A Project for Citizen Participation in Planning the Future of Akron

IMAGINING AKRON
by Dave Lieberth, Chairman, Imagine.Akron:2025

It was the summer of 1998, and Don Plusquellic was being uncharacteristically patient. Since the day I met him - - 25 years earlier on his very first day as a councilman - - he has been in a hurry. Most often, in a hurry for Akron to realize its potential as one of America's premiere cities.

But now, he was agreeing to wait.

At the time, I was mired deep in Akron's rubber history, preparing a three-hour stage program from the book Wheels of Fortune that would be produced at E.J.Thomas Hall the week before Thanksgiving. Once completed, I thought I'd spend 1999 working on Akron's Centeseptequinary, the 175^th anniversary of our founding.

The mayor had a different plan. He said he'd wait for me to finish the history show, but then he wanted me to look at Akron's future.

Both of us remembered well the Goals for Greater Akron program launched by Mayor John Ballard and General Tire Chairman Jerry O'Neil in 1973 . The "Goals" program, directed by Barbara Hiney, laid the groundwork for much of the area's life over the last 25 years: the creation of Leadership Akron, improved public transit, 9-1-1 emergency service, and of course - - County Charter Government.

The "Goals" program had also produced a surge of public involvement: hundreds of people appeared at public forums to voice their opinion about the future of the community. This was a time when industrial change was ravaging the city's base of employment and leaving vacant one-by-one, the storefronts of downtown. Serious issues of race had moved into federal courtrooms as the city of Akron was ordered to hire and promote more African-American police officers and fire fighters.

In 1974, when the city last planned its future, no one "fed- exed" a package overnight. No one in Akron city hall received a fax. Akron had 4 radio stations broadcasting the news. There were 5-channels we watched on TV. Interstate 77 stopped at Ridgewood Road in Fairlawn.

Akron had changed. The world was changing faster.

In the second week of December, 1998 and on short notice, 60 community leaders showed up for breakfast at Tangier to tell us that the time was right to look far into Akron's future. Plusquellic and I had not agreed on what to call the program or how far to look forward. The group's consensus was that 25 years was about right. Father Norm Douglas came up with "Imagine Akron." I added the dot between the words, and talented Inventure Place artist Laurie Mobley designed the logo.

The only directions we received from the mayor and city council were to give everyone a chance to participate, and make the project truly representative of all the people of Akron. Unlike Goals for Greater Akron, our charge was not to look at the region, but at the city itself, with due regard for our position as a regional center of commerce, government, and media.

We gathered an 18 member Advisory Board, representative of every area of Akron. At the first meeting, we realized that we didn't have a member who was under 30, and we didn't have a woman who worked at home and who had small children. We added each one.

Next, we needed to construct the public conversation.

Historian Daniel Boorstein has said that planning the future without looking at your past is like putting cut flowers into the ground and expecting them to grow. I knew that in 1874, Akron industrialist Lewis Miller created the Chautauqua Assembly, where people could come together and teach each other. Had the job of getting people involved in the public life of the community changed all that much in 125 years?

We convened a "Citizen Assembly," the first of 12 such meetings. They were conducted in-the-round as a conversation between one speaker at a time and the moderator, with as many people listening-in as who attended. Every assembly was re-broadcast on Time Warner Cable.

Veteran city officials were surprised at the quality and quantity of positive comments coming from our meetings. At the assembly on housing issues, two men addressed the difficulty of developing rental housing as landlords. They confessed (after the meeting) that they had come prepared to "bite our heads off," but as they listened to the flow of comments from others, and saw how positive each speaker was, they decided that they could participate and express themselves in positive ways.

Imagine.Akron assemblies became what civil discourse looks like.

If a well-advertised large group meeting open to the public could assure the widest possible participation, then, we reasoned, small groups devoted to a single topic could assure thoughtful treatment of the array of options from which the city would choose its future.

Forty "Workgroups" were identified. They were organized by how the city would deliver services to families, to neighborhoods, in support of economic development, and resources. Each Workgroup would be convened by a Moderator, a neutral force to guide the conversation; and each workgroup would be assisted by an individual with expertise - - often a city worker - - whom we called a "resource delegate."

Workgroups met up to six times for 90-minute sessions and completed written summaries of their deliberations that are appended to Imagine.Akron's final report.

One of the lasting contributions Imagine.Akron might have made to the city is the benefit obtained from city workers and residents sitting together to discuss issues. The high regard developed for talented city employees by workgroup panelists, and the respect for the collegial wisdom of residents gained by city workers, would indeed be a valuable asset in managing problems in the future.

THE YEAR 2025

Imagine.Akron is not about guessing what the future will be like between now and the year 2025.

We could make a list of the things unimaginable to people in 1975 which we take for granted today. (In 1975, the chairman and founder of Digital Computer Corporation told the press that he couldn't think of a reason why people would need their own personal computers in the future!)

To a large degree, Imagine.Akron has attempted to define fundamental values whose longevity transcends technological change. The Goals enclosed in our final report are milestones which will steer us as travelers on our path through the next quarter-century. These goals arise out of 18 months of a public dialogue in which over 1,000 voices have been heard. Accompanied by the reports of our Workgroups, the summaries of comments gleaned in our citizen assemblies, and the statistical results of our public polling, these Goals help define our aspirations as a community.

The year 2000 has been defined by the public media as an artificial boundary which provides an excuse for looking back and looking forward.

There is real change underway, and a review of literature about the future reveals trends of great significance that Akron would ignore only at our peril in doing future planning.

Social theorist Peter Drucker observes that in Western history, there have been moments every 200 years or so when society has re-arranged its political structure, its basic values, its arts, and its institutions. America in the late eighteenth century saw just such changes. The Washington D.C. based Center for Strategic and International Studies suggests that today - - in the year 2000 - - we are observing another such transformation.

A thoughtful analysis suggests that this transformation, evidenced through trends, is shaking the foundations of our society.

SOME TRENDS THAT WILL IMPACT AKRON'S FUTURE

1. Population
Life in the year 2000 is vastly different from life in the year 1900 because of many inventions. But among basic institutions: family, government, and church -- few changes matter as much as the increase in life expectancy. For a man in 1900, that was 47. Today, most men expect not only to live - - but to live actively - - well into their 70's, 80's, or 90's.

Dr. Gregory Stock of the school of Medicine at UCLA wonders if we are not genetically reconfiguring ourselves, such that by the year 2050, expectations for life span may reach 150. Research on the Human Genome will transform us in ways we cannot yet imagine. DNA technology will offer treatments and/or cures for Alzheimer's disease, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, sickle-cell anemia, and cancer. Just as vaccines of the 1940's and 1950's eliminated scourges of medicine, new gene therapies seem to be announced monthly, steadily eliminating the diseases which are responsible for death. Indeed, one futurist suggests that by 2025, death may arrive only when body parts wear out, or by accident, or more ominously - - by choice.

For Akron, the "graying" of the population is a certain and challenging issue. When there is one frail 85-year old in the neighborhood, snow removal, trash removal, and leaf pickup are still manageable for the resident. But as the baby- boom generation hits its 70's in the year 2015, different assistance may be required in the delivery of every public service, from transit to the size of type on street signs.

There are other, and less well-publicized population predictions to watch as well. There is a coming flood of youngsters. Beginning in 1985, demographers labeled a new "baby boomlet" that will ultimately be larger than the baby "boom" of 1945-1960. Today, the number of children under 18 is larger than the peak of the post-war era. High school enrollments are expected to surge; elementary enrollment will surge; and college openings will become more competitive. By the year 2015, there are expected to be 82 million teenagers in the US. In addition to new pressures on schools, this is an age-group most responsible for incidents of criminal activity as well. Akron enjoys a low crime rate today, but as the teenage population soars by the year 2015, new concerns for education and safety will arise.

While Akron has pockets of Asian and Latino immigrants, the city's diversity has largely remained unchanged for 25 years. Between now and the year 2010 there will be an intensified pressure for the migration of some 20 million refugees worldwide, with a million people a year being added to the world's homeless ranks. Inevitably, Akron will be required to "do its share" of managing a newer, larger immigrant population from Africa and Latin America, challenging our schools, our housing supply, and our community.

2. Growth of the Information Economy
In the information age, knowledge is the commodity of the economy. This is more than a subtle shift in focus. Just as genetic science may be reconfiguring our life span, the new economy is reconfiguring the definition of our work life.

The ATM machine allowed us to be our own bank teller. Automation may replace thousands of retail jobs in the future - - from placing our own order at a fast-food restaurant to ordering clothing on-line.

Who does quality control for Federal Express? We do. The customer follows the trail of the package on the internet with the routing number we are provided.

Colleges are eliminating paper (and paper pushers) in their registration process shifting all the work to the student, to do it on the internet.

Companies will use alternative office strategies more, including telecommuting. In 1998, there were 10 million American workers doing their jobs outside of the "office" at least 3 days per month. The trend is growing, and is so pronounced at IBM, that 20% of its 270,000 workers spend at least 2 days each week out of the office. Because of employees sharing office space, IBM has saved $1 billion per year in real estate costs in 1999. By the year 2005, perhaps one out of five US workers will telecommute. That is, they will not be defined by their physical workspace.

When Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich arrived in Akron in 1870, he needed three things from Akron to create a new rubber business: land, water, and labor. The person who arrives in Akron today to start his or her new Information business has different requirements. Land and office space become secondary in the Information economy, and people to work in the business can be found anywhere they presently live. Attracting new business to Akron in the future will be as much about available bandwidth and the quality of life as any other criteria.

Akron continues to rely heavily on manufacturing for its economic well-being, where workforce issues also predominate. Peter Drucker tracked people who make "things" as compared to making their living through ideas and information. In 1950 a majority worked in manufacturing. By 1990, it was 20%. By the year 2010, Drucker believes that no more than 10% of people in developed countries are likely to be involved in the manufacture of products. Like agriculture and food production, a small percentage of the workforce will be able to manufacture all the goods the world will need. Akron manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to find people who will do assembly line work, heavy labor, or technical jobs in manufacturing. Their continued presence in Akron depends heavily on how Akron responds to the challenge of supplying a reliable workforce for these jobs.

3. The Redefinition of Work and Leisure
In the Information economy, the radical notion emerges that human beings are the ultimate source of economic value and are not interchangeable cogs in the industrial machine. Information companies are developing new relationships with employees. There is minority and gender equity because information is color-blind and gender-neutral. IBM, once the most traditional of American companies, now offers spousal benefits to partners of gay employees. In a knowledge economy, the "inventory" rides up and down the elevator each night, and as companies pursue their economic self-interests, they will do what is necessary to recruit and retain competent people, regardless of their race, gender, disability, or sexual preference.

Work itself is being re-organized. Old authoritarian, hierarchical models are disappearing. Interdisciplinary teams which utilize collaborative methods create products, and enhance manufacturing, marketing, and sales. As boundaries fade, there is an increased emphasis on new work relationships, connecting diverse fields with one another.

Giant corporations are dividing themselves into smaller units to operate within the spirit of small companies. Titles are dispensable. Companies following "best practice" models eliminate titles, private offices, and percs. The "boss" is most often a team leader who directs a group of 20 to 50 people, where authority is shared. Decisions are made quickly, and the company remains nimble to address constant change.

This ability to remain "nimble," to act on new business opportunities within days rather than weeks or months was highlighted in Imagine.Akron's Conversation in the Round on e-business. Bertrand Gray of Oracle Corporation urged cities and schools to become more like modern business in this regard. To be nimble. The ability to move quickly may often be the difference between success and failure.

In the past, the city has employed sharply defined systems to deliver utilities to consumers: water, sewer, electricity, natural gas and cable TV. Just as de-regulation of private utilities has caused these lines to blur, the lines drawn between services to be provided by the County, the City, the School Board, the Library Board, and the Parks Board will become less meaningful to consumers. Citizens will rely on "government" to provide services necessary to support their lives, with little concern for artificial boundaries.

Over the past 25 years, the private sector has re-configured itself in new ways to address change. The City of Akron is pretty much organized to provide services the way it was in 1975. There have been experiments with team - relationships in Public Services which have demonstrated success. But as job titles and job categories become less important in the new age, the City will be challenged to match the efficiency of the private sector and remain within the limits of a Civil Service system designed for the 20^th century workplace.

There is probably not a single 25-year old today who expects to join a company and remain with the same company for his or her entire work-life. It is true today, and will become more likely in the future that every working person will have serial careers. Four or five changes in jobs will seem normal during a work-life, and "retirement" will become a word of the past.

The City and the Schools will be challenged to provide sources of the constant re-training that will be necessary to support a local economy. Rapid changes in computer technology require ongoing education. For a workforce to match the jobs that will become available, new skills must be taught and publicly - funded education will support workforce demands.

An offshoot of the knowledge era also reduces the emphasis on "things" and increases the emphasis on "experiences." We will still need manufactured goods, but mature consumers will be as likely to shop for things to do as they will for things to use. Families look for enrichment activities for their children. They will walk more, bicycle more, and travel out of town more. Mature workers whose families are raised will look for hobby classes, entertainment, and leisure activities that are diverse and first-rate.

For Akron, the 1990's have positioned the City to take advantage of a leisure economy that will include downtown arts and entertainment, museum exhibits, interactive education, University classes, and professional sports. The City will be challenged in the future to meet an increasing demand for music, shows, festivals, swimming, skating, skateboarding, and arena sports which will serve not only residents of Akron but also residents within a one-hour drive.

4. Acceleration of scientific developments
The technology we use every day was hardly even imagined in 1975. We can only guess what new technology will bring us by the year 2025.

Today's Internet is the model-T Ford of the worldwide web. The internet will profoundly transform our social, governmental, educational, and business lives. Already, U.S. auto manufacturers have collaborated in a business to business supply chain. GM, Ford, and Chrysler-Daimler requires their suppliers to provide bids online, using the power of connectedness to diminish old purchasing practices.

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic receive medical information online about patients, and Akron's Summa Health system is building an information web that will enable doctors within its system to more easily access data about patients digitally.

Internet devices will replace the personal computer and its attendant rigamarole to gain access to online services. Getting the news and the weather will be instantaneous, as will checking out movie schedules or airline flights.

A new world of wireless devices will permit parents to track their children; doctors to use implanted receptors to track the body's vital signs; and our cell phones will be the agent of instant communication, permitting us to use its pulses to access vending machines or charging purchases at stores without the need of a credit card.

Continued research on fuel cells suggest to some futurists that the year 2025 may be the Age of Hydrogen. Electric plants will be decentralized, and the power grid as we know it may be eliminated. With improvements in fuel cell technology, each home or business will have its own power plant, much as each home now has a furnace.

Within this trend is concealed the end of the "oil era." By the year 2025, we may be very near the peak in oil production which will begin a long, slow decline. There will be a growing importance of natural gas and the concurrent development of hybrid electric cars. The year 2000 has already seen a new Honda, Toyota's RAV-4-EV and the General Motors EV-1. By the year 2020, 99% of cars in use today will have completely turned-over, and the likelihood increases that such vehicles will be the norm.

It is fair to observe that the City is not prepared to manage advanced technology. Let alone the ethical issues that accompany the application of some innovations, the City has no coherent means for receiving, reviewing, and implementing the array of scientific change that will continue to assault our traditional systems over the next 25 years.

5. Media Convergence
In 1975, the Cable News Network was an infant. Along with the fledgling national newspaper USA Today, both were highly criticized and predicted to be failures. The Internet was unknown except to a handful of academics and defense personnel. What can we foresee today that will change the way we consume news in the next 25 years?

The merger this year of America On Line and Time-Warner is just the beginning of our television set becoming our web browser. The same cable that brings 100 TV channels into our home has become the same cable that brings us the internet. Soon, the same cable may bring us our telephone service.

This revolution in how we access media is underway now, and each year - - next year, and the year after that, will deliver dramatic change to our home and workplace alike.

Hints of the future are present now. What the satellite receiving dish has done for television channel options is about to happen to radio programming. Auto parts maker Delphi Co. is experimenting with Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) technology. Listeners can tune in up to 100 channels of digital-quality, commercial-free programming around the clock and across the continental United States - - 50 channels of news, weather, sports, and talk programming, in addition to 50 channels of music. The music channels will be divided into genres and subgenres such as album rock, alternative rock, modern country, classic country, Tex-Mex, etc.

Field testing of the satellite-repeater system will begin within months, with the commencement of broadcasting set for early 2001.

Just as FM radio killed the appetite for listening to music on AM, satellite radio with its near CD-quality of music may deliver a fatal blow to local radio as we know it, and the knockout punch may be delivered before 2005.

Television is going digital. The New York Times suggests that the new broadcast service TIVO, with its ability to download live programs to a hard-drive in the home will change the face of TV forever. TIVO permits live TV to be paused in mid-action.That's merely a novelty. By the year 2004, the Times suggests, prices will shrink for computer memory. $500 will buy enough memory to hold the inventory of an average Blockbuster video store, and then local TV as we know it, will likewise be delivered a fatal blow. The programmer becomes the viewer, and a computer memory will "offer" programs to individual viewers based on their personal preferences for music, sitcoms, nature shows, science, or WWA wrestling.

As cable communication and wireless communication linked by satellites converge, so will all of our choices for media. Just as internet subscribers today receive newsletters tailored to their interests about their profession or about their their hobbies, in the future, they may be able to program their web browsers to receive news they want to see and avoid the news that does not interest them.

Akron was one of the first "wired" cities in the nation with two-way cable when cable TV was in its infancy. The cable infrastructure is being upgraded throughout the city to provide digital services to homes and businesses. The City provides some limited oversight to the cable TV industry through its franchise agreements, but will need to remain nimble as media technology changes on almost an annual basis.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM IMAGINE.AKRON:2025

Are there themes generally that cross the subject-matter lines into which we divided our 18 months of dialogue? It is the question that I have been asked most frequently, and as a reporter and editor of the thousand voices that we have heard, I have identified the following broad themes.

Confidence:
The residents of Akron and the City workers who joined our discussions echo the sentiments expressed by Vaclav Havel, the writer and president of the Czech Republic, who said "We are in an age when everything is possible."

As our panelists grappled with issues that affect every urban community, the pattern that emerges from their discussion and reports is that Akron can find a solution - - if we communicate enough and if we are willing to collaborate enough.

Mentally ill people being drawn downtown to diminish the atmosphere of safety? Akron can manage the problem if our Hospitals, health agencies, police, and legal communities will make a commitment to solve the problem.

Pre - school children struggling to gain early reading skills? Akron can find solutions if the Schools, the City, and the pediatric health community will sit down together to face the challenge.

On Sunday, September 10, 2000, after I had prepared this report, I was moved by the letters extracted from the Summit County Historical Society's 1950 Time Capsule. These letters were written by a hundred people 50 years ago. The almost apocalyptic view they expressed about Akron's future, not knowing if nuclear bombs or a Third World War would permit us to survive, stand in sharp contrast with the vibrant, positive outlook that our panelists share about Akron's future today.

Change
There is a sense among our panelists that Akron has spent much of the last 25 years getting ready for whatever is coming next. Among those who participated in our discussions, the 1990's were viewed as the decade when we were able to remove what wasn't useful to us and build what will be important to our future.

There is a readiness to accept the changes brought on by the aging of our population and the implementation of new technologies. In our poll, 86% want the City to see the importance of the internet in providing information. 78% want the City to change the way it approaches planning for pedestrians and cyclists.

With regard to Education, many of our panelists are impatient with the baby steps the Schools have taken to address teaching and learning competence. In this area, it may be that the people are prepared for "revolutionary" change rather than "evolutionary" steps. In our poll, 94% make the judgment that the Schools do need more money. Akron residents are divided on whether or not it can be justified in the present system. If it is not astonishing that 79% of our respondents want school districts to share resources more; it is startling that over 80% would support a consolidation of school districts to achieve improved economies.

The question begged by our 18-month conversation is whether or not the leaders of Akron - - in the City, the County, the Schools - - are as ready to lead change as the people are to accept it.

Communication
Is Akron at risk of losing its identity? Our panelists value Akron as a regional and national force but raise the concern that we have lost the infrastructure to communicate effectively with one another - - a media infrastructure which creates cohesive bonds within the community.

When the "Local News" page of Akron's daily newspaper is awash with stories from Canton, Massillon, Wadsworth, and elsewhere, it reminds us of the struggle the newspaper has to maintain readership across a wider geography. The consequence however, is a declining interest for covering news which is particular to the residents of Akron.

In our poll, 62% of our sample still rely on the newspaper for most of their information about local affairs. Fewer than 1% looked to Akron's weekly newspaper which is all local news. 95% say they still rely on the Beacon Journal "most often." But of the BJ's readers in our poll, only 60% actually subscribe to it, meaning that the acquisition of Akron news is often dependent on whether or not residents purchase the Sunday newspaper at the gas station or grocery store.

Ten percent (10%) of our sample rely on the radio for local news, but when asked the question, "WHICH radio station do you listen to most often," our respondents listed 26 separate radio stations as their first radio station of choice!

Fifteen percent(15%) of our sample rely on television for local news. This means that in the 30-minute newscast offered by one of four Cleveland TV stations, after the paid advertising, the sports, the weather, and the chatter between news anchors, Akron viewers will have a minuscule opportunity to learn about the city of Akron; and then, only the most dramatic stories that appeal to all of Cleveland and northeast Ohio are likely to be included.

The community feels disconnected with Akron issues, Akron leaders, Akron sports, and Akron events. The solution suggested most often in our discussions and in our poll was to restore a locally - produced television newscast. 86% of our polling respondents felt it was important, and 67% labeled such an effort, "very important."

On February 29, 1996, Paxson Communications Corporation terminated Akron's only local TV news, terminated some 60 employees, and subsequently moved "Akron's" TV station to the wider, more profitable Cleveland market. Despite this putative larceny of Channel 23 - - one of the city's prized assets - - this removal was permitted in the federally deregulated environment. The Federal Communications Commission renewed Paxton's TV license for Channel 23 until the year 2005.

Some would say that it is merely inconvenient that Akron high school athletic teams; Akron charities, arts, and culture; and Akron business stories are seldom elevated to the requirements to appear on Cleveland TV. If there is a more sinister consequence of being the largest city in the United States without its own locally - produced television newscast, it lies in the ability for Akron people to review, select, and nurture candidates for public office. To have confidence in our public institutions, and to affirm the uniqueness of our community, requires a level of communication which is absent today.

A second solution proposed is for the City itself to become a provider of information on an increased basis. Across demographic lines, 90% of our polling sample believed the City should provide information much as it provides any other utility. The City collects information daily on our safety and on our health. Such increased services could be internet based and ultimately include an array of information not now being provided online by any entity.

Collaboration
What makes Akron different is what can make and keep Akron great. No characteristic of our community distinguishes us more from other cities our size and larger than our tradition of collaboration. No word is used more often throughout the range of data we collected in our community dialogue to describe future aspirations for Akron.

Akron's history of collaboration is evident in the city's past successes: growing our municipal university into a state institution which is recognized nationally; operating a medical school among multiple institutions; attracting the National Inventors Hall of Fame to Akron; creating a Summit to manage children's issues among a dozen different agencies; opening the Mustill store complex at the Cascade Locks Park; and launching the first Joint Economic Development District in Ohio which is now the subject of national acclaim.

Outsiders marvel at what Akron accomplishes through cooperation among government entities and through collaboration between public and private entities. I have often characterized this phenomenon with the phrase that Akron is "the largest small town in America." The size of our community permits us to manage difficult problems with a proportionality that big cities can't have, and with assets that small towns don't have.

As our Workgroups tackled hard issues for the future, the solutions almost always involve a collaboration that would unite the strength of our assets - - the City and County working together, the City and private agencies combining forces, Hospitals, Schools, the Library, the University - - all bringing components to a joint venture. As this report is being prepared, a new collaboration is being suggested among groups that seek funding for Culture, the Arts, Recreation, Entertainment, and Sports. The CARES initiative is just such an idea that may work in Summit County because of the community's high expectations for collaboration.

In our polling, 80% of the respondents want increased sharing of resources among schools, 70% want increased cooperation among government agencies, and 92% support cooperation among our Hospitals.

Imagine.Akron's Workgroup reports suggest a variety of collaborations: joint committees among agencies, interdisciplinary teams, multi - disciplinary teams, consortiums, clearinghouses, networks, and task forces. In writing the final statement of Goals, I elected to consolidate the concept into one word - - the word that Lewis Miller used 100 years ago, "assembly." It suggests a different approach to problem - solving, an approach that modern companies in the private sector are exploiting with great success: the use of teams without the encumbrance of titles. The notion that a group of people meeting collegially are smarter than any one individual on the team. Making individuals on the team accountable for the success of individual components to the solution. Where the whole will produce results greater than the sum of the components.

In our city's history, I see one moment in time that captures the potential of Akron's special collaborative nature. May 12, 1935. On that day, Henrietta Seiberling invited a stranger in town to come to her home to meet a friend. In the gate lodge of Stan Hywet, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith created the largest self-help organization the world has ever seen. Alcoholics Anonymous could have started anywhere. I think that the series of coincidences that combined to produce that meeting and nurture that idea, may only have been able to occur in Akron.

Citizenship
The primary duty of city government is life support. Supporting the lives of individuals, of families, of neighborhoods, of business. Citizens are both "employers" of public officials and "customers" for the services they provide. In the private sector, the relationships between employers and employees have changed dramatically in 25 years. In the public sector, the relationship between citizens and public officials is relatively unchanged from even 100 years ago.

One result of the Imagine.Akron program could be that the way Akron City Hall interacts with its citizens might change forever.

In 1836, when Seth Iredell was elected Akron's first mayor, all 166 men who voted in the election probably knew the candidates personally, and all of the electors probably knew each other!

At some point in time, it came to be that citizens took an interest in municipal government only when their personal interests were being taunted by a proposed ordinance or zoning issue.

At some point in time, it came to be expected that many of the decisions about the city's future would be made by planning or engineering experts.

At some point in time, it came to be that the citizens abandoned the public officials they elected as mayor and council the day after the election.

In several important ways, Imagine.Akron's 18 month dialogue among Akron residents challenges the present way that City Hall and city residents do business with each other.

In late 1999, the 16^th class of Leadership Akron, meeting as an Imagine.Akron assembly, suggested that the dilemma of how to attract competent and interested people to elected office could be addressed in part by increasing citizen involvement in the daily processes of governance. Citizens needed to be actually present in the structure of municipal decision-making, before they can offer the kind of nurturing to elected officials that will always attract the best talent to seek public offices.

In late 1999 and early 2000, some 400 Akron residents volunteered to be part of an Imagine.Akron panel. After investing themselves in this dialogue, some 400 panelists who attended meetings of our Workgroups are waiting for their next assignment.

Can the City adapt its structure of governance to include citizens in meaningful discussions about policy and planning before the decisions are actually made? Is there a role for panels of citizens to participate as focus groups to add breadth and depth to the continuing conversation about the City's future plans?

The experience shared by city employees and citizens who participated in workgroups suggests that there need to be more structured and planned opportunities for interaction. Presently, residents too often meet city employees only at times of crisis or conflict - - receiving a traffic ticket, responding to an emergency, inspecting for violations of city codes, or on opposite sides of the table at a public hearing.

The interests of government and the interests of residents can be joined in a continuing conversation that should be part of the implementation of Imagine.Akron's final report.