Re-Connection - October 2008

Last Friday night’s face off between presidential nominees John McCain (R) and Barack Obama (D) was the first of three debates in the 2008 general election season. According to the Paul G. Kirk, Jr., and Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., co-chairs of the Commission on Presidential Debates, Friday’s was “an historic breakthrough in the history of televised debates.” The 90-minute forum gave each candidate two minutes to answer a question, and then allowed for five more minutes of “serious examination of complicated questions – including the possibility of the moderator inviting the candidates to question each other.”

“We want voters to benefit from as full an explanation of a topic as possible,” Kirk and Fahrenkopf stated. “In 2008, when stakes are higher than ever, issues more complex than ever, voter interest more intense than ever,” they said “voter education calls for a more expansive discussion between the leading candidates for president and vice president of the United States on the issues confronting America.”

The first debate, at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, had a foreign policy focus; the second, on Oct. 7, will be in Nashville, Tenn., in a town hall format; and the third, on Oct. 15, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, will focus on domestic policy issues.

Where We Stand

The presidential race has been fodder for daily newspapers and TV talk shows for more than a year. Rarely, however, have mainstream media examined where the candidates stand on the most critical issues facing America’s metropolitan regions – home to 80 percent of the U.S. population, 85 percent of the nation’s economic activity, and the best hope for restoring our position in the global marketplace.

However, in the face of escalating gas prices, rising home foreclosure rates, and growing unemployment, local economies are stagnating. For example, in the city of Chicago alone, there have been 10 times as many home foreclosures in first eight months of 2008 as there were in 2000. Clearly, these are enormous, complex issues our metro regions cannot solve on their own.

MPC knows the next president will have the opportunity to envision a new partnership between the federal government and states, cities and, especially, metro regions. Our 2008 Annual Luncheon, on Sept. 8, showcased this theme – How the Next President will Maximize Metro Potential – and featured surrogates for candidates McCain and Obama.

Project Progress Report

Tools for Balanced Housing Options

As the nation’s current housing crisis demonstrates, working families need to have stable and affordable options. If too many people are forced to overreach their means for a quality home, the effects are devastating to them and the economy.

Last week, the federal government announced it would release $172 million to the State of Illinois and local governments for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes. In short order, local leaders need to submit plans for using these much-needed resources. To be successful, local leaders must work together across boundaries, just as MPC has been doing with mayors in more than 10 suburban communities to create models for workforce housing development.

Acquiring, rehabbing and reselling foreclosed properties will be a challenge. Housing 1-2-3, is a new tool to make the complex issues of planning, developing and managing housing more understandable. Housing 1-2-3 is a partnership of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Illinois Housing Council, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, and Metropolitan Planning Council, and the fourth of MPC’s popular 1-2-3 series.

Oct6

National Association of Realtors: Employer-Assisted Housing Conference, Bring Workers Home 8:00 AM–4:30 PM

Oct17

October 17th Building Successful Mixed Income Communities Forum on Youth and Community Building 8:00 AM–10:30 AM

Where We Stand

Project Progress Report

Tools for Balanced Housing Options

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