PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
I am announcing my candidacy for Hickory City Council in the upcoming election. I live in Ward 6, currently represented by Jill Patton. Hickory is in dire need of leadership on the economic development front. Our growth and job rate have been dismal since the turn of the century and has been lagging the State even in good growth years. My main focus is to make Hickory more business friendly and stop the micromanagement and arbitrary decision making that has characterized our government. Unless we can attract jobs and increase the tax base our quality of life will continue its steady decline.
Furthermore, I will work to create a more vibrant democracy in Hickory. Too often small groups of insiders work to take care of special interest groups first and the needs of the average citizen are an afterthought. To move our city forward, we need buy-in from the entire city. I will work to increase citizen participation by using the internet to inform people of upcoming issues and get feedback, from those interested, to make better informed choices. We need to increase the political talent pool to ensure we have capable, informed leaders for the future. More competition, in future elections, will be the measure of our success in this.
I have studied the issues facing our City and feel I have some intelligent and creative ideas to bring to the table that can move this city forward. I am devoted to a solutions based government that utilizes innovation to represent all citizen's interests. I will work diligently, tirelessly, and honestly to transform and reinvigorate Hickory. We can emerge from these tough times and have the prosperous, vibrant, enjoyable quality of life we all desire. I only ask for the opportunity to present my case, so that I may prove to you that I am worthy of your vote.
Harry Hipps
hhipps@hotmail.com
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
ANNOUNCEMENT AND LETTER FROM THE HEART
For years now I've seen our morals decline, the Constitution being ignored, the rule of law eroded, the powerful enrich and empower themselves while the working class works harder to stay in place. More and more people are willing to trade the freedom and responsibilities of democracy for a mediocre security. Last year my Mom was in the hospital for a month with a severe infection that finally took her life. During that month, Mom was often confused, thinking sometimes we were back in the 50's or 60's. Sometimes she thought I was actually my Dad, Harry Sr. instead of her son, Harry. She spoke to me about her aspirations and life and God gave me the blessing of knowing her in a way most children don't have the opportunity to.
During that month I had a lot of time to think. We've all heard about the "Greatest Generation" that lived through the Great Depression and WWII, but I never really realized the depth of character and moral strength my Mom had. I also realized that my silence in the face of the monumental challenges in the world today did not speak well of my character. I am not especially fond of public scrutiny or going out of my comfort zone. But that month with my Mom brought me to the realization that my time on this Earth is short and my comfort zone is not at all important. I made up my mind that I wanted to live courageously and try to leave a world behind that carried on the greatness of the Country I grew up in.
Our City is not an island. We are all interlinked today, and we have to deal with all kinds of issues just as we do on the national level. Hickory has formidable challenges. Our economy has been devastated structurally by the globalization of textiles and furniture. Telecom valley is on hold. We have challenges in education, the environment and the resources we have here, and many other things as well. Sadly, our City government has been slow to recognize the transformational times we are in and respond accordingly.
Citizen participation is scant. The politically connected still get the lion's share of the attention and resources. Our dreams and expectations are dimming and we have become like rabbits in a trap - not liking the trap, but scared to move out of it. For too long, many have wanted to ignore the situation and hope it gets better on its own. Some are scared they will get blamed. Many just want the State government to build a new economy for us or maybe Obama will throw us a bone. Where are the bold leaders like some of the ones in our past that took the initiative and built great companies with hard work and determination? Our ancestors and founding fathers would be shaking their heads.
I am announcing that I will be running for Hickory City Council in the upcoming election. I have studied City issues for some time now and believe that my ideas, ethics, willingness to work and learn and my judgment will be an asset to Hickory. My interest is only in the progress of Hickory for all, regardless of wealth, status or party affiliation. I will work to develop our economy, expand participation in City government and decision making, be good stewards of our natural resources and our cultural amenities. Please join me in transforming and revitalizing our great City so generations to come may live, prosper and raise families in a great area.
Thank you,
Harry Hipps
During that month I had a lot of time to think. We've all heard about the "Greatest Generation" that lived through the Great Depression and WWII, but I never really realized the depth of character and moral strength my Mom had. I also realized that my silence in the face of the monumental challenges in the world today did not speak well of my character. I am not especially fond of public scrutiny or going out of my comfort zone. But that month with my Mom brought me to the realization that my time on this Earth is short and my comfort zone is not at all important. I made up my mind that I wanted to live courageously and try to leave a world behind that carried on the greatness of the Country I grew up in.
Our City is not an island. We are all interlinked today, and we have to deal with all kinds of issues just as we do on the national level. Hickory has formidable challenges. Our economy has been devastated structurally by the globalization of textiles and furniture. Telecom valley is on hold. We have challenges in education, the environment and the resources we have here, and many other things as well. Sadly, our City government has been slow to recognize the transformational times we are in and respond accordingly.
Citizen participation is scant. The politically connected still get the lion's share of the attention and resources. Our dreams and expectations are dimming and we have become like rabbits in a trap - not liking the trap, but scared to move out of it. For too long, many have wanted to ignore the situation and hope it gets better on its own. Some are scared they will get blamed. Many just want the State government to build a new economy for us or maybe Obama will throw us a bone. Where are the bold leaders like some of the ones in our past that took the initiative and built great companies with hard work and determination? Our ancestors and founding fathers would be shaking their heads.
I am announcing that I will be running for Hickory City Council in the upcoming election. I have studied City issues for some time now and believe that my ideas, ethics, willingness to work and learn and my judgment will be an asset to Hickory. My interest is only in the progress of Hickory for all, regardless of wealth, status or party affiliation. I will work to develop our economy, expand participation in City government and decision making, be good stewards of our natural resources and our cultural amenities. Please join me in transforming and revitalizing our great City so generations to come may live, prosper and raise families in a great area.
Thank you,
Harry Hipps
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Future Economy Council Meeting #4 (6/18/2009)
I will go over this meeting chronologically, In my mind, this meeting showed a paradox of several different visions that this group is going to have to deal with over time. There are issues that must be dealt with in short order (i.e. Grant Monies) needed to help initiate start-up guidance and the requirement that the FEC develop a mission statement defining tangible goals and priorities that will lay the framework needed to develop credibility, which will foster buy-in from the community.
Welcome - Catawba County Chamber of Commerce President Danny Hearn started out the meeting by giving a general overview of what the structure of this meeting would entail. Danny addressed that Lenoir-Rhyne wants to be the site for a Master Capacity Builder Series.
Danny spoke to the fact that he feels he has done his job and we are organized and understand the gist of what this (the FEC) is about. We are functioning and have things in place. He made the recommendation that Terry Bledsoe be the Chairman of the FEC. The Council enthusiastically supported this decision.
Special Guest: Jim Hyder, Davidson, NC Creating a Diaspora for Catawba County - Mr. Hyder spoke to the issue of Diaspora. He spoke of his friendship with Rick Smyre. Mr. Hyder was born in Hickory. He spoke of his connections to Hickory. Mr. Hyder stated that he is interested in Hickory.
Mr. Hyder said he has kept up with Hickory issues and wants to help. He addressed the issue of people who have connections to Hickory that might also want to help get Hickory back on track. We need to reach out to these connections and see if they might be interested in helping. He doesn't know what he is to do. This is a work in progress. Maybe we could get School Principals to point to former successful students that might have a connection and want to help.
Rick Smyre stated that as we evolve this concept that there are people who may be interested in helping. He talked about Twitter and the impact it has had over the last few days (Iran). The connections of people throughout the world that may have an interest and empathy, in Hickory, is a wonderful opportunity to give us support. This can open up resources by creating ping pong effects. He said that where local people might not buy into what we are trying to accomplish, that a person from outside of the community may be able to bring a new perspective to the discussion and may change those people's minds that are stuck in the old ways of thinking.
Terry Bledsoe talked about Catawba County's utilization of Facebook. The idea was to gain participation from locals to get (county government) messages out. Unintentionally it was discovered that people all over the world have signed up for the page, because they want a connection with Catawba County.
Chuck Adair addressed the historical context of what the original Diaspora was about. The original diaspora was the displacement of the Jews from Jerusalem by the Romans.
Photo by Pat Appleson Studios
Special Guest: Gene Anderson, Entrepreneur from Gastonia Master Capacity Builder Trainee - He stated that his whole life he has been growing into the person he is now. He grew up poor in Globe, Arizona, because the city died during his formative years. He obtained 83 merit badges, while being in the Boy Scouts. This helped broaden the context from which he made decisions. This helped him in school, because he had information (context) that was broader than what the school offered. He loved to learn. This made decision making much easier.
He spent 11 years in the Army. The military understands that culture and sociology matter. He moved to Gastonia about 13 years ago. In 2001, he put his four children in a charter school and he joined the board of that school. That is where he met Rick Smyre and a discussion took place about preparing the children (of the school) for the future. Gene stated that he wanted to prepare the children for their future, not for "our" future, because I was prepared for my future and I found that preparation to be lacking.
The assumption that the board knew what the children's future would be was thrown out real fast. With the help of Rick, it was decided that they needed to help the children develop a capacity to handle the future, whatever that future might be. The real core issue became development of the capacity to help operate and thrive in a constantly changing environment. Over a five year period they worked with the board of directors and teacher's groups and started putting the techniques into the classroom, beginning in kindergarten. There are 12 to 15 core philosophies. One is and/both thinking. Another is listening for value in what the student is saying. This allows the teacher to take disparate ideas and focus them back into the direction that the class needs to be going.
The traditional problem solving function is too limited to carry people into the future. Master Capacity Builders have techniques that can expand the capacity of others. Capacities can be developed a little bit at a time. Developing it too fast can cause one to lose the access point into an organization or individual. Developing capacity is gradual, from several different directions, and often done obliquely. The goal is to help people deal with more complex issues in the future.
In the question answer phase, Gene stated, "We model how to connect disparate ideas and once those thought patterns are activated and one begins connecting disparate ideas, then one increases the capacity to increase disparate ideas." Followership is as important as leadership. Their are techniques that help achieve those capacities and help to teach that everyone has value and everyone should have input.
Thomas Jefferson Quote (about the University of Virginia) - "This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it."
Photo by Pat Appleson Studios
Futures Institute/Master Capacity Builder Training (Brzorad/Mauney) - A Lenoir-Rhyne University Partnership Effort - Dr. Brzorad and Bill Mauney have both met with Danny and Rick a couple of times. They have a couple of professors that seem like they would be interested in doing this. They want people to self-select for this. This will build up speed in the next month or so. There are a lot of implications in this pertaining to energy and the environment. This fall we should see some action taken on this.
Foundation Grant Project Updates:
1. Future Trends Dialogue Groups: Hickory Library- 7/9/2009 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM - Catawba County Library SW Branch in Mountain View, 7/10/2009 from 10:00 – 11:30 AM (Sizemore/Foss) - Council Members are encouraged to participate and an editorial will be in the paper on Sunday.
Photo by Pat Appleson Studios
2. Broadband Video Conference in August with Wilson, NC (Bledsoe) - This hasn't been confirmed, but Terry expects it to work. The City Manager or Technology Director will speak with us. Terry stated that one of the good things about the FEC, is that just having the discussions have moved things through the community. Some of the providers have come to Terry about Broadband concerns in our community. That is a good thing.
Baker's mountain now has better coverage. A company is looking at expanding options by using some 0f the (federal) stimulus money. Gaffney, South Carolina is looking to have fiber to the home in the next couple of years. The U.S. has fallen from 16th to 22nd in Broadband speed. Australia has a plan to get 100mb/sec connection to 90% of the country's homes. Finally, In Isse, France they have fiber in most homes and Wi-Fi throughout the city. 57% of their business is Telecom.
Photo by Pat Appleson Studios
3. FEC Web Site (Shell) - Project 3P - the Progressive Productive Proton Project - is the name of the blog that I have created. It is a play off of the Idea of the Creative Molecular Economy.
The words have a lot of meaning when it comes to what we are trying to achieve here:
1) Progressive – I’m not thinking politically here. I am thinking of the ideal definition. Favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are. The status quo.
2) Productive – having the power to produce, generate and/or create. Folks, we have to make things happen or we can choose to be roadkill on the highway of life. My choice is to leave a lasting positive legacy for the future generations of people who inhabit this area: whether I enjoy the fruits of this labor or not. This is the big picture.
3) Proton - a positively charged elementary particle that is a fundamental constituent of all atomic nuclei. The people in this room have voluntarily chosen to be part of this project. We are the bright lights in this community. We are going to be those positively charged molecules that bring the positive force that will lead to the ingenuity and innovation that will turn things around in this community.
The first step was to create the Blog and the address is http://project3p.blogspot.com
I have also purchased the domain www.project3p.net. Project3p.com isn’t available. It seems to be an underutilized home design blogging webpage.
I want to turn the website into a php message board in the near future. The idea being an accessible, user friendly forum that will take on an organic life of its own and evolve in whatever path it chooses to take. I honestly believe that open source contributions will be where innovation and development will come from. Ramo calls it mash-up - the collision of separate, distinguishable entities into something unpredictably new. And isn’t that what Evolution is all about?
4. Communi-Versity Series: “100 Most Creative People in Business”- Dr. Anthony Atala, Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine?(Hearn) - Danny says that this series is about future trends, weak signals, bringing in futurists, and talking about new technology. These are things that can change our future in medicine, economic development, or education.... He is saying Dr. Atala is an example of someone that our local Universities could reach out to. Since he is so close, we can call on him and ask him to come speak as a part of this series. Dr. Brzorad was very receptive to the idea and stated that he will definitely look into this opportunity.
Unifour Foundation Grant Update - Turned Down
Danny stated that we did not receive the grant. He said he was very disappointed and explained what the consequences of not obtaining the grant would mean to our group. This does not mean that the FEC will not move forward, but it is going to make the process much harder.
Dr.Brzorad said this leaves us two options. Go find another funding source or come up with the money on our own. We would be taking even more ownership if we fund it ourselves. Dr. B said the grant was good even though we didn't get it. I asked if we couldn't tweak it ourselves and apply for other grants? Danny said yes, but where will we send those grants to?
We had a thorough and lively discussion that followed.
Jay Adams had a solid statement - People will invest in things that they believe that they can get a return from and that's the bottom line. Until this group can demonstrate credibility, we are just begging. You've got to give some credible indication that putting money into it (the FEC) is going to generate a real rate of return. People are looking for results or a high likelihood of results.
Terry Bledsoe said he had asked Danny Hearn, in the beginning, what is this group really all about. We haven't set any goals. Is this just a thinktank? Are we just trying to get information out to the people? What are we going to produce? Terry's summation is that we have one product on the table and that is with Lenoir-Rhyne and the Master Capacity Building Program. There is a great program with the Chamber called Leadership Catawba. He believes that the two could be merged. Maybe we could get funding that way.
Steve Ivester said there are places (Morristown, NJ; Silicon Valley; Research Triangle Park) that are hot houses and businesses are just blossoming. If we have a goal, it should be to cause and create this process in Hickory. Making Hickory an incubator of lots of new businesses and investment opportunities. We're a little to early to say that you should invest because of it.
Harry Hipps said we need to communicate by e-mail and create a mission statement. We have discussed some tangible assets, such as Master Capacity Building and Broadband.
Danny's Summation for the day - When people say, "who is the beneficiary?" He can't go to someone and say give me $10,000 and you will get this in return. This is not that investment. We are selling the invisible. If we continue to take this economy in the direction that we have always taken it, we aren't going to get anywhere. The Economy has totally changed. What we had prior to 2000 is gone. We have to reinvent ourselves. If we don't do that, then we are in big trouble. It is the thinking of elected officials, business, and education of changing the way we do things and that investment can't be shown. The community better embrace it and understand it. We can't even get our local officials (hmm hmm I'll say it Rudy) to read a document about Mobile Governance that Rick wrote. There are (forward thinking) investment ideas out there, that no current elected official will look at, but people (I'll say it - not lost in yesterday) who are prone to understand this and reach outside of their comfort level and try to embrace it, all of a sudden, an idea that a traditional thinker will not do, we might. Those ideas are achievable.
The Hounds Take is that the general consensus is we are going to develop a core subgroup of FEC people that will design a mission statement. This mission statement should entail a project that has a high likelihood of succeeding and the group should apply to funding sources that might achieve a real rate of return as a result of investing in the group that supports that project.
Welcome - Catawba County Chamber of Commerce President Danny Hearn started out the meeting by giving a general overview of what the structure of this meeting would entail. Danny addressed that Lenoir-Rhyne wants to be the site for a Master Capacity Builder Series.
Danny spoke to the fact that he feels he has done his job and we are organized and understand the gist of what this (the FEC) is about. We are functioning and have things in place. He made the recommendation that Terry Bledsoe be the Chairman of the FEC. The Council enthusiastically supported this decision.
Special Guest: Jim Hyder, Davidson, NC Creating a Diaspora for Catawba County - Mr. Hyder spoke to the issue of Diaspora. He spoke of his friendship with Rick Smyre. Mr. Hyder was born in Hickory. He spoke of his connections to Hickory. Mr. Hyder stated that he is interested in Hickory.
Mr. Hyder said he has kept up with Hickory issues and wants to help. He addressed the issue of people who have connections to Hickory that might also want to help get Hickory back on track. We need to reach out to these connections and see if they might be interested in helping. He doesn't know what he is to do. This is a work in progress. Maybe we could get School Principals to point to former successful students that might have a connection and want to help.
Rick Smyre stated that as we evolve this concept that there are people who may be interested in helping. He talked about Twitter and the impact it has had over the last few days (Iran). The connections of people throughout the world that may have an interest and empathy, in Hickory, is a wonderful opportunity to give us support. This can open up resources by creating ping pong effects. He said that where local people might not buy into what we are trying to accomplish, that a person from outside of the community may be able to bring a new perspective to the discussion and may change those people's minds that are stuck in the old ways of thinking.
Terry Bledsoe talked about Catawba County's utilization of Facebook. The idea was to gain participation from locals to get (county government) messages out. Unintentionally it was discovered that people all over the world have signed up for the page, because they want a connection with Catawba County.
Chuck Adair addressed the historical context of what the original Diaspora was about. The original diaspora was the displacement of the Jews from Jerusalem by the Romans.
Photo by Pat Appleson StudiosSpecial Guest: Gene Anderson, Entrepreneur from Gastonia Master Capacity Builder Trainee - He stated that his whole life he has been growing into the person he is now. He grew up poor in Globe, Arizona, because the city died during his formative years. He obtained 83 merit badges, while being in the Boy Scouts. This helped broaden the context from which he made decisions. This helped him in school, because he had information (context) that was broader than what the school offered. He loved to learn. This made decision making much easier.
He spent 11 years in the Army. The military understands that culture and sociology matter. He moved to Gastonia about 13 years ago. In 2001, he put his four children in a charter school and he joined the board of that school. That is where he met Rick Smyre and a discussion took place about preparing the children (of the school) for the future. Gene stated that he wanted to prepare the children for their future, not for "our" future, because I was prepared for my future and I found that preparation to be lacking.
The assumption that the board knew what the children's future would be was thrown out real fast. With the help of Rick, it was decided that they needed to help the children develop a capacity to handle the future, whatever that future might be. The real core issue became development of the capacity to help operate and thrive in a constantly changing environment. Over a five year period they worked with the board of directors and teacher's groups and started putting the techniques into the classroom, beginning in kindergarten. There are 12 to 15 core philosophies. One is and/both thinking. Another is listening for value in what the student is saying. This allows the teacher to take disparate ideas and focus them back into the direction that the class needs to be going.
The traditional problem solving function is too limited to carry people into the future. Master Capacity Builders have techniques that can expand the capacity of others. Capacities can be developed a little bit at a time. Developing it too fast can cause one to lose the access point into an organization or individual. Developing capacity is gradual, from several different directions, and often done obliquely. The goal is to help people deal with more complex issues in the future.
In the question answer phase, Gene stated, "We model how to connect disparate ideas and once those thought patterns are activated and one begins connecting disparate ideas, then one increases the capacity to increase disparate ideas." Followership is as important as leadership. Their are techniques that help achieve those capacities and help to teach that everyone has value and everyone should have input.
Thomas Jefferson Quote (about the University of Virginia) - "This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it."
Photo by Pat Appleson StudiosFutures Institute/Master Capacity Builder Training (Brzorad/Mauney) - A Lenoir-Rhyne University Partnership Effort - Dr. Brzorad and Bill Mauney have both met with Danny and Rick a couple of times. They have a couple of professors that seem like they would be interested in doing this. They want people to self-select for this. This will build up speed in the next month or so. There are a lot of implications in this pertaining to energy and the environment. This fall we should see some action taken on this.
Foundation Grant Project Updates:
1. Future Trends Dialogue Groups: Hickory Library- 7/9/2009 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM - Catawba County Library SW Branch in Mountain View, 7/10/2009 from 10:00 – 11:30 AM (Sizemore/Foss) - Council Members are encouraged to participate and an editorial will be in the paper on Sunday.
Photo by Pat Appleson Studios2. Broadband Video Conference in August with Wilson, NC (Bledsoe) - This hasn't been confirmed, but Terry expects it to work. The City Manager or Technology Director will speak with us. Terry stated that one of the good things about the FEC, is that just having the discussions have moved things through the community. Some of the providers have come to Terry about Broadband concerns in our community. That is a good thing.
Baker's mountain now has better coverage. A company is looking at expanding options by using some 0f the (federal) stimulus money. Gaffney, South Carolina is looking to have fiber to the home in the next couple of years. The U.S. has fallen from 16th to 22nd in Broadband speed. Australia has a plan to get 100mb/sec connection to 90% of the country's homes. Finally, In Isse, France they have fiber in most homes and Wi-Fi throughout the city. 57% of their business is Telecom.
Photo by Pat Appleson Studios3. FEC Web Site (Shell) - Project 3P - the Progressive Productive Proton Project - is the name of the blog that I have created. It is a play off of the Idea of the Creative Molecular Economy.
The words have a lot of meaning when it comes to what we are trying to achieve here:
1) Progressive – I’m not thinking politically here. I am thinking of the ideal definition. Favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are. The status quo.
2) Productive – having the power to produce, generate and/or create. Folks, we have to make things happen or we can choose to be roadkill on the highway of life. My choice is to leave a lasting positive legacy for the future generations of people who inhabit this area: whether I enjoy the fruits of this labor or not. This is the big picture.
3) Proton - a positively charged elementary particle that is a fundamental constituent of all atomic nuclei. The people in this room have voluntarily chosen to be part of this project. We are the bright lights in this community. We are going to be those positively charged molecules that bring the positive force that will lead to the ingenuity and innovation that will turn things around in this community.
The first step was to create the Blog and the address is http://project3p.blogspot.com
I have also purchased the domain www.project3p.net. Project3p.com isn’t available. It seems to be an underutilized home design blogging webpage.
I want to turn the website into a php message board in the near future. The idea being an accessible, user friendly forum that will take on an organic life of its own and evolve in whatever path it chooses to take. I honestly believe that open source contributions will be where innovation and development will come from. Ramo calls it mash-up - the collision of separate, distinguishable entities into something unpredictably new. And isn’t that what Evolution is all about?
4. Communi-Versity Series: “100 Most Creative People in Business”- Dr. Anthony Atala, Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine?(Hearn) - Danny says that this series is about future trends, weak signals, bringing in futurists, and talking about new technology. These are things that can change our future in medicine, economic development, or education.... He is saying Dr. Atala is an example of someone that our local Universities could reach out to. Since he is so close, we can call on him and ask him to come speak as a part of this series. Dr. Brzorad was very receptive to the idea and stated that he will definitely look into this opportunity.
Unifour Foundation Grant Update - Turned Down
Danny stated that we did not receive the grant. He said he was very disappointed and explained what the consequences of not obtaining the grant would mean to our group. This does not mean that the FEC will not move forward, but it is going to make the process much harder.
Dr.Brzorad said this leaves us two options. Go find another funding source or come up with the money on our own. We would be taking even more ownership if we fund it ourselves. Dr. B said the grant was good even though we didn't get it. I asked if we couldn't tweak it ourselves and apply for other grants? Danny said yes, but where will we send those grants to?
We had a thorough and lively discussion that followed.
Jay Adams had a solid statement - People will invest in things that they believe that they can get a return from and that's the bottom line. Until this group can demonstrate credibility, we are just begging. You've got to give some credible indication that putting money into it (the FEC) is going to generate a real rate of return. People are looking for results or a high likelihood of results.Terry Bledsoe said he had asked Danny Hearn, in the beginning, what is this group really all about. We haven't set any goals. Is this just a thinktank? Are we just trying to get information out to the people? What are we going to produce? Terry's summation is that we have one product on the table and that is with Lenoir-Rhyne and the Master Capacity Building Program. There is a great program with the Chamber called Leadership Catawba. He believes that the two could be merged. Maybe we could get funding that way.
Steve Ivester said there are places (Morristown, NJ; Silicon Valley; Research Triangle Park) that are hot houses and businesses are just blossoming. If we have a goal, it should be to cause and create this process in Hickory. Making Hickory an incubator of lots of new businesses and investment opportunities. We're a little to early to say that you should invest because of it.
Harry Hipps said we need to communicate by e-mail and create a mission statement. We have discussed some tangible assets, such as Master Capacity Building and Broadband.
Danny's Summation for the day - When people say, "who is the beneficiary?" He can't go to someone and say give me $10,000 and you will get this in return. This is not that investment. We are selling the invisible. If we continue to take this economy in the direction that we have always taken it, we aren't going to get anywhere. The Economy has totally changed. What we had prior to 2000 is gone. We have to reinvent ourselves. If we don't do that, then we are in big trouble. It is the thinking of elected officials, business, and education of changing the way we do things and that investment can't be shown. The community better embrace it and understand it. We can't even get our local officials (hmm hmm I'll say it Rudy) to read a document about Mobile Governance that Rick wrote. There are (forward thinking) investment ideas out there, that no current elected official will look at, but people (I'll say it - not lost in yesterday) who are prone to understand this and reach outside of their comfort level and try to embrace it, all of a sudden, an idea that a traditional thinker will not do, we might. Those ideas are achievable.
The Hounds Take is that the general consensus is we are going to develop a core subgroup of FEC people that will design a mission statement. This mission statement should entail a project that has a high likelihood of succeeding and the group should apply to funding sources that might achieve a real rate of return as a result of investing in the group that supports that project.
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 3rd Meeting
This meeting is to be held tonight at the Highland Recreation Center starting at 6:30pm. Due to a conflict with my work schedule I will not be able to attend. I hope that anyone who reads this blog and is able to attend will send me any interesting information or details that will be brought forward at this meeting. You can e-mail me at hickoryhound@gmail.com.
Here are articles that relate to the past meetings.
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 2nd Meeting
Why the original Hickory By Choice doesn't work
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 1st Meeting
Studio Cascade awarded contract at November 4, 2008 City Council meeting
Here are articles that relate to the past meetings.
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 2nd Meeting
Why the original Hickory By Choice doesn't work
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 1st Meeting
Studio Cascade awarded contract at November 4, 2008 City Council meeting
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
THE WEAK SIGNAL OF MOBILE GOVERNANCE by Rick Smyre
Rick Smyre is our Catawba County Future Economy Council Guru. He might not accept such a label, but I am going to give it to him anyway. Rick has been a Futurist for years and has spoken at many conferences on Futurism. Rick is the President of the "Communities of the Future" organization.
Below is an article that he has written about "Mobile Governance." I hope that you are willing to give it more than a quick glance. This article deserves to be read a couple of times. You know how sometimes you will listen to a new album and think it isn't good, but you give it a second try and then another as you start to enjoy its nuances. I believe that this is that type of article. I would love to have a thorough discussion of this article in the comments section. So without further ado, here is a new dynamic governing philosophy called "Mobile Governance."
We live in a time of great historical disruption and transition from the Industrial Age to what some are calling the Connected Age, where a new language will be needed to identify ideas and methods not a part of present reality. No longer will traditional thinking and action be able to adapt to a society and economy that is constantly changing, interconnected and increasingly complex.
Nowhere will this need to anticipate a different type of future be more important than in the area of governance for a democracy. It is my contention that we are reaching the upper limits of representative democracy that is based on checks and balances. We need to begin to dialogue about a new concept of democracy that utilizes the emerging connective technologies that will allow citizens to provide their existing knowledge and opinions and enter into decision making from any place at any time. At the same time, growing groups of citizens capable of identifying weak signals and emerging ideas, and conversant with new knowledge and able to use emerging mobile technologies will be required for the next phase of democracy to be successful.
Our representative system of democracy originally was established on certain assumptions. One was that those who were the most talented would be elected and not those who had the most wealth. A second was that virtue would be at the core of those who were elected. A third was that wisdom in the sovereignty of the people would provide the common sense needed for effective decision making for democracies. A fourth was that checks and balances would prevent power from residing in only one branch of government.
Over the years, this traditional approach has served us well until recently. With the advent of technologies that connect people and growing challenges in real time from throughout the world, the interlocking complexity of issues have reached a point where the knowledge of experts is not enough, and, at times, counterproductive. This is especially true when any emerging challenge requires new knowledge based on what is in the process of developing and not what has occurred in the past.
As a result, it is my opinion that we are on the brink of a true transformation in democratic governance that will exploit the potential of new technologies when combined with new capacities of leaders able to facilitate new processes that can access the opinions and ideas of a broad, diverse, knowledgeable and interested pool of citizens. What will begin to dawn on people is that there are no experts in a time when the very undergirding ideas and methods that made traditional society effective are no longer valid. We are in a time of such historical transformation that we will need the interest, involvement and knowledge of many people working in collaboration to deal with the congruence of major challenges such as climate change, peak oil and shift of energy systems, biodiversity loss, population growth and the interaction and impacts of multiple new technologies. We are entering an age of societal research and development that has historical implications….none less so than rethinking how democracy may evolve and be aligned with the needs of a new type of society that is more distributive and organized around interlocking networks.
With this in mind, there is a weak signal that I see beginning to appear in various areas of the country. It is becoming more and more obvious that many local leaders are not familiar with trends and weak signals, and, as a result, are not able to ask appropriate questions and help facilitate effective strategies for emerging issues. As a result there is a new process beginning to emerge that I think will become more and more important…..a process I have dubbed "mobile connecting" that links those interested locally (especially non-leaders) in a search for key people anywhere in the world to bring new ideas and weak signals to the attention of existing key local groups responsible for making decisions for the present and the future. With the advent of smart phones and GPS systems, we are entering a new age that will reshape how our society operates and that will allow citizens to have the flexibility to connect their needs to the common good. In fact, in an interconnected, systemic age, self-interest and common good become one.
This will become more and more important in my opinion, and eventually lead to a new concept ,"mobile governance," where those elected officials and staff members, especially of medium size and smaller communities, begin to realize that they are not able to keep up with new ideas and methods. These leaders will develop new "knowledge connection" processes that will utilize the community members (especially the millennials under 32) to find cutting edge ideas and send them to their existing organizations as well as build new local and regional interlocking networks as appropriate . This will be one of the most important outcomes of this type of process....leading eventually to a shift of the norm from radical individualism and turfdom so rampant in our society, to levels of deeper collaboration.
Ultimately, a transformational governance and decision making structure will emerge, in my opinion, due to mobile technologies in which as many people in the community as are interested are involved in research and development ( of ideas and projects ). The weak signal of this emerging systemic change is seen in the way President Obama and his staff are utilizing the Internet for multiple purposes of citizen involvement. These purposes will be as diverse as searching for new knowledge, identifying key issues and emerging ideas, developing collaborative strategies, and participating in real time decision making for those who want to be involved. There may even be a new connection between governance and economic development in the way revenue streams are created for local people who identify emerging ideas and methods that are adopted by the community.
What is being realized by more and more people is that in this age of emerging systems, creating dynamic connections among people, new ideas and networks will be the lubricant and the glue to insure vibrant and sustainable democracies in a different kind of future. The age of representative democracy will slowly fade into the dimming glow of Industrial Society. It has served us well, but is too limited and too slow to anticipate and adapt to constantly changing conditions. What is emerging from the mist of the future is unknown at this time, but I Phones, smart mobile technologies, cloud computing and a different kind of leader able to facilitate connections and ask appropriate questions, will be key factors in the emerging next phase of democracy.
Below is an article that he has written about "Mobile Governance." I hope that you are willing to give it more than a quick glance. This article deserves to be read a couple of times. You know how sometimes you will listen to a new album and think it isn't good, but you give it a second try and then another as you start to enjoy its nuances. I believe that this is that type of article. I would love to have a thorough discussion of this article in the comments section. So without further ado, here is a new dynamic governing philosophy called "Mobile Governance."
We live in a time of great historical disruption and transition from the Industrial Age to what some are calling the Connected Age, where a new language will be needed to identify ideas and methods not a part of present reality. No longer will traditional thinking and action be able to adapt to a society and economy that is constantly changing, interconnected and increasingly complex.
Nowhere will this need to anticipate a different type of future be more important than in the area of governance for a democracy. It is my contention that we are reaching the upper limits of representative democracy that is based on checks and balances. We need to begin to dialogue about a new concept of democracy that utilizes the emerging connective technologies that will allow citizens to provide their existing knowledge and opinions and enter into decision making from any place at any time. At the same time, growing groups of citizens capable of identifying weak signals and emerging ideas, and conversant with new knowledge and able to use emerging mobile technologies will be required for the next phase of democracy to be successful.
Our representative system of democracy originally was established on certain assumptions. One was that those who were the most talented would be elected and not those who had the most wealth. A second was that virtue would be at the core of those who were elected. A third was that wisdom in the sovereignty of the people would provide the common sense needed for effective decision making for democracies. A fourth was that checks and balances would prevent power from residing in only one branch of government.
Over the years, this traditional approach has served us well until recently. With the advent of technologies that connect people and growing challenges in real time from throughout the world, the interlocking complexity of issues have reached a point where the knowledge of experts is not enough, and, at times, counterproductive. This is especially true when any emerging challenge requires new knowledge based on what is in the process of developing and not what has occurred in the past.
As a result, it is my opinion that we are on the brink of a true transformation in democratic governance that will exploit the potential of new technologies when combined with new capacities of leaders able to facilitate new processes that can access the opinions and ideas of a broad, diverse, knowledgeable and interested pool of citizens. What will begin to dawn on people is that there are no experts in a time when the very undergirding ideas and methods that made traditional society effective are no longer valid. We are in a time of such historical transformation that we will need the interest, involvement and knowledge of many people working in collaboration to deal with the congruence of major challenges such as climate change, peak oil and shift of energy systems, biodiversity loss, population growth and the interaction and impacts of multiple new technologies. We are entering an age of societal research and development that has historical implications….none less so than rethinking how democracy may evolve and be aligned with the needs of a new type of society that is more distributive and organized around interlocking networks.
With this in mind, there is a weak signal that I see beginning to appear in various areas of the country. It is becoming more and more obvious that many local leaders are not familiar with trends and weak signals, and, as a result, are not able to ask appropriate questions and help facilitate effective strategies for emerging issues. As a result there is a new process beginning to emerge that I think will become more and more important…..a process I have dubbed "mobile connecting" that links those interested locally (especially non-leaders) in a search for key people anywhere in the world to bring new ideas and weak signals to the attention of existing key local groups responsible for making decisions for the present and the future. With the advent of smart phones and GPS systems, we are entering a new age that will reshape how our society operates and that will allow citizens to have the flexibility to connect their needs to the common good. In fact, in an interconnected, systemic age, self-interest and common good become one.
This will become more and more important in my opinion, and eventually lead to a new concept ,"mobile governance," where those elected officials and staff members, especially of medium size and smaller communities, begin to realize that they are not able to keep up with new ideas and methods. These leaders will develop new "knowledge connection" processes that will utilize the community members (especially the millennials under 32) to find cutting edge ideas and send them to their existing organizations as well as build new local and regional interlocking networks as appropriate . This will be one of the most important outcomes of this type of process....leading eventually to a shift of the norm from radical individualism and turfdom so rampant in our society, to levels of deeper collaboration.
Ultimately, a transformational governance and decision making structure will emerge, in my opinion, due to mobile technologies in which as many people in the community as are interested are involved in research and development ( of ideas and projects ). The weak signal of this emerging systemic change is seen in the way President Obama and his staff are utilizing the Internet for multiple purposes of citizen involvement. These purposes will be as diverse as searching for new knowledge, identifying key issues and emerging ideas, developing collaborative strategies, and participating in real time decision making for those who want to be involved. There may even be a new connection between governance and economic development in the way revenue streams are created for local people who identify emerging ideas and methods that are adopted by the community.
What is being realized by more and more people is that in this age of emerging systems, creating dynamic connections among people, new ideas and networks will be the lubricant and the glue to insure vibrant and sustainable democracies in a different kind of future. The age of representative democracy will slowly fade into the dimming glow of Industrial Society. It has served us well, but is too limited and too slow to anticipate and adapt to constantly changing conditions. What is emerging from the mist of the future is unknown at this time, but I Phones, smart mobile technologies, cloud computing and a different kind of leader able to facilitate connections and ask appropriate questions, will be key factors in the emerging next phase of democracy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)