Civic-leader
summit a success

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

If the high turnout and spontaneous mayoral debate were any barometer, the city’s first civic-leader summit was a success.
On Saturday, about 70 community organizers from every corner of the city turned out for the event at the John Perzel Community Center in Mayfair.
The civic-leader summit was another brainchild of the Great Expectations project, a joint effort between the Philadelphia Inquirer and the University of Pennsylvania. They’re the folks that throughout the year have organized a host of community forums and events to help citizens steer the campaign issues leading up to the Nov. 6 election.
"We try to do a lot of things to get people to think about what would make this the next great city," said Chris Satullo, Inquirer columnist and a co-director of the Great Expectations project.
At the invitation-only summit, leaders worked in small groups while brainstorming ways to improve the relationship between their organizations and the city in a "New Deal" for Philadelphia neighborhoods. Too often, leaders said, they feel like the city works against them rather than with them on issues facing their communities.
"Right now, we feel kind of lost in the shuffle," said Lou Iatarola, vice president of the Tacony Civic Association. "We are seen as threats or nuisances, not as partners."
The leaders divided into four groups to address the areas of accountability, resources, capacity building and coalition forming, issues they will continue to work on after the election.
Later in the afternoon, mayoral candidates Al Taubenberger and Michael Nutter visited the summit and engaged in am impromptu debate.
Scott Cummings, head of the Mayfair Civic Association, gleaned much from the summit but also thinks a difficult task is before the community groups.
"It would take probably ten of those meetings to come to grips (with the issues)," he said.
Cummings is working with Iatarola, the Tacony leader, and heads of other civic groups to address some of the common issues in their communities.
"It was definitely time well-spent," Iatarola said of the summit. "You get an appreciation of what other neighborhoods do. To be able to meet other people is always a pleasure." ••
For more information on Great Expectations, visit www.greatexpectations07.com