BY ANNE MICHAUD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Regionalism is one of those civic virtues that many politicians say they favor until it threatens to cost them power or money.
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Summit on regionalism
The two days of the summit have different themes:
Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"Workshop on Regional Cooperation." Leadership Kentucky will sponsor discussion about how communities in the doldrums have rejuvenated themselves.
The program will be run by the authors of Grassroots Leaders for a New Economy: How Civic Entrepreneurs are Building Prosperous Communities."
Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
"Hurdling the Barriers toward Regional Cooperation and Global Competition."
Leaders from business and government throughout the Tristate will participate in panel discussions. One will examine the results of initiatives in Philadelphia, Kentucky and Cleveland.
At the end of the day, participants will decide whether to regularly convene special committees to continue the days' work.
Registration fee is $40 for the first day and $35 for the second day, or both days for $65. People may register at the door of the Blue Ash Best Western Hotel. Source: Regionalism
Summit organizers
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Some of the region's most important civic and business leaders hope to break through territorial defenses at the end of this week with a two-day summit on regionalism, collaborating across city or county or state lines.
It is motivated by a fear of being left behind by other dynamic areas of the country, organizers said.
"It was recognizing the intense need to pull together as a region to become a competitor in the global economy as opposed to being overlooked and becoming a social, cultural and economic backwater," said Chuck Downton, a senior manager of Procter & Gamble Co., who will moderate one session.
The summit will run all day Thursday and Friday, at the Blue Ash Best Western & Conference Center. Registration is open and people may register at the door.
The summit was organized by several civic groups, which is in itself unusual, Mr. Downton said. They include Alumni of Leadership Cincinnati, Leadership Clermont County, Leadership Northern Kentucky, The Cincinnatus Association, Citizens for Civic Renewal and the Metropolitan Growth Alliance.
The Growth Alliance has hired regionalism guru Michael Gallis, a planning and architecture expert, to spend a year identifying the strengths of Tristate communities and their role in the emerging global economy.
Mr. Gallis did such a study for greater Charlotte, N.C., in 1989. He identified cities that ring Charlotte and explained how they interconnect. The analysis helped the region capitalize on its assets, and it is widely considered a success.
Summit participants may decide to include Mr. Gallis' work in planning for future action, said Ray Hodges, city manager of Forest Park and immediate past president of Alumni of Leadership Cincinnati.
What sets this summit apart, he said, is that participants will decide at the end of two days how to move forward. They may form committees, create a project and define its scope and duration.
"We know there's been a lot of previous talk about regionalism," Mr. Hodges said. "We designed this to be a defining moment for regionalism." Among the participants will be Rene True, director of research for the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development; former Ohio Gov. John Gilligan, now co-chair of the Citizens for Civic Renewal; the Rev. William Cleves, president of Thomas More College; William Butler, president of Corporex and founding member of the Metropolitan Growth Alliance.
Also attending will be Hamilton County commissioners John Dowlin and Tom Neyer Jr.; Boone County Judge-executive Ken Lucas; Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls; Nick Vehr, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Amateur Athletics Association; Warren County Commissioner Larry Crisenbery.
John Williams, president of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and another participant, said he plans to spend a day at the summit -- and he would not have done that three years ago.
"It would have been a smaller, more focused group of devotees who were pushing it," he said. "This is broader."
Grassroots leaders
Thursday, the first day, will focus on a presentation by the authors of Grassroots Leaders for a New Economy: How Civic Entrepreneurs are Building Prosperous Communities. The book was published in 1997 and was written by Doug Henton, John Melville and Kim Walesh. Angela Woodward, president of Leadership Kentucky, will moderate the first day. She said discussion will focus on what other regions have learned.
Since many people will attend both days, Ms. Woodward said, she hopes the ideas presented Thursday will be used Friday to set goals.
"What I've noticed about the Cincinnati region is there are a lot of efforts already going on, and they could find strength in working together," Ms. Woodward said.
She acknowledged that people can be territorial: "It is important to note there is a difference between collaboration and consolidation." On Friday speakers from Philadelphia, Kentucky and Cleveland have been invited.
In the afternoon, participants will break into small groups to focus on arts and culture, education and labor force, environmental priorities, economic development, race relations, transportation, and land use and growth planning.
A final session, titled "The Challenge Doesn't End Here!" will ask participants to plan a next step in regional collaboration.
