Civic leaders

Civic leaders: Joining together to move ahead

Nearly 75 civic leaders from throughout the city came together Oct. 13 in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia to share their ideas. Participants talked about how such groups could work together to improve the neighborhoods and what needs to be done to cut through city bureacracy.

The goal of the forum's activities was to bring together a representative group of civic leaders for a day of productive conversation and to help the leaders build a network of contacts. What happens next is up to the participants, but they're off to a good start.

To read the invitiation to civic leaders describing the event in detail, take a look at "Let civic groups join forces to increase their clout at City Hall," by Inquirer columnist Tom Ferrick Jr. In addition, Great Expectations tried to get the discussion going early by engaging participants in an online discussion.

Four citizen bloggers attended the event and posted their observations on the Great Expectations blog. Check out their reports:

Beth Lewis: Dreaming toward the goal of "The Next Great City"
Marissa McClellan: Bouyed by a sense of hope
Bill Rowland: Carpe Diem - Seize the day
Albert Yee: A surprising mix at leaders forum, Cooperation among civics and Civic leaders question mayoral candidates

Also on the blog: The civic leaders weigh in on the issue of gentrification.

(Photo by Albert Yee)