THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 8, 1995 TAG: 9501060174
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Politicians are learning that neighborhoods can promote regional cooperation.
Norfolk, Hampton and Roanoke governments brought civic-league leaders to the Urban Summit in Richmond last month.
``The community has a good and strong role in what's going on here. It's our responsibility to promote and sell these ideas to the people,'' said Tommy White, president of the River Forest Shores-Wayside Manor-Easton Place Civic League.
White brings extra dimensions to regionalism. A third-generation Norfolkian, he wants his city to be strong enough to help preserve his neighborhood. A former Virginia Beach policeman, White knows how suburbanites view core cities. ``We've got to have more communication to convince them,'' he said.
Andre Fenwick, president of the Barbersville Homeowners Association, attended. ``I needed to hear what other people are saying so I could tell my people what the broad picture is,'' he said.
Regional cooperation could solve his pet peeve. ``This transit system is a mess!'' Fenwick said.
Cooperation, he said, also produces self-feeding benefits to neighborhoods as well as to the metro area. His logic: Cities, working together to bring more jobs, will create better neighborhoods. That attracts even better jobs.
Fenwick found it inconvenient that the summit met on a weekday. ``That's leave-time for me,'' he said. ``I'd like to see something like this happen on a Saturday so more people like me could attend.''
This first-ever summit was organized by the new Urban Partnership, composed of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and 15 cities. The goal is more cooperation between cities and suburbs, making Virginia's metro areas more competitive with economic-development efforts nationwide and globally.
Politicians and businessmen discussed how Virginia is behind other states in recruiting jobs and how the General Assembly might help.
Politicians aren't always the best people to solve political problems.
Through grassroots groups ``it's easier to get across the geographic lines, easier to get across the cultural lines . . . to solve problems,'' Norfolk City Manager Jim Oliver said.
Until recently, politicians, bureaucrats and business leaders talked among themselves. Now, some suggest that serious regionalism won't occur until there's grassroots support on both sides of urban-suburban lines.
Oliver, quoting 18th-century French revolutionist Robespierre, said: ``There go the people. I must catch them.''
Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim is more convinced that civic leagues must be included in dialogues about regionalism.
He plans to continue speaking to civic leagues, even in surrounding cities if invited.
Fraim is vague on specifics of more regionalism. He is studying ideas, yet hesitates to launch trial balloons. But he's ruled out regional government, saying: ``That would be a sure way to kill this thing. . . . It will be another level of bureaucracy.''
He's seeking incentives to cooperate in economic development and share the bounty. ``It has to be a win-win for everybody,'' he said. MEMO: Mike Knepler writes a column for the Norfolk Compass, a community news
section.
by CNB