New civic consortium will be graded on progress
Source: The Detroit News
By: David Josar
Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2007
MACKINAC ISLAND -- Promising that One D, a consortium of six powerful Metro Detroit civic organizations, would succeed in improving the region, Edsel B. Ford II vowed there would be public report cards of progress and that the goals would be steered by already-completed surveys of roughly 10,000 area residents.
"We need to make cooperation an on-going way of life," said Ford, the point person for One D, whose members include the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan, The Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit and the United Way of Southeastern Michigan.
The surveys, administered by the individual groups, found five areas residents agreed are important: economic prosperity, educational preparation, quality of life, race relations and regional transit.
"This vision is not by us, but it's by the community," said Maud Lyon, counsel for the Cultural Alliance. "It's about elimination of duplication -- when we go to Washington, it's together."
One D will be a major focus of this year's Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference, with sessions daily on what the group can do to execute its goals.
Being willing to share the group's successes and failures with the region is one way to ensure progress is made, Ford said.
Ford said the group's members looked at how regions in Charlotte, Denver, Philadelphia and Houston worked together successfully.
"If they can do it, the region that put the world on wheels surely can do it," he said.
Roughly 1,700 business, union, civic and political leaders kicked off the annual Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference with organizers noting this is the first time since the 1980s that organized labor will have a significant role in the next few days of brainstorming.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger will address the group tomorrow morning and Teamsters President James Hoffa is Wednesday night's featured speaker.
"This hasn't happened in 20 years," said Richard Blouse, Jr., president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, and then only one representative of organized labor was on the agenda.
Blouse also said that health care reform will be another important topic as well as One D, a new collaborative effort aimed at improving the Detroit region.
"The private sector will be the catalyst" for transforming Metro Detroit," Blouse said. "I believe One D will be the vehicle."
In addition, Blouse said the conference will continue the practice begun next year when committees will be established to ensure that ideas crafted on the island are put into motion.
The conference will address the economic and quality of life issues that are most important to southeast Michigan.
You can reach David Josar at (313) 222-2073 or djosar@detnews.com.
By: David Josar
Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2007
MACKINAC ISLAND -- Promising that One D, a consortium of six powerful Metro Detroit civic organizations, would succeed in improving the region, Edsel B. Ford II vowed there would be public report cards of progress and that the goals would be steered by already-completed surveys of roughly 10,000 area residents.
"We need to make cooperation an on-going way of life," said Ford, the point person for One D, whose members include the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan, The Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit and the United Way of Southeastern Michigan.
The surveys, administered by the individual groups, found five areas residents agreed are important: economic prosperity, educational preparation, quality of life, race relations and regional transit.
"This vision is not by us, but it's by the community," said Maud Lyon, counsel for the Cultural Alliance. "It's about elimination of duplication -- when we go to Washington, it's together."
One D will be a major focus of this year's Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference, with sessions daily on what the group can do to execute its goals.
Being willing to share the group's successes and failures with the region is one way to ensure progress is made, Ford said.
Ford said the group's members looked at how regions in Charlotte, Denver, Philadelphia and Houston worked together successfully.
"If they can do it, the region that put the world on wheels surely can do it," he said.
Roughly 1,700 business, union, civic and political leaders kicked off the annual Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference with organizers noting this is the first time since the 1980s that organized labor will have a significant role in the next few days of brainstorming.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger will address the group tomorrow morning and Teamsters President James Hoffa is Wednesday night's featured speaker.
"This hasn't happened in 20 years," said Richard Blouse, Jr., president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, and then only one representative of organized labor was on the agenda.
Blouse also said that health care reform will be another important topic as well as One D, a new collaborative effort aimed at improving the Detroit region.
"The private sector will be the catalyst" for transforming Metro Detroit," Blouse said. "I believe One D will be the vehicle."
In addition, Blouse said the conference will continue the practice begun next year when committees will be established to ensure that ideas crafted on the island are put into motion.
The conference will address the economic and quality of life issues that are most important to southeast Michigan.
You can reach David Josar at (313) 222-2073 or djosar@detnews.com.
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