They say there is power in numbers. But they also say too many cooks can spoil the broth. So which phrase is to be believed? When it comes to planning the future of your town, city, state or region, is collaboration king or will the squeaky wheel always get the grease?
State leaders across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia hope there is power in one big number this week as their regional planning initiative, the Power of 32 kicks off with a series of public hearings. The plan is simple: combine the power of local governments to make a bigger noise than each of these municipalities alone. Local leaders will talk to their constituents, formulate a plan and then petition collectively for what they want. The first phase of that process began on Tuesday, as meetings kicked off in PA’s Mercer, Mahoning and Lawrence counties.
“Working together across state lines creates a new sense of power for members of these communities,” says Power of 32 executive director Selena Schmidt. “If we did that, our region would have eight U.S. senators and nine members of congress working for us. And that is an entirely different ballgame for this region.”
Following the regional watershed and finding counties with similar planning goals, Schmidt’s team has created a focus and hopes that this summer’s public hearings will reveal goals, plans and dreams of everyday citizens not used to having their voices heard. And while collaboration can be difficult, it creates a pride for the citizens involved that Schmidt says is well worth it.
“One of the things we are doing with this community conversation is having the people of this region derive for themselves what they see a thriving region to be,” says Schmidt. “That’s really important because we don’t want to have a plan that creates what was popular in Austin 15 years ago or Portland five years ago. We want to create a thriving region of our own for what our future is.”
Source: Selena Schmidt, Power of 32
Writer: John Steele
Photo: Selena Schmidt leads a public listening session.
