GREAT EXPECTATIONS

You may have heard that Philadelphia is a historically good place for people to come together to discuss "a more perfect union." So it is fitting that the Fels Institute of Government and the Philadelphia Inquirer have come together to develop an initiative called "Great Expectations," in which public input meets professional expertise, with the result being a pretty darn good agenda for the city's leaders: "The Challenges Ahead."

It was rewarding to work my way through the various topics, having covered a lot of this ground in my day job: taxes, waterfront, and the creative economy, to name three. I do hope that while a lot of this momentum is around our new mayor-to-be, the mantle is taken up not just by one man and his administration but by a broad base of government, non-profit, and for-profit leaders, and by citizens as a whole. Isn't that what we fought so vigorously for some 230+ years ago, is government of the people, by the people, and for the people?