On January 22, 2020, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia kicked off Transparency in Local Government: Putting People First at City Hall with a highlight reel from our Inclusive Growth Hearing.
About the Hearing
On November 25, 2019, over 100 business and civic leaders convened at City Hall to present the PHL Neighborhood Growth Project’s Inclusive Growth Agenda to Philadelphia City Council’s Commerce and Economic Development Committee. The highlight reel featured various different business and civic leaders who made the case for creating good jobs that pay family-sustaining wages as a way of reducing poverty in Philadelphia.
The video set the stage for the conversation as we brought in experts to discuss the importance of a government that operates openly and honestly at the local, state, and federal levels.
Putting People First at City Hall is a key policy pillar of the PHL Neighborhood Growth Project’s Inclusive Growth agenda. Learn more: PhillyNeighborhoodGrowthProject.com
1. Build a process that works and people trust.
As a contractor with federal and municipal clients, Marc Coleman, President, The Tactile Group, knows firsthand how important customer service is to building a process that works. Although the City of Philadelphia’s process has improved over the years, contractors still experience a greater ease of doing business with federal government. Coleman suggested creating a better process of feedback so that contractors understand how to improve bids they submit for local government projects.
@MarcPhilly “As a contractor, I know what the feds want to buy. They publish opportunities for the year and how much they have paid, so I have easier access to those opportunities. The city is a bit behind on making those opportunities public in advance.” #phillyroadmap
— Yvette A. Núñez (@yvetteanunez) January 22, 2020
2. Create an honest environment.
From her own experience implementing a zero-tolerance policy gift ban at the state level when she was General Counsel of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Denise J. Smyler, Commissioner, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, expressed that positive relationships between government and business are essential. Instituting the ban increased the quality of doing business by clarifying who was lobbying who.
People need to know how their money is being spent and that it’s being spent in a responsible way. — @PAGamingControl’s Denise Smyler #PhillyRoadmap
— Chamber for Gtr PHL (@ChamberPHL) January 22, 2020
3. Eliminate “trapdoors and secret passageways” that only high-level decision-makers are aware of.
By design, many government processes are not transparent and firmly discretionary. As Alison Perelman, Executive Director, Philadelphia 3.0, puts it, the discretion is what is so aggravating to folks because it leads to unanswered questions.
@Phila3_0 Ali Perelman: “There isn’t a lot of trust in govt because there aren’t a lot of answers…the challenge is not with residents buying into transparency, but with folks at highest levels whose processes are so full of trap doors there is no transparency.” #phillyroadmap
— Yvette A. Núñez (@yvetteanunez) January 22, 2020
4. Increase access to data.
Rebecca Rhynhart, Controller, City of Philadelphia, knows that releasing data to the public is not enough and that true government transparency means releasing data in a way you can understand and quickly. Making data understandable is a big part of the Controller Office’s mission and drive.
Great point from @RebeccaRhynhart about making #civicdata accessible for citizens using #infographics and #storytelling and not just dumping large files on a website. We agree 100% and that’s why we’re building #PolicyHub@ChamberPHL #phillyroadmap #transparent #data4philly pic.twitter.com/5ebRRiWLNI
— Economy League (@EconomyLeague) January 22, 2020
5. Clarify the legislative process.
As David Thornburgh, President & CEO, Committee of Seventy, pointed out along with the other panelists, many government officials see transparency as a threat but it doesn’t have to be. Improving the flow of legislation can lead to a public who’s engaged and citizens who have a voice in how our laws are passed.
Citizens want to vote on real issues and to feel like their votes matter. — @Committeeof70’s @davidthornburgh #PhillyRoadmap
— Chamber for Gtr PHL (@ChamberPHL) January 22, 2020
Moderator Larry Platt, Co-Founder and Editor, The Philadelphia Citizen, closed the program with a final question to our panel of experts: If you could enact one thing for the City of Philadelphia to increase transparency, what would it be?
- “Create the best value for entrepreneurs to help them get their foot in the door.” — Marc Coleman, The Tactile Group
- “The City’s commissioners have the opportunity to open satellite offices in neighborhoods where people can vote up to 50 days early. Being able to bring that level of connection would be transformative. And it’s doable.” — Alison Perelman, Philadelphia 3.0
- “A simple, clean, and accessible performance dashboard.” — David Thornburgh, Committee of Seventy
- “Change the mindset. If you change the mindset, everything else will follow.” — Rebecca Rhynhart, City of Philadelphia
- “Work towards criminal justice reform by supporting the incoming Police Commissioner.” — Denise J. Smyler, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
A special thanks to our panelists, moderator, sponsors, and National Constitution Center for hosting.
The Roadmap for Growth Action Team
The Roadmap for Growth Action Team is a multi-disciplined group of Chamber members and partners that leverages resources and relationships to develop and assist in the implementation of the PHL Neighborhood Growth Project (NGP) policy agenda that promotes economic growth and prosperity, in every neighborhood across Philadelphia.
Connect with Anna Bohl-Fabian at abohlfabian@chamberphl.com to learn more about Roadmap.
