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Did you attend the 2012 Citizen Summit? What did you think?
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion
2012 Citizen Summit - Your Thoughts
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Manatee
The eternal present
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I was pretty f-ing stoked, it was an amazing experience. I'm proud to live here. Seriously, whatever political gene my dad passed on to me is smiling from ear to ear and ready to kiss some babies!
The answers from the crowd were very interesting.
Posted 4 years ago # -
garrettbe
Iuka
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I have a lot to say about the event and could go on forever about recurring themes that I think we all talk about. But I do have to say that the one of the most interesting parts was the table discussions.
I had a very opinionated commissioner at my table who monopolized our time. She had many interesting things to say and at first I sort of laughed at her ideas for A SUBWAY! A SUBWAY!.... But now that I think about it, she may, honestly be on to something. It would be BOLD, be iconic for change, draw attention, materialize our identity, retain young people, etc. I've always thought that it was too expensive, not profitable, and silly for us. But I began looking at other places and Toronto had a VERY similar population to ours in the 50's when they built their first subway line. POST- car revolution....
--maybe streetcars aren't BIG enough to draw attention anymore and the desired results anymore--
eh? eh?
Posted 4 years ago # -
artbomb112
The Heights
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I thought it was awesome too.
I was really happy that there was such a giant turnout.... and it was even more impressive that it was such a diverse and collaborative effort.
I sat next to no one that was in my specific demographic, men, women, gay straight, black, white, wealthy, meager income.... I really enjoyed that.
I also enjoyed that I hadn't ever met all but one of the people sitting at our table... and as I looked around..... there were only a few people in my direct area that I knew. Yet everyone was very willing to listen to each other....
I really did feel like I was on a weird team. Everyone had the similar ideas... and all the ideas were valid... and I love that the speaker talked about how all of the ideas were important... and that by collectively choosing things... you find a mean that will be the wisest decision for the group.
Very smart I thought.
I did hear a few grumbles after the event from people saying that the questions were directed... or that the table was un-engaging.
But I really felt that activity and enthusiasm it created did great things to get the process to pick up.
It is awesome to live in Columbus.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Brewmaster
Portland, OR
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My take (I'm obviously similarly stoked)...
The Mayor Got His Marching Orders
So I just got home from the 2012 Bicentennial Citizens Summit, and I feel like the citizens of Columbus just gave Mayor Mike some new marching orders…loud and clear.
About 1,4000 citizens participated in the event which employed the use of live wireless voting technology. It was essentially a 1,400 person focus group, where people really didn’t have the opportunity to sway others’ opinions. The consultant asked questions about Columbus, present and future, and people chose their response live. After each question, people got 10 seconds to vote, then the results were instantly displayed.
From my standpoint, the citizens’ unanimously identified transit being a HUGE missing piece. Maybe even the single most important issue facing Columbus.
Here are some actual results (I apologize if I didn’t get the exact wording right, but I was scrambling to jot things down while paying attention and voting)…
* When asked to identify the best way to improve our existing neighborhoods, the #1 response was “walkability and transitâ€Â, which recieved 39% of the vote.
* When asked what sports related activity you’d like the city to invest in, a huge majority decided that multi-purpose biking and pedestrian trails were the best route to go.
* When asked, “What is holding Columbus back?â€Â, 25% took the majority vote and said that “transportation issues†were our nemesis.
* Finally  and this one was the icing on the cake  When asked what was most important for improving public transit in Columbus, drumroll please…
A whopping 45% said that we should investigate rail-based transit on our way to the Bicentennial!!!
The crowd broke out into clapping, cheers and WOOTS! when the results were displayed. I’m fairly certain that this was not only the largest majority of the evening, but also recieved the most vocal response to support it. Good show everyone!!!
And Mr. Mayor, for the record, you’ve got your marching orders now. Let us know if we can help.
http://xingcolumbus.wordpress.com/2008/01/29/the-mayor-got-his-marching-orders/
I felt somewhat vindicated when the transit focus kept showing up. I felt like I haven't been shouting into the wind for the last few years about how messed up out transportation priorities are in this city.
The people who showed up were really diverse and energetic. It was great to see.
My only gripe about the event was that I only ended up with three other people at my table, which included one out-of-touch city employee.
Posted 4 years ago # -
hazy stars
The Brauhaus
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Very insightful experience.
I thought that the key speaker was very good. In one of my psychology classes we studied the impact of crowds. It is really fascinating to learn about the power and capability of crowds. I mostly studied the negative impacts of crowds, such as groupthink and mob behavior. It was really interesting to learn about "collective intelligence." I completely dug the notion that under the right conditions, the wisdom of a crowd is statistically greater than that of its smartest member. "No one person out performs the group as a whole."
I was also excited to see the common themes, specifically the strong interest in revamping the transportation system in Columbus. Heck yea for more bike paths and bike lanes. Hazzah for a streetcar/ rail transit.
This is exciting.
Posted 4 years ago # -
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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I really liked my small group. Two were from Worthington, one from the neighborhood by Children's (Oak something I think??), my friend Tom who lives downtown, and myself. Small group, but I had the same revelation - we all want the same thing!! I thought as soon as I heard Worthington they wouldn't care about anything I want/need being an urban resident, but I was totally wrong! I thought it was great seeing that as a whole, my concerns were the same as the 1400 other people in the room. I'm sure there was a concentration of people concerned about downtown, but the #'s were still there.
I'm excited, rejuvinated, and ready to hold our city officials to the fire since we've now seen the results with our own eyes.
My only complaint is that we (downtown neighborhoods) aren't getting a specific roundtable. I guess they figure they know what we want since we're already pretty vocal, but it would be good to have another opportunity.
Anyone want to crash those other meetings and just see what happens there??? :)
Posted 4 years ago # -
just_mel
German Village
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Overall I thought it was a great experience. And I love that the opportunity even existed in the first place.
However, I don't know what to think about so many people wanting to keep the identity of Columbus as Hometown/Family Values or however it was worded.
Posted 4 years ago # -
LauraA
LaLaland
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all i can say is wireless remote real time voting is awesome. (they are not souveniers people!) they should have that at every meeting. i could have done that all night. i thought the speakers were pretty engaging and i am just impressed that the city wants our opinions and wants to direct our city in the way we see fit. :D
Posted 4 years ago # -
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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just_mel wrote Overall I thought it was a great experience. And I love that the opportunity even existed in the first place.
However, I don't know what to think about so many people wanting to keep the identity of Columbus as Hometown/Family Values or however it was worded.
UGH, me too. I was like noooooo, "Midwestern Hometown," that's not where I want to live, barf :( Luckily, when they said what do you want Columbus to be known as in the FUTURE it was an Active City, yeah!!
Posted 4 years ago # -
I am amazed how diverse this city is. We take it forgranted. I loved the mix of people. We have a seriously fantastic community here and it seems as though there is one degree of separation between everyone here. Couldn't believe the huge turnout.
Had a guy at my table who said he was "hired to find ways to finance the streetcar for Columbus". He didn't participate. Very mysterious. ????
Posted 4 years ago # -
garrettbe
Iuka
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I agree that the Hometown/Family values thing is a good thing.
I was confused at why Coleman and others are so irritated at the Cowtown nick name. We should consider how far we've come since that was an accurate nickname and own the term. Where's the independent art that totally plays with the social awkwardness around cowtown?
Posted 4 years ago # -
LauraA
LaLaland
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somertimeoh wrote
just_mel wrote Overall I thought it was a great experience. And I love that the opportunity even existed in the first place.
However, I don't know what to think about so many people wanting to keep the identity of Columbus as Hometown/Family Values or however it was worded.
UGH, me too. I was like noooooo, "Midwestern Hometown," that's not where I want to live, barf :( Luckily, when they said what do you want Columbus to be known as in the FUTURE it was an Active City, yeah!!
yeah, me too! i kept thinking about how they call seattle "the mayberry of the nw" and how our reputation of midwest values could really hold us back.
Posted 4 years ago # -
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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garrettbe wrote I agree that the Hometown/Family values thing is a good thing.
I was confused at why Coleman and others are so irritated at the Cowtown nick name. We should consider how far we've come since that was an accurate nickname and own the term. Where's the independent art that totally plays with the social awkwardness around cowtown?
I learned tonight where the "Cowtown" name came from!!! Most of y'all probably know this, but in case you don't.....Dr. Hartman was the Les Wexner of his day and his farm in current day Grove City had more cows than any other farm in the country during that time. So, it made it a little easier to swallow, but I still think it no longer fits and we need to retire the name, forever. We can honor our past without having a ridculous image of our city thrown around :)
Posted 4 years ago # -
scottlitch
Southwest Hilltop, Columbus
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I thought it was a great experience. It was nice to hear a few New Yorkers praise Columbus for it's culture. I was surprised that public transportation was one of the biggest concerns. I guess more people than I thought realize what a good transportation system can do for our city.
Posted 4 years ago # -
garrettbe
Iuka
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somertimeoh wrote
garrettbe wrote I agree that the Hometown/Family values thing is a good thing.
I was confused at why Coleman and others are so irritated at the Cowtown nick name. We should consider how far we've come since that was an accurate nickname and own the term. Where's the independent art that totally plays with the social awkwardness around cowtown?
I learned tonight where the "Cowtown" name came from!!! Most of y'all probably know this, but in case you don't.....Dr. Hartman was the Les Wexner of his day and his farm in current day Grove City had more cows than any other farm in the country during that time. So, it made it a little easier to swallow, but I still think it no longer fits and we need to retire the name, forever. We can honor our past without having a ridculous image of our city thrown around :)
Honestly, before I moved to columbus I had never heard of the term "cowtown"... It seems like a self hating kind of term or an idea of what columbus was. I'll tell you what I had heard though. That Columbus was open minded and diverse. Gay and Lesbians were welcome and ethnic groups really mixed and are accepted. My parents loved German Village when they lived here. Also, there are many cool neighborhoods with bars, galleries, and parks.
All true. Since I've lived here I've learned that Columbus is a young city with forward thinking people!! And that's a lot more than some other cities have. So I'm excited at what's to come!!
Posted 4 years ago # -
jpizzow
580 N. Park St.
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couldn't believe how many people showed up, although only two along with myself showed up for my table but during the group discussion, someone came over and invited us to sit at their table. i guess that's what it's all about. i'm glad transit was a huge issue. now it just shows further evidence of how badly we want a streetcar or something. all in all, i think alot of good came out of this and i think there should be more of these on a regular basis.
i was kind of hoping that someone would throw out some sort of update on the streetcar, the affordable housing project in riversouth, updates on the riverfront...........anything.
now the question is, can this city really get these things done in time. i'm sure that final recommendation list is going to be pretty hefty. it's one thing to say you're going to do something and then actually do it. but i suppose this is as good a start as any. good job columbus.
Posted 4 years ago # -
SteinbergForCongress
Sugar Land, TX (For Now)
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Looks like I missed out on the good stuff... perhaps Houston will hold a similar event at some point.
Posted 4 years ago # -
artbomb112
The Heights
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I thought the Midwest Values thing was a bit bothersome at first.... but then our table had a great discussion about how that to them meant being nice to your neighbor and treating others as you'd like to be treated. We discussed midwest values as tolerance and honesty.
It made me really like the midwest. I mean, really like it.
Posted 4 years ago #
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