some things which we like to think made the company’s decision easier. Back in the early ‘90s, our Board of Supervisors began to craft a long-term vision for the Rt. 228 corridor. They directed our professional staff to design an environment where knowledge-based companies of the 21st century could settle and prosper and benefit our entire community.
That resulted in a number of important changes. They included expanding our transportation capacity, our water supply, and our workforce training resources, as well as improving our land use management and administrative efficiency. It also led to a number of new amenities for Cranberry residents.
We implemented a corridor management plan to designate future points of access from the highway serving Cranberry Woods. And we down-zoned much of this area from retail use to business park use. Down-zoning, as you can imagine, is a politically difficult choice to implement. However we see the Westinghouse decision to locate here as strong validation of that concept.
But beyond those steps, as important as they are, there was one quality we felt would be particularly critical to a successful relocation – and that was our promise to Westinghouse of consistency and uniformity in dealing with local officials. We promised the company that when they spoke to any of our local public bodies – the Township, the School District, or the County – they were speaking to all of us. And we told them that when any one of us would respond, we were speaking for the others as well.
I know it sounds simple, but building partnerships and creating this sort of collaboration requires hard work and constant communication. We know that getting conflicting stories from different units of local government can be a maddening experience. But we think we’ve lived up to our promise.
All of us want Westinghouse to grow and prosper. So as we go forward, we see Cranberry and its partners remaining in close contact with the company, collaborating where it makes sense, and continuing to provide the information that management needs to make the best decisions for their shareholders and employees.
I would welcome your response or comments, please Email me
It’s especially flattering because our Township didn’t lobby for it. We didn’t go out and try to buy the company’s favor or try to snare it like some sort of battle trophy. Instead, it was a business decision – a good business decision, I might add. It was made after lengthy discussions with the Governor’s office and others who really, really wanted Westinghouse to remain in the state. Their interest is understandable; Westinghouse has played a major role in our region’s industrial history, and I’m sure it will be a key player in our future as well.
But even though Cranberry didn’t actively lobby to become Westinghouse’s new hometown, we did some things which we like to think made the company’s decision easier. Back in the early ‘90s, our Board of Supervisors began to craft a long-term vision for the Rt. 228 corridor. They directed our professional staff to design an environment where knowledge-based companies of the 21st century could settle and prosper and benefit our entire community.
That resulted in a number of important changes. They included expanding our transportation capacity, our water supply, and our workforce training resources, as well as improving our land use management and administrative efficiency. It also led to a number of new amenities for Cranberry residents.
We implemented a corridor management plan to designate future points of access from the highway serving Cranberry Woods. And we down-zoned much of this area from retail use to business park use. Down-zoning, as you can imagine, is a politically difficult choice to implement. However we see the Westinghouse decision to locate here as strong validation of that concept.
But beyond those steps, as important as they are, there was one quality we felt would be particularly critical to a successful relocation – and that was our promise to Westinghouse of consistency and uniformity in dealing with local officials. We promised the company that when they spoke to any of our local public bodies – the Township, the School District, or the County – they were speaking to all of us. And we told them that when any one of us would respond, we were speaking for the others as well.
I know it sounds simple, but building partnerships and creating this sort of collaboration requires hard work and constant communication. We know that getting conflicting stories from different units of local government can be a maddening experience. But we think we’ve lived up to our promise.
All of us want Westinghouse to grow and prosper. So as we go forward, we see Cranberry and its partners remaining in close contact with the company, collaborating where it makes sense, and continuing to provide the information that management needs to make the best decisions for their shareholders and employees.
I would welcome your response or comments, please Email me
How I connect the dots
Like most of my Cranberry neighbors who work in the private sector, I head to the office each morning and spend my day dealing with the same sorts of things they face. Things like dealing with customer requests, budget challenges, staffing levels, technology issues, conferences, and board meetings. I work with my colleagues and counterparts trying to figure out the new rules, regulations and mandates which regularly arrive from Harrisburg and Washington – almost all of which are unfunded. I fret over health care costs, prepare for presentations, and solemnly attend professional association seminars.
So, like most of my neighbors, I sometimes see my workday efforts as being terribly fragmented, unfocused, even pointless. But not always. What helps me connect the dots – to really understand what all of that busyness amounts to, is that on weekends I walk the “floor.” That’s where the real meaning of my work life comes together. And it helps recharge my batteries. Take a recent Saturday.
It started at home. I took a shower, using plenty of clean water, courtesy of our Public Works Department. That water went down the drain and off to Cranberry’s Brush Creek wastewater treatment plant, run by our very capable Sewer and Water folks. Then I went out to the curb to retrieve my waste carts, which had been emptied – and in many cases with their contents recycled – thanks to our Collection Connection program contractor. Then I dropped off some old computer parts at an electronics recycling event we hosted. And after that, I took some unused prescriptions to a Public Safety collection station behind the Municipal Center for proper disposal.
Then I walked into the Municipal Center. It was full of people coming and going from programs in our Library and gym, as well as neighborhood meetings in the activity rooms. When I left, I was reminded that the well-landscaped streets I was navigating were the outcome of what had seemed at the time to be endless staff meetings, paperwork and contract negotiations.
Of course, there was traffic – plenty of it. But the traffic was moving. And that movement is the outcome of sophisticated traffic control technology which was only possible after repeated shuttling back and forth to Harrisburg, dealing with mountains of paperwork, and holding endless hours of meetings with state officials to secure funding to buy the equipment and support the passionate staff who maintain that system.
As I drove past, I also noticed how nice Cranberry’s business properties look. And I recall that those features were results of laborious visioning and planning sessions with our Community Development Department, our Planning Advisory Commission, and our Board of Supervisors. The same with Cranberry Highlands – Pennsylvania’s top municipal golf course – and our beautiful parks where parents, children and grandparents are walking, biking, and cheering on their favorite teams.
Then on my Township radio, I heard about a traffic accident. Within minutes, our highly-trained, well-equipped safety professionals arrived on the scene. Seconds later, I got a text message informing me about the accident, advising me to seek alternative routes and of the projected time until it could be cleared. Where did that come from? It came from all those budget, planning, and staff meetings that once seemed so onerous.
Most people don’t realize what makes a community tick. And the better it works, the easier it is to think that working well is simply the norm. It’s not, but I’ve had the good fortune to be part of one of Pennsylvania’s best-working, most desirable communities. I report to an elected Board that truly gets it. And we have a staff of passionate professionals and dedicated volunteers who make every day here an amazing experience. It refreshes me and reminds me of the connection between what I see around me and those mounds of paper, phone calls, and meeting notes that sometimes seem to dominate my life.
I would welcome your thoughts about how we can help connect the dots for you.
Email me
So, like most of my neighbors, I sometimes see my workday efforts as being terribly fragmented, unfocused, even pointless. But not always. What helps me connect the dots – to really understand what all of that busyness amounts to, is that on weekends I walk the “floor.” That’s where the real meaning of my work life comes together. And it helps recharge my batteries. Take a recent Saturday.
It started at home. I took a shower, using plenty of clean water, courtesy of our Public Works Department. That water went down the drain and off to Cranberry’s Brush Creek wastewater treatment plant, run by our very capable Sewer and Water folks. Then I went out to the curb to retrieve my waste carts, which had been emptied – and in many cases with their contents recycled – thanks to our Collection Connection program contractor. Then I dropped off some old computer parts at an electronics recycling event we hosted. And after that, I took some unused prescriptions to a Public Safety collection station behind the Municipal Center for proper disposal.
Then I walked into the Municipal Center. It was full of people coming and going from programs in our Library and gym, as well as neighborhood meetings in the activity rooms. When I left, I was reminded that the well-landscaped streets I was navigating were the outcome of what had seemed at the time to be endless staff meetings, paperwork and contract negotiations.
Of course, there was traffic – plenty of it. But the traffic was moving. And that movement is the outcome of sophisticated traffic control technology which was only possible after repeated shuttling back and forth to Harrisburg, dealing with mountains of paperwork, and holding endless hours of meetings with state officials to secure funding to buy the equipment and support the passionate staff who maintain that system.
As I drove past, I also noticed how nice Cranberry’s business properties look. And I recall that those features were results of laborious visioning and planning sessions with our Community Development Department, our Planning Advisory Commission, and our Board of Supervisors. The same with Cranberry Highlands – Pennsylvania’s top municipal golf course – and our beautiful parks where parents, children and grandparents are walking, biking, and cheering on their favorite teams.
Then on my Township radio, I heard about a traffic accident. Within minutes, our highly-trained, well-equipped safety professionals arrived on the scene. Seconds later, I got a text message informing me about the accident, advising me to seek alternative routes and of the projected time until it could be cleared. Where did that come from? It came from all those budget, planning, and staff meetings that once seemed so onerous.
Most people don’t realize what makes a community tick. And the better it works, the easier it is to think that working well is simply the norm. It’s not, but I’ve had the good fortune to be part of one of Pennsylvania’s best-working, most desirable communities. I report to an elected Board that truly gets it. And we have a staff of passionate professionals and dedicated volunteers who make every day here an amazing experience. It refreshes me and reminds me of the connection between what I see around me and those mounds of paper, phone calls, and meeting notes that sometimes seem to dominate my life.
I would welcome your thoughts about how we can help connect the dots for you.
Email me
Friday, September 17, 2010
Local climate change
It’s official now: we’ve broken the record for 90-degree-plus days in Cranberry. Back in February, as everyone here remembers, there was a once-in-a-generation snow event which essentially shut the region down for days at a time. This past spring, we were hit by rain storms more intense than anything we’ve been accustomed to. And it’s not just a Cranberry thing.
Last winter, Washington DC was paralyzed for more than a week. This summer saw torrential storms with record floods battering New England, Nashville and Arkansas. Outside the U.S. the weather extremes have been even worse. Pakistan drowned. Russia baked. And so did parts of Africa and East Asia. If this turns out to be a long-term trend, it will have real implications for municipal governments everywhere. This year alone, our staff spent hundreds of hours addressing problems that weather extremes caused for our residents. And we’re learning from that experience.
For example, we manage land use according to topographic flood levels – by how frequently we expect our streams to overflow. A 100-year flood level means we only expect that to occur once a century, and we regulate land use accordingly. But already this year, we’ve had three 100-year storms, and we’re only three-fourths of the way into 2010. And when you’re personally affected by weather extremes like that, official frequency projections become hard to believe. So does that mean the federal government should direct municipalities to revise their flood maps in light of weather shifts? And should they declare land which was formerly considered developable to be unsuited for building? Perhaps.
But is climate change for real? Or is it just a fluke? We’ve heard arguments on both sides. Problem is, discussions about it have become highly politicized. The political left sees it as nature’s wrath upon conservatives who resist greenhouse gas regulation. The political right, on the other hand, sees all the talk about global warming as a liberal smokescreen to expand control over the economy. Frankly, those discussions are way above my pay grade. At the local level, I work with people every day who have to deal with the impacts of weather on our residents and community assets. And there are a number of ways we feel that impact.
Municipalities are the ones who manage the storm water system and upgrade those systems when needed. We are the ones who prepare for winter weather with material, equipment and personnel. We are the ones who train and equip first responders to deal with emergencies that arise from extreme heat, cold and rain. We are the ones who administer flood hazard boundary zones and decide which areas are off limits to construction. We are the ones who enforce statewide building codes that incorporate weather related regulations. We are the ones who set design standards for local roads and maintain over a hundred miles of them – all of which are subject to stress from weather extremes.
We are also the ones responsible for managing hundreds of miles of storm water pipes, catch basins and detention facilities in the community. We are responsible for managing hundreds of acres of heavily used athletic fields and keeping them safe for our thousands of residents who participate in our recreational programs, including our award winning, popular, golf course. We are responsible for managing millions of gallons of wastewater collected daily through hundreds of miles of underground piping – all of which are directly affected by weather extremes.
So while Congress and pundits and scientists continue to argue whether climate change is real, our municipal governments are the ones obliged to constantly respond to bad weather and its impacts and to prepare for more of the same. This blog entry is not about the climate and if it is changing, it is to say when the weather is bad, it has an impact on local government, both on our finances and on our residents lives, and 2010 has been an exceptional year. At least here in Cranberry, we’ll continue doing our best to manage your assets responsibly in light of that impact – no matter which way the political winds are blowing.
I’d be interested to hear your take on this topic. Email me
Last winter, Washington DC was paralyzed for more than a week. This summer saw torrential storms with record floods battering New England, Nashville and Arkansas. Outside the U.S. the weather extremes have been even worse. Pakistan drowned. Russia baked. And so did parts of Africa and East Asia. If this turns out to be a long-term trend, it will have real implications for municipal governments everywhere. This year alone, our staff spent hundreds of hours addressing problems that weather extremes caused for our residents. And we’re learning from that experience.
For example, we manage land use according to topographic flood levels – by how frequently we expect our streams to overflow. A 100-year flood level means we only expect that to occur once a century, and we regulate land use accordingly. But already this year, we’ve had three 100-year storms, and we’re only three-fourths of the way into 2010. And when you’re personally affected by weather extremes like that, official frequency projections become hard to believe. So does that mean the federal government should direct municipalities to revise their flood maps in light of weather shifts? And should they declare land which was formerly considered developable to be unsuited for building? Perhaps.
But is climate change for real? Or is it just a fluke? We’ve heard arguments on both sides. Problem is, discussions about it have become highly politicized. The political left sees it as nature’s wrath upon conservatives who resist greenhouse gas regulation. The political right, on the other hand, sees all the talk about global warming as a liberal smokescreen to expand control over the economy. Frankly, those discussions are way above my pay grade. At the local level, I work with people every day who have to deal with the impacts of weather on our residents and community assets. And there are a number of ways we feel that impact.
Municipalities are the ones who manage the storm water system and upgrade those systems when needed. We are the ones who prepare for winter weather with material, equipment and personnel. We are the ones who train and equip first responders to deal with emergencies that arise from extreme heat, cold and rain. We are the ones who administer flood hazard boundary zones and decide which areas are off limits to construction. We are the ones who enforce statewide building codes that incorporate weather related regulations. We are the ones who set design standards for local roads and maintain over a hundred miles of them – all of which are subject to stress from weather extremes.
We are also the ones responsible for managing hundreds of miles of storm water pipes, catch basins and detention facilities in the community. We are responsible for managing hundreds of acres of heavily used athletic fields and keeping them safe for our thousands of residents who participate in our recreational programs, including our award winning, popular, golf course. We are responsible for managing millions of gallons of wastewater collected daily through hundreds of miles of underground piping – all of which are directly affected by weather extremes.
So while Congress and pundits and scientists continue to argue whether climate change is real, our municipal governments are the ones obliged to constantly respond to bad weather and its impacts and to prepare for more of the same. This blog entry is not about the climate and if it is changing, it is to say when the weather is bad, it has an impact on local government, both on our finances and on our residents lives, and 2010 has been an exceptional year. At least here in Cranberry, we’ll continue doing our best to manage your assets responsibly in light of that impact – no matter which way the political winds are blowing.
I’d be interested to hear your take on this topic. Email me
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Our regional vision
You may have heard about a project called Power of 32. It takes its name from the 32 counties in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland included in its footprint – a region which some might identify as North Central Appalachia, although nobody likes the stigma associated with that title, so it remains nameless, at least for now.
There are more than four million people who live in that region, and the project’s stated goal is to develop a shared vision for their future – a vision which would presumably help to guide the 2,000 units of government and countless private institutions that fall within its boundaries.
Several large Pittsburgh-area foundations are funding the project, which involves numerous local meetings and open-ended community conversations. Former state senator Allen Kukovich is its spokesman, and overall leadership is being provided by a 51-member steering committee, consisting mainly of representatives from the private sector as well as a handful from the public sector. Along with a couple of mayors and county commissioners, I am one of the latter, representing municipal governments.
I agreed to take on that assignment to make sure the aspirations of our region’s suburbs, smaller towns, and rural areas didn’t get drowned out by the preponderance of urban interests represented on the panel. So just for the record, here are the ideas I want to inject into the project’s thinking:
• People from around here tend to stay in this region and so do their children. They have choices, but they find this area to be livable, affordable, comfortable and family-friendly. We don’t want to lose those qualities by trying to transform ourselves into something that’s not consistent with those core values.
• It’s always nice to attract new investment from elsewhere to boost the local economy. But we need to nurture those businesses which are already here and encourage them to expand. We also want to help individuals here to become more entrepreneurial so they can create new opportunities at home.
• We want to encourage residents of each community to remain engaged with their local governments. Municipalities in our region tend to be more responsive, cost-effective, and creative in dealing with problems than larger units of government. We don’t want to lose their ability to personally engage residents by imposing consolidation or mandates on local governments.
• Our region includes a variety of communities with different histories, topographies, economies, and cultures. That variety is a strength. Respecting those differences rather than trying to homogenize them, will serve as a source of continued strength.
• Finally, while Pittsburgh is the largest municipality in the Power of 32 area and enjoys a number of wonderful resources, it represents less than eight percent of the region’s residents. We are a multi-centric region, not a uni-centric one, and our public policy priorities need to make sure that through this collaborative process, all parts of our region remain healthy.
Cranberry Township’s Municipal Center will host a Power of 32 Community Conversation beginning at 6:30 on Thursday, September 23. No advance registration is needed. Just stop in. We look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, if you have any concerns you would like to share on this issue, please send me an email: Jerry.Andree@Cranberrytownship.org.
There are more than four million people who live in that region, and the project’s stated goal is to develop a shared vision for their future – a vision which would presumably help to guide the 2,000 units of government and countless private institutions that fall within its boundaries.
Several large Pittsburgh-area foundations are funding the project, which involves numerous local meetings and open-ended community conversations. Former state senator Allen Kukovich is its spokesman, and overall leadership is being provided by a 51-member steering committee, consisting mainly of representatives from the private sector as well as a handful from the public sector. Along with a couple of mayors and county commissioners, I am one of the latter, representing municipal governments.
I agreed to take on that assignment to make sure the aspirations of our region’s suburbs, smaller towns, and rural areas didn’t get drowned out by the preponderance of urban interests represented on the panel. So just for the record, here are the ideas I want to inject into the project’s thinking:
• People from around here tend to stay in this region and so do their children. They have choices, but they find this area to be livable, affordable, comfortable and family-friendly. We don’t want to lose those qualities by trying to transform ourselves into something that’s not consistent with those core values.
• It’s always nice to attract new investment from elsewhere to boost the local economy. But we need to nurture those businesses which are already here and encourage them to expand. We also want to help individuals here to become more entrepreneurial so they can create new opportunities at home.
• We want to encourage residents of each community to remain engaged with their local governments. Municipalities in our region tend to be more responsive, cost-effective, and creative in dealing with problems than larger units of government. We don’t want to lose their ability to personally engage residents by imposing consolidation or mandates on local governments.
• Our region includes a variety of communities with different histories, topographies, economies, and cultures. That variety is a strength. Respecting those differences rather than trying to homogenize them, will serve as a source of continued strength.
• Finally, while Pittsburgh is the largest municipality in the Power of 32 area and enjoys a number of wonderful resources, it represents less than eight percent of the region’s residents. We are a multi-centric region, not a uni-centric one, and our public policy priorities need to make sure that through this collaborative process, all parts of our region remain healthy.
Cranberry Township’s Municipal Center will host a Power of 32 Community Conversation beginning at 6:30 on Thursday, September 23. No advance registration is needed. Just stop in. We look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, if you have any concerns you would like to share on this issue, please send me an email: Jerry.Andree@Cranberrytownship.org.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Keeping Informed
Let me get something off my chest.
For a long time now, we’ve been working hard at getting information about the Township out to residents and visitors. We have websites, email blasts, a newsletter, and a Facebook page. We send out Twitter announcements and NIXLE messages. We put up signs, publish brochures, write letters, take out ads, hang posters, insert bill stuffers, produce videos and meet with all sorts of local organizations. Not only that, we work with local newspapers and broadcasters to provide timely and practical information concerning virtually every aspect of life in Cranberry.
But just about every week, someone comes up to me with an indignant look to complain about being surprised by something we’ve actually been publicizing for weeks. “Why wasn’t I informed?” they demand to know.
Well, the answer in most cases is that they chose not to be informed. When I point out that it was in the Cranberry Eagle, they’ll say “I never read that paper; it goes straight to my recycling cart.” When I tell them it was on our website home page, they’ll reply “I don’t have time to waste on the Internet.” And when I explain that it’s something we’ve been announcing on our big-screen monitor and with posters throughout the Municipal Center, they’ll tell me “I never pay attention to those when I’m in the Municipal Center.”
Okay. Fair enough. We all have the right to choose not to pay attention to the information around us. And there really is a glut of information out there. Sometimes it seems like we’re overdosing on it. So we all need to be selective. I can even understand that someone might not want to pour over the legal ads we’re required to place in the Butler Eagle.
But part of being a citizen in a democracy means taking on the burden of informing yourself, at least in broad outline, of what’s going on. You can’t participate effectively in government at any level unless you have at least some understanding of the issues and events of the day. Ignorance may be bliss, but doesn’t make for good government. Each of us is responsible for educating ourselves about the issues that matter to us.
Cranberry’s Board of Supervisors has asked our staff to look at our communications efforts over the coming months to make sure we’re all doing what we can to provide meaningful communications with our residents and businesses. If you have any suggestions on how we can get our “stuff” to stand out better and reach people more effectively, I would welcome your thoughts. In the meantime, we will continue to work on new ways of making our information available and easy to find.
But please understand that when I look at you in bewilderment after you’ve just told me that the Township never tells people what is going on, it’s not because we didn’t try.
For a long time now, we’ve been working hard at getting information about the Township out to residents and visitors. We have websites, email blasts, a newsletter, and a Facebook page. We send out Twitter announcements and NIXLE messages. We put up signs, publish brochures, write letters, take out ads, hang posters, insert bill stuffers, produce videos and meet with all sorts of local organizations. Not only that, we work with local newspapers and broadcasters to provide timely and practical information concerning virtually every aspect of life in Cranberry.
But just about every week, someone comes up to me with an indignant look to complain about being surprised by something we’ve actually been publicizing for weeks. “Why wasn’t I informed?” they demand to know.
Well, the answer in most cases is that they chose not to be informed. When I point out that it was in the Cranberry Eagle, they’ll say “I never read that paper; it goes straight to my recycling cart.” When I tell them it was on our website home page, they’ll reply “I don’t have time to waste on the Internet.” And when I explain that it’s something we’ve been announcing on our big-screen monitor and with posters throughout the Municipal Center, they’ll tell me “I never pay attention to those when I’m in the Municipal Center.”
Okay. Fair enough. We all have the right to choose not to pay attention to the information around us. And there really is a glut of information out there. Sometimes it seems like we’re overdosing on it. So we all need to be selective. I can even understand that someone might not want to pour over the legal ads we’re required to place in the Butler Eagle.
But part of being a citizen in a democracy means taking on the burden of informing yourself, at least in broad outline, of what’s going on. You can’t participate effectively in government at any level unless you have at least some understanding of the issues and events of the day. Ignorance may be bliss, but doesn’t make for good government. Each of us is responsible for educating ourselves about the issues that matter to us.
Cranberry’s Board of Supervisors has asked our staff to look at our communications efforts over the coming months to make sure we’re all doing what we can to provide meaningful communications with our residents and businesses. If you have any suggestions on how we can get our “stuff” to stand out better and reach people more effectively, I would welcome your thoughts. In the meantime, we will continue to work on new ways of making our information available and easy to find.
But please understand that when I look at you in bewilderment after you’ve just told me that the Township never tells people what is going on, it’s not because we didn’t try.
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