Thursday, December 23, 2010

1st Phase of Regional Visioning Completed

Regional visioning project Power of 32 has finished the public comment phase of its initiative to build a long-term agenda for 32 counties surrounding Pittsburgh.

After extending the public comment phase for more than a month due to demand, Power of 32 will now examine the data it’s gathered to find out which issues are most important to the citizens of the region.

Power of 32 Executive Director Selena Schmidt says many demographics were represented among the 3,000 participants, but she thinks many of them were focused on the same concerns.

“They may not have the same language that the public policy experts or the elected officials have, but they understand that when they’re talking about having jobs and making sure that there are opportunities for our young, educated people in the region, it’s not just about a job. It’s about jobs that reflect quality of life. People asking about having diversity of professional opportunities,” says Schmidt.

Schmidt says after her organization categorizes the issues people are talking about the most, the group will go to policy makers with their suggestions.

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