Promoting Regional Planning in Northeast Ohio by Mayor William Currin

The Honorable William Currin, Mayor of Hudson, Ohio, explained how Northeast Ohio is promoting regional planning. Mayor Currin started by proclaiming that our region has promise if we, as elected officials, professional managers and government employees, and community leaders, set the necessary policies for cooperation. Currin noted that businesses are attracted to areas with more efficient governments, and explained his hope for having a sustainable, collaborative economic development plan in place in Northeast Ohio by the end of next year. He reminded participants that planning is very important before embarking on revenue-sharing programs and collaborative projects. Next, Mayor Currin explained the role of the Northeast Ohio Mayors and City Managers Association in promoting regionalism in the region.

Click here to listen to Mayor Currin explain Northeast Ohio's pursuit of regional planning and how the region is working towards a tax-base sharing plan. Mayor Currin also identifies the role of the Northeast Ohio Mayors and City Managers Association in the program

Mayor Currin explained that the Fund for Economic Future was formed in 2004 by some philanthropic organizations in Northeast Ohio to strengthen the region's competitiveness through research. In 2005, the main issues that regional leaders identified in Northeastern Ohio were similar to Southwest PA. Territorialism, regional governance, competition between local governments for the same businesses, and spatial mismatch were major issues. The Advance Northeast Ohio initiative, involving over 20,000 people, identified the number one issue as government collaboration and efficiency. The phase one study resulted in an action plan to implement region-wide land-use planning and revenue-sharing in the region. Currin quoted an MIT economist, saying that the economic unit of the 21^st century is the region, not cities.

Click here to listen to Mayor Currin explain the similarities between the issues that Northeast Ohio and Southwest PA deal with, such as fragmentation, and how the Advance Northeast Ohio initiative created a region-wide land-use planning and revenue-sharing plan

Mayor Currin suggested that Northeast Ohio needs to form one Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), as Southwestern PA has in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. He would also like to see the region minimalize environmental degradation and regionally manage stormwater, to name a few strategies. He said that citizens need to be informed and mobilized, because the greatest things accomplished in this society are started at the grassroots level. Currin even asked participants to envision the competitiveness of a Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh region that could be formed one day.

Listen to Mayor Currin present strategies for Northeast Ohio into the future

Click to view the 2008 Road to Excellence Conference Handout Booklet