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Read more about the community conversation in our brochure
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Join our on-line discussion about the changes you think need to be made to modernize our local government structures.
Reports of Interest
SYRACUSE 20/20 Annual report 2009
SYRACUSE 20/20 Mayoral Document
SYRACUSE 20/20 called on candidates during the 2009 Mayoral Campaign to present a metropolitian vision for the region. Paper presents 20/20's issues in the context of the mayoral race.
Read Jennifer Bradley of the Brookings Institution take on Governor Cuomo's "common-sense proposals to make government in New York state work more cheaply, efficiently and effectively."
Pay and Pensions Constitute a Massive Portion of Schools' Costs, but Reining Them in Requires Creativity and Realistic Expectations
Thirteen years after Maryland embarked on a nationally recognized effort to promote "smart growth," the state's laws and policies have had little discernible impact on sprawl or traffic congestion, a new study says, and farmland and forests are still threatened with development.
The lowest-performing public K-8 schools often linger in that state for years, neither improving enough to get off accountability life support nor being shuttered completely, and persistently failing charter schools fare no better than regular public schools, a new study finds.
The report by the Center on Education Policy, a Washington-based research and policy group, finds it could take decades for lagging student groups in some states to catch up to their better-performing peers.
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BEYOND SHARED SERVICES
“Metropolitan fragmentation undermines the ability of metropolitan areas to adapt to economic change, and the implication is troubling: Upstate New York’s fractured regions compete for growth and jobs at a deficit.” Bruce Katz, Brookings Institution, May 2006
SYRACUSE 20/20, Inc. has advocated for government modernization since its inception 11 years ago. We believe we need to heighten the debate on this issue because of the profound shifts that have occurred in our community’s economy. Change is needed now more than ever. The case needs to be made, again but more emphatically, that change can in fact produce better economic, environmental and social outcomes, protect and invest in our significant assets, and improve the overall quality of life in Central New York.
Government Modernization
We Are at a Tipping Point Help Decide Which Way We Go
Syracuse 20/20 has spent the past several years examining the issues surrounding government modernization. We feel strongly that the time has come for our community to engage in a thoughtful conversation about the future of the governance of our region.
Our mission is simply to start a community-wide conversation about whether our current way of organizing local government, a system that was invented around 1800, is still working for us in a global economy. Our approach is positive and non-partisan.
The way we see it, we’re at a “tipping point”. This is a critical time for us to talk about the role of local government in “tipping us” toward growth rather than potential decline.
What can you do? Begin by learning about the Government Modernization Effort by watching the power point presentation and sharing your thoughts on our online discussion forum.