New Research > A Robust Role For Citizens In Determing Policy Preferences

Municipal governments play a vital role in American democracy, as well as in governments around the world. 
Despite this, little is known about the degree to which cities are responsive to the views of their citizens.
An 84-page research article has just been published in the August 2015 edition of the prestigious American Political Science Review
[see link below for whole article].
It was widely cited online by The Economist in the rankings for most liberal and most conservative large cities in America.
This post today is a follow-up to an earlier one about Bloomberg's What Works Cities initiative that will help make the City of Mesa deliver better results for residents that is data-driven - but when there's no data and very little citizen expression of public opinion that creates public policy in municipal governments, Mesa we got a big problem.

Conservatism in America: Mesa #1
It is crucial to know whether city governments represent the views of their citizens, but when yours truly sees no or very few members of the public showing up for City Council Meetings or numerous committee meetings, ya just gotta wonder why they do not.
At one meeting, someone mentioned they hadn't heard a public comment [just fill out a blue card] in over ten years.
How do city governments reflect their constituents’ politics when the public chooses not to participate? . . . and a better question is Why?
The research cited here shows that institutions in municipal government have little consistent impact on policy responsiveness.
Simple institutional reforms are doubtful to enforce responsiveness.

Research Article

Representation in Municipal Government

American Political Science Review

American Political Science Review / Volume  109 / Issue 03 / August 2015, pp f1 - f4
Abstract

Municipal governments play a vital role in American democracy, as well as in governments around the world. Despite this, little is known about the degree to which cities are responsive to the views of their citizens. In the past, the unavailability of data on the policy preferences of citizens at the municipal level has limited scholars’ ability to study the responsiveness of municipal government. We overcome this problem by using recent advances in opinion estimation to measure the mean policy conservatism in every U.S. city and town with a population above 20,000 people. Despite the supposition in the literature that municipal politics are non-ideological, we find that the policies enacted by cities across a range of policy areas correspond with the liberal-conservative positions of their citizens on national policy issues. In addition, we consider the influence of institutions, such as the presence of an elected mayor, the popular initiative, partisan elections, term limits, and at-large elections. Our results show that these institutions have little consistent impact on policy responsiveness in municipal government. These results demonstrate a robust role for citizen policy preferences in determining municipal policy outcomes, but cast doubt on the hypothesis that simple institutional reforms enhance responsiveness in municipal governments.

Bloomberg's Radar? What Works Mesa > Better Results For Residents



More than eight years ago, the Mesa Fire and Medical Department began dispatching smaller, two-person trucks to low-level 911 calls, eliminating the need to send pricier fire engines to every request for help. Other cities did that also to reduce the costs of 911 emergency response.

Using a lot of indefinite pronouns like "it" and "they", two days ago KJZZ published a piece written by Phil Litzman that says 'according to Mesa mayor John Giles, it's how they got on Bloomberg's radar" for being selected as one of eight cities in What Work Cities [see a previous post on this site for more complete information about WWC]

Data Mining in Mesa Gets Bloomberg's Attention

http://kjzz.org/content/177W182/data-mining-mesa-gets-bloombergs-attention

 

 

Mesa's Community Care units have come a long way since their start as two-paramedic trucks in 2006. The initiative for Community Care Response did not originate in Mesa but was started in different cities across America, basically to reduce the billing costs for 911 calls emergency response - that alone cannot be the reason, cited in the KJZZ interview with John Giles, that the City of Mesa was selected to be included.

 

The Mesa Fire and Medical Department applied for and received a second grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS] in September of last year for over $12.5 million to get a formal, three-year trial off the ground to expand a program, called the Community Care Response Initiative.
The pilot could have national implications for the healthcare delivery system.
Better patient care isn’t the only benefit. According to Mary Cameli, an assistant chief at the Mesa Fire Department, The department will do mock  billing to find out how much more these situations would have cost if patients had been taken straight to the emergency room per standard practice. She expects the data will show these programs save residents and the health care system a great deal of money.
The Mayor of Mesa at that time was Alex Finter, a former firefighter, who now holds a seat on the City Council

For details about the Round Two Grant from CMS look here:
<iframe width="310" height="352"
src="http://innovation.cms/gov/CMMIMapWidget/widget.html">/iframe>
http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/Health-Care-Innovation-Awards-Round-Two/Arizona.html

Deja Vu All Over Again: Valley Metro is Hitting Hard with Promoting Downtown Mesa

Sorry folks but yours truly is really getting tired of the word "discover" . . . it's been over-used since 1492 but since Valley Metro is taking the lead and initiative especially when they have so much "riding on the line", yours truly will join the cheerleaders (but he's got no pom-poms to shake)
BTW Thanks to Yogi Berra for his take on the catchy French-phrase, but yours truly would like to suggest: Find Your Reasons but here we go again on the big advertising push!

Discover New Destinations in MesaGet ready to discover Mesa like never before. On Saturday, August 22, Valley Metro Rail will take riders into downtown Mesa for the first time. The 3.1-mile extension will serve an additional 5,000 riders a day and help serve the growing need for public transportation in the region. The new destinations and connections riders will soon discover and the completion of a successful construction project seven months ahead of schedule is reason to celebrate.

On August 22, join Valley Metro for a ribbon cutting ceremony at Center/Main St. at 8 a.m. Then enjoy blocks of family fun at all four new light rail stations from 9 a.m. to noon.  Stop at each station to check out the showcase of local businesses and fun activities unique to the area. The station celebrations will include music, food and games. Commemorative passes will be available at all five Mesa light rail stations during the celebration. 

To learn more about the opening celebration, visit valleymetro.org/centralmesa. 

Here's a link to a little on-the-job training with the startup of a new blog written by Ann Glaser who opens like this and starting to learn after getting hired by Valley Metro how transit connects people and places ?: 

Over the past 15 years, with most of those working at a local television news program, I learned quite a bit about what the Valley of the Sun has to offer.  Despite being armed with the power of knowledge, I rarely ventured outside of my neighborhood bubble. Now that my career has taken me to Valley Metro, I’m learning how transit connects people to places and the variety of destinations that are available to anyone. One of those places is central Mesa. Take a ride on Valley Metro Rail to find those new discoveries. Mesa is the third largest city in Arizona with a population of nearly half a million. Yet, I found myself wondering, what does downtown Mesa have to offer me? I decided it’s time to discover Mesa. - See more at: http://www.valleymetro.org/inside_the_ride/detail/discovering-mesa#sthash.YLaVy5yZ.dpuf

Discover the businesses that will soon be a train ride away in this month’s blog, Inside the Ride.

Mr. Smith Goes To Harvard > Joins Class of Resident Fellows for Fall Semester

OOoops! 

Ivy League Harvard University invites ex-mayor

It's not that movie or that place - it's former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, who will join the Institute of Politics fall class of resident and visiting fellows in September in Cambridge, Massachusetts which include Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and longtime CNN anchor Candy A. Crowley, to host study groups and office hours for students.Other fellows include: former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense Brent Colburn,  former Republican National Committee communications director Doug Heye, and former South African opposition leader Lindiwe Mazibuko.
( a lot of "formers' in the group who might get a boost interacting with the resources, people and opportunities at JFK School of Government @ Harvard University]
 

Institute of Politics Names Six Fall Resident Fellows

To read full announcement please hit this link > Harvard Crimson Announcement

Eric R. Andersen, the director of the IOP’s fellows and study groups program, said that while the topics of the study groups are still under development, they would draw from the fellows’ practical and professional expertise. Smith, for instance, will likely focus on leadership and government innovation at the local level - skills he exercised  leading the waymaking for a  transition to The New Urban Downtown Mesa.
 

Groundbreaking for Encore On First

Here's Mayor Scott Smith, in an image from the City of Mesa Newsroom in 2012, at the first privately-financed housing in downtown Mesa  in 30 years proving that governments and private sectors work hand-in-hand to deliver beneficial outcomes.
His H.E.A.T. initiatives from three years ago has incubated, delivering more results all over the new urban downtown Mesa at the present time. Valley Metro Light Rail Central Mesa Extension was started on his watch . 
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately with this opportunity @ Harvard)  he lost his political gamble to get elected as Arizona governor. Maybe he'll come back home and reclaim the office he performed so well in before . . .

Institute of Politics fellows develop and lead weekly study groups, participate in dinners, seminars, and other events at the university, and mentor students. The fellowship can serve as a pivot point in the careers of people in the political realm.

 “We’re going to focus on government that works,” said Smith, who is also a former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “In today’s world, we see gridlock, we see overall dissatisfaction with government, except at the city level—mayors are getting things done, and that’s unfortunately sort of unique in today’s world.”
 

[Let's not get carried away, Mr. Smith - some mayors are getting things down]
 

Veritas/Truth = Light

Smith also said he hoped to share with students his unique perspective as someone who entered the political sphere later in life, given his career as an accountant and real estate home-builder before serving as a mayor.

What's The LowDown on LoFi?? Nobody's Spilling The Beans!

Like most people I was jolted finding out about an "abrupt" closing announcement made like this on social media on July 31, 2015 that wasn't reported until August 7 in mainstream media Arizona Republic - that's a long time for a local story not to percolate.

We are sad to announce that tomorrow August 1st will be our last day of operation here at Lo Fi Coffee! We are...http://t.co/EYhQMWYULS

— Lo Fi Coffee (@loficoffee) August 1, 2015
WE ARE SAD TOO!!...and steamed

LoFi Coffee was the gathering grounds for almost anybody from every walk of life in downtown Mesa. It was more than just about coffee - it was camaraderie+good times.
Watch this 3:39 YouTubevideo, produced by the Downtown Merchants Association, back in December 2012 - 

The owners created a sense of place [little did they know the landlord had a different idea about what that place should be like] attracting city officials, office workers, visitors and the creative spirits transforming the New Urban Downtown Mesa.
LoFi was low-key + one of meeting places downtown for groups like the one @ right meeting for a walk to envision Mesa . . .  

LoFi created a destination in downtown - now closed down for reasons that go unexplained except for a polite mentioning about "a disagreement about what direction" was wanted for that place. 
Hey Guys! 
You gave downtown Mesa direction, you made it exciting, cool, vibrant when other official groups just talked about what words to use - you created a unique enterprise here in downtown . . .You brought people closer together - and now you're getting kicked out?
OUTRAGEOUS!
Economic developers and planners want to attract "Millenials" to downtown? . . . then support the people that are doing it!
If they need to learn about lease agreements that can get tricky, educate new entrepreneurs and  provide all the needed resources if you want businesses to succeed. Isn't there a program for that?

There was a July 24th post [check it out and take a look] on this site about both The Nile Theater and LoFi Coffee. 
LoFi did good things for everybody.

When the rest of Main Street looked like a ghost town out of The Twilight Zone on a Sunday afternoon - things were poppin' on the SWC of Main/Macdonald wrapping all the way down the street to Arts Alley with lines waiting to get admitted to The Underground.
Sidewalks in the rest of downtown were empty: Lofi & The Nile Theater were the only signs of life!

I meant to stop in and talk with the owners to fill in some information for the post, but got side-tracked by some family stuff, while all this apparently "boiled over". 

Details are skimpy from the article written by Maria Polletta . . .read the whole article with this link >  http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa/2015/08/07/downtown-mesas-beloved-lo-fi-coffee-closes-abruptly/31305955/ 

Here are two quotes extracted from the article

"Lo Fi co-owner and coffee roaster Randy Denton said the decision didn’t reflect a desire on his and partner Sam Clark’s part to leave downtown Mesa. Rather, “it just came down to us wanting to go a different direction than what the landlord wanted for that space,” he said."

“I think Sam and I are both trying to be civil about it, but it’s obviously very frustrating that a month before the light rail goes in, this kind of came down,” he said. “It’s a lesson for us. We learned a lot about lease agreements the hard way.”

" . . . kind of came down" ?????
Taking a cue from the new proposed name for the  change in operations of The Nile Theater, Volstead Public House, it can be construed either as a  cute tongue-in-cheek play-on-words or a signal that certain people want to turn back the hands of time to that dark depression-era in American history called Prohibition ushered in by The Volstead Act of 1919 to enforce the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

By 1933 public opposition to the prohibition of the sale of alcohol became overwhelming, with the repeal of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

Readers might well note that LoFi was recently granted a liquor license by the City Council - it's simply legal to sell alcohol now, even if certain religious sects oppose, discourage or forbid its consumption.

Curiously enough [or not] on December 5, 1933 Utah became the 36th state ratifying the 21st Amendment in The Blaine Act - making it The Law of The Land - that repealed the 18th Amendment voiding prohibition.

There may be a bigger issue frothing to the top of the big picture.
Two questions:
1. Granted there are different points of view, yet there is no clear vision from the community-makers . . What is the direction of downtown development?
2. Who controls the direction of downtown development?
There are people who call themselves as self-titled "directors", but the way we go and the direction we move forward in is better charted when it comes from the community NOT something that's done to the community.
There are many unknowns in this story with people choosing to "lay low" . . . earlier reporting revealed that a previous liquor license for the premises was revoked and recently reinstated weeks ahead of lease renewal. Problems with revenue sharing? Booking fees?

• Yeah - but why didn't anyone from the city or any circle of friends not try to mediate any issues or disagreements about going in different directions? People can pull together instead of pushing against each other, right?
• Who's the landlord that decided to kick them out over "a disagreement about different directions"?
• Is there more of a story here about conservative attitudes of property owners and a different generation now here in town - for four or more years - creating something new?
• Everyone raves about LoFi - someone pulled away the welcome mat.
• After creating a sense of place, THEY GET DIS-PLACED for a reason that needs to get examined

There are other issues that are part of this quagmire brought into focus by LoFi that are hitting social media in that August 7th article.
In various conversations with owners of businesses on Main Street for the last couple of months, it came to my attention that one person alone [or affiliated corporations] owned sixteen of the commercial/retail spaces either leased or vacant On/Off Main Street.
Some people have good things to say about their working relationship with the "landlords" or the "landladies" and some not so . . . with retail tenants agreeing, at their own expense, to fix rotten walls and water-damaged floors and pay for the substantial costs to conform to fire code regulations - basic tenets of habitability and getting a certificate of occupancy - that benefit the property owners at the end of the lease.
Likewise, most lessees expressed a well-grounded fear that the asking price for new leases would skyrocket after light rail service goes into full operation.
Is it just a curious coincidence that LoFi lost its lease just before light rail operates????
Years put into building a successful business in anticipation of light rail service, only to have future opportunities knocked out of the picture by "disagreements about direction"???????
In addition it's a proven fact that, with certain variables, property values get a big boost for both commercial and residential along the transit corridor that light rail creates - it's not an outcome that one main can claim, like when the mayor says publicly: "It's my mission to increase property values".

Over the years, yours truly was surprised in talking with many people that live in Gilbert, Chandler and Phoenix that they didn't like Mesa because it's "Mormon-controlled": "Mormons run City Hall" and "Mormons are the biggest property owners".
This is a long-standing image and perception.
Looking at data and statistics from any number of sources, the demographics point out that Mormons are anywhere from 14% to 30% of the population - that would be considered a minority . . . So, dear readers, do we live in a city that's Majority-Minority or are we more diverse than that in the 21st Century?
Are other demographic groups as active in the community?
Do they get involved in public life making Mesa a better place to live? Do they choose to participate in the democratic process by voting? Are they active in civic affairs, stay informed, and attend City Hall/Council and committee meetings - where the public is invited to attend and make comments?
In New York City the Episcopal Church located at the western end of Wall Street is the biggest landlord; unlike the Mormon Church here in Mesa, it does not control the city - there are a diverse group from all over world of believers and non-believers that make the city great arising from embracing, encouraging, and promoting diversity on a level playing field.
Some people might complain about a so-called East Coast "liberal elite" who attended Harvard or Yale or Ivy League universities, but from all appearances there's some kind of exclusive conservative elite - a minority of the population now - here in Mesa and inside City Hall that all went to Brigham Young University.

Here's a Trivia Quiz:
1. How many OTM [Other Than Mormon] mayors have been elected?
2. In what years was the Mesa City Manager OTM?

Creative PlaceMaking >> Emerging Economic Growth Opportunities Here in The New Urban Downtown Mesa

Site Visit to Mesa 14 July 2015

Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams believes the creative economy -- all the activities and institutions under the umbrella of arts and culture -- is a force for economic growth and the key to solving complex community problems.

A July 14, 2015 tour of Creative Place Making activities and opportunities in downtown Mesa [see an earlier post on this site from 01 August "Transit Means Smart Growth"] proved his point.

Here are some snippets, plus additional information and editing,  from an e-announcement received earlier today, to encourage private lenders and investors to expand both their comfort levels and their understanding of and interest in community development.

Williams and other officials from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco saw firsthand the problems and solutions for revitalizing downtown Mesa and the surrounding neighborhoods during a three-hour site visit organized by LISC Phoenix.

John Williams

When a national monetary policy leader, a self-described pragmatic, data-driven financial expert, champions the merits of an emerging economic growth opportunity, lenders and investors should take note.

Local transit-driven growth along the corridor established by the Valley Metro Light Rail 3.1-mile Central Mesa Extension will attract more mixed-use transit-oriented development to what was looked/toured in the site visit  here in Mesa:The Mesa Arts Center, affordable housing like Encore On First and Encore On First West presently under construction, Escobedo at Verde Vista where Phase 2 is now welcoming new residents, and El Rancho del Arte also where new residents are arriving and approval received for the construction of Phase 2. Plans are in the works for ArtSpace Lofts/Mesa

Increasing data that touts the vitality of the creative economy should compel private lenders and investors to expand their understanding of and interest in community development.

The Western Fed is a leader in Creative Place Making, a fast-growing community development movement in which public, private and community partners develop and implement a strategy to improve the physical and social character of a community through arts and cultural activities. To this end, it co-sponsored the 2015 Creative Placemaking workshop series with LISC Phoenix.

Public investment and foundation grants seeded much of the early success in creative placemaking. But a successful creative economy hinges significantly on banks and private investors acquiring a comfort level with a new type of community development investment. All businesses, including arts and culture based businesses, need the ability to borrow and to attract capital investment.
See this link for e-Announcement 
What SF Fed Saw in Mesa
Here are some links to YouTube videos by SF FRB about Creative Placemaking

Creative Placemaking: Connecting Community Development and the Arts 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaFfxpaCPTI

LINK TO THE COMPLETE PLAYLIST: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2mKVrKqc3YD3hjiLpC8Pd18k3FQ9MxzA

Bloomerg's What Works Cities Initiative > Transparency + Accountability for Mesa?

Bloomberg Philanthropies Announces 
First Cities Selected to Join What Works Cities Initiative

Mesa was one of eight cities selected from over 100 that applied to the nations's most comprehensive $42 million dollar initiative to help city halls use data and evidence effectively to deliver better results for residents.

More promises and same-old-same-old feel-good rhetoric for residents? or is Mike Bloomberg, former 3-term mayor of New York City, gonna help these local city officials do a better job?

Here's a quote from John Giles from the city's press release: 

“In today’s technologically driven world, data and evidence are the fuel that powers the innovation and efficiency of our city services,” Mesa Mayor John Giles said. “Mesa is excited to be one of the first cities in the country to partner with What Works Cities to create data driven outcomes that make Mesa an even better place to live.” 

Can someone translate that ?

Data-driven outcomes? . . .  how about some details?

Mesa will strengthen existing performance management programs? . . . any details?

You'll have to find out from these good fellas at City Hall doing a photo opp - no doubt thinking what approaches deliver results for citizens - calling themselves Team 1 from an image offered for download on the City of Mesa Newsroom site: Anyone wondering who the fella is in the middle?
Yours truly had to email Randy Policar to ask. He is Alex Deshuk, Chief Innovation Officer

PLEASE USE AND REMEMBER THESE WORDS: As part of the application process mayors have publicly committed to enhance their use of data and evidence to: 

• improve services
• inform local decision making and 
• engage citizens. 

The eight cities selected will receive expert support and peer-to-peer learning opportunities to make government more effective. Since the launch of the What Works Cities initiative in April 2015, mayors from every region of the country have expressed their desire for technical assistance to use data more productively.

According to the press release, Mesa will strengthen existing performance management programs. CAN ANYONE TRANSLATE THAT?

Hit this link to view the press release  What Works Cities Press Release 05 August 2015

The New York-based foundation said it doesn't break down what percentage of the $42 million total goes to each city.

What works? 

That’s a question that every city leader should ask – and we want to help them find answers.

The program will help cities:

1. Create sustainable open data programs and policies that promote transparency and robust citizen engagement

2. Conduct low-cost, rapid evaluations that allow cities to continually improve programs

3. Focus funding on approaches that deliver results for citizens

A consortium of leading organizations has been assembled to inspire, challenge, and support cities. Together, these partners will deliver a comprehensive program of support, promoting tested as well as innovative new approaches.
INNOVATIVE NEW APPROACHES, Huh?

Here are those organizations:

• Results for America will lead and coordinate the What Works Cities partner consortium and advance a nationwide dialogue on the need for cities to use data and evidence in decision making.
• The Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University will work with cities to assess the current state of What Works practices, and support implementation and enhancement of open data and performance management programs.
• The Government Performance Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School will support cities in improving the results they achieve with their contracted dollars.
• Sunlight Foundation will help cities craft meaningful and sustainable open data policies.
• The Behavioral Insights Team will help cities conduct real time, low-cost evaluations of programs so they can continually improve city services.

 Here's some free advertising for the mayor for his law practice