Regional News & Views

We are just days away from a new event that illustrates why working together will always make our region more successful. On December 7, 2012, Economic Development 411 or ED411 will bring together elected and public officials from our communities, schools and businesses to gain a better understanding of economic development and how they play a key role in creating a vibrant local economy.

MORPC is partnering with the Mid-Ohio Development Exchange (MODE) and Columbus 2020 to host the half-day economic development training session at The Ohio State University. ED411 is designed in the theme of 411 directories that provide easy and fast access to information and resources in a community. For this event, we are bringing together local, state and national speakers to discuss why it is important for communities to invest in economic development; best practices and strategies in economic development; and what resources are available to help our local companies grow and prosper in the region.

The ED411 program includes notable state and national speakers: Christiane Schmenk, Director of Ohio Development Services Agency; Jeff Finkle, President and CEO, International Economic Development Council; and William Fruth, President of POLICOM Corporation and a nationally recognized speaker on creating prospering local economies and communities.

Whether you are attending ED411 as a school board member, city manager or business manager, we all play a role in our region’s economic prosperity. Together we bring unique perspectives and responsibilities to ensuring job creation and prosperity in our region.  It is also key for our leaders to think about economic development on a regional scale.

I hope to see you at ED411 this Friday. If you are not able to make the forum, don’t worry! We are already setting the plans in motion for next year’s event.

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After nearly two years of planning, the international EcoSummit 2012 is finally coming to Columbus, Ohio, September 30 through October 5. That week, Columbus will host over 1,500 delegates from 76 countries for a week of amazing presentations, symposia and workshops by the world’s most highly regarded ecologists and environmental scientists.

EcoSummit has been hosted all around the world, in Denmark, Canada and China, and the fact it will make its US debut in Columbus is largely due to the partnership between MORPC and The Ohio State University.

Members of the EcoSummit Local Host Committee are recognized on stage at MORPC's 2012 State of the Region Luncheon

Partnerships and collaboration have been vital to putting on this massive event. Through the leadership at MORPC and Ohio State, we worked with co-hosts Ecological Society of America, Intecol and the Society for Ecological Restoration to showcase central Ohio as a region with great biological diversity, productive soil, long growing seasons and plentiful fresh water. Our community provides a fitting backdrop for an international conference designed to advance the implications of ecology, the study of organisms and the environment.

Recognizing the scale of this incredible conference, the first step was convening the Local Host Committee. Comprised of leaders from around the region, the Committee has worked to ensure central Ohio exceeds our guests’ expectations. Subcommittees worked tirelessly over a year and a half for that purpose, focusing on Public Relations & Marketing, Fundraising, Hospitality, Tours & Logistics, Security, Volunteers and Exhibits. With additional support from gracious private and public sector sponsors and a stellar volunteer force, we can be confident the event will go off without a hitch!

The EcoSummit 2012 Exhibit Hall itself is a product of collaboration amongst the Exhibit Hall Subcommittee, but also represents collaboration on a greater scale. Guests will be greeted by the all-encompassing Destination Columbus Pavillion, made up of representatives from Experience Columbus, Downtown Columbus, Columbus 2020, the Columbus Chamber, the Columbus Partnership, ECDI, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority and Franklin County. These worthy ambassadors are working together to illustrate the allure of the region to an audience that may have never heard of Columbus.

Central Ohio is rich in its array of scientific and ecological assets, its attractiveness to businesses and economic investment, and its quality of life. We were even praised by USA Today this year for our amazing food scene! Through careful planning and a collaborative approach, EcoSummit 2012 will facilitate an important discussion on ecological sustainability, while bringing to light the vitality and charm of our region to an international audience.

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When MORPC joined forces with the Educational Services Center of Central Ohio (ESC of Central Ohio), I was excited at the prospect of bringing people together to collaborate and share services, especially at a time when funding sources are limited.

A year later, the Central Ohio Regional Shared Services Steering Committee (CORSSSC) is in full swing, laying the foundation for shared services resources and strategies in the region. I’m proud to serve as Committee Co-Chair along with Franklin County Metro Parks Director John O’Meara.

I think a notable benefit of the Committee is its diverse membership. You certainly do not see the usual suspects around the table.  Membership in the Committee is open to local government officials, school district leaders, non-governmental organizations, business executives, institutes of higher education, and citizens. Our members share an interest in having a deeper dialogue about how to increase efficiency, reduce costs and cooperate to provide higher level services to our constituents.

For a change of pace, I thought I would try a fun approach to portray the benefits of participating in CORSSSC, in the style of Late Show host David Letterman’s “Top Ten” list:

#10  Copycats
Committee members freely share their best practices and latest efforts in collaboration and shared services. Borrowing and stealing others’ ideas are highly encouraged. If you do not attend a meeting, you can always share online at www.forum.sharedservices.org.

#9   Trendsetters
I applaud our committee members for practicing what they preach.  Outside our meetings, members have become ambassadors of collaboration in the region.

#8   Resources
The Committee is a forum for discussion not only for shared services opportunities amongst members, but also for outside resources available to members. In a recent meeting, members learned about the Ohio Department of Development’s Local Government Innovation Fund which awards financial assistance to political subdivisions for shared services projects.

#7   Sounding Board
As a member of the Committee, you have a sounding board of esteemed peers with which to discuss ideas. With representatives from over 50 local jurisdictions and organizations, these discussions have great potential.

#6   Outlook
The exchange of dialogue keeps us in touch with our neighbors around the region. By looking at the big picture and understanding fiscal situations throughout the region, we can better plan for the future together.

#5   Networking
Every Committee meeting begins with a buzzing chatter amongst our many members. This important ritual is a fun way to create new relationships that can become lasting partnerships.

#4   Hearing Success Stories
Creating new partnerships and ways to deliver services is often harder than it looks. We openly share the details of success, such as in the case of the new information technology collaboration between the City of Marysville, Union County and the Marysville Schools.

#3   Opportunities
Opportunities abound in the Committee, where members are constantly seeking solutions in trying financial times. A good example of collaboration and cost-savings amongst members is sharing ways to increase joint purchasing for supplies and services.

#2   Support
When you join the Committee, you are joining a support network of regional peers, where you can both seek and share opportunities. Many of our members share similar struggles, and through coming together we can also share solutions.

#1   Relationships
The relationships formed in the Committee are invaluable. Through regular meetings, there is ongoing dialogue between members. Our struggles and strengths are magnified to an audience of regional peers, and opportunities begin to surface.

The next meeting of the Central Ohio Regional Shared Services Steering Committee is Wednesday, August 29 at the ESC of Central Ohio, 2080 Citygate Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43219. Join us and see for yourself what it’s all about.

Visit www.sharedservices.org for more info, and join the discussion at www.forum.sharedservices.org.

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This will be both my first and my last post to this blog. After three years directing MORPC’s Center for Energy and Environment I have accepted an appointment to be Denver’s first Chief Sustainability Officer. I wanted to take the occasion of my departure as an opportunity to reflect on regionalism and to compare and contrast central Ohio with the Front Range of Colorado.

I came to MORPC as a novice to regional planning, so all of my impressions of regionalism have been developed exclusively through my work at MORPC. Over the past three years I’ve developed a technique of analyzing regional sustainability by first thinking about the region as if I were looking down from outer space. From up there no boundaries can be seen; you can see the entire landscape from central city to rural communities. You can think about how the people across that landscape would best provide for their needs and security.

At some point, however, you mentally need to add the boundaries back in. Boundaries create political subdivisions and trigger human tribal instincts that spur competition. The “us” of a unified region can become the “us and them” of competition between individual communities in that region.

A map representing MORPC's current members. Click to enlarge.

One could adopt a knee-jerk response and say that boundaries make regional operations inefficient and thus should be eliminated. But while boundaries can reduce efficiency, they also foster democracy. People can have a city, village or township hall that is relatively close, where they can have more direct influence over the policy decisions that affect their lives. To me it’s a worthwhile tradeoff.

The key to reconciling regionalism with community democracy is development of a shared recognition that a rising regional tide lifts all community boats. Certain types of infrastructure – roads, public transit, water and sewer systems, energy systems, waste disposal, food systems – require regional cooperation, without which everyone, regardless of community, loses. When the communities and their leaders in a region recognize this, they can cooperate when necessary while still preserving the individual identities of their respective communities.

From outer space what you notice about central Ohio is that there’s plenty of water, productive soil, relatively clean air, flat land that presents few barriers to mobility and development, and relatively close proximity to other metro areas. The natural landscape presents few barriers to sustainable operation.

In contrast, while the Front Range certainly has spectacular scenery, it has greater challenges in terms of soil, water, topography and isolation from other metro areas. To put it another way, just because scenery draws people to a region doesn’t mean the region can easily support them. If anything, the conditions in and around Denver place an even greater premium on regionalism, because no individual city can overcome these challenges on its own.

I have enjoyed working with community leaders, businesses and citizens across central Ohio to develop a more su