Innovative Cities Summit

May 24, 2017

Transcript:

TED SIMONS: THE 3RD ANNUAL SUMMIT ON GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AND INNOVATION IS BEING HELD TODAY AND TOMORROW IN PHOENIX. THE GATHERING INCLUDES MUNICIPAL LEADERS FROM AROUND THE NATION LOOKING AT INNOVATIVE WAYS FOR THEIR CITIES TO IMPROVE. ONE CITY WAS NAMED THE NATION'S HIGHEST-PERFORMING CITY. THE WINNER: PHOENIX, ARIZONA. JOINING US NOW IS CATHILEA ROBINETT IS PRESIDENT OF E.REPUBLIC, THE PUBLISHER OF GOVERNING MAGAZINE WHICH IS BEHIND THE SUMMIT, THE SURVEY AND THE AWARD, AND ALSO WITH US: HERE HE IS, PHOENIX MAYOR, GREG STANTON. GOOD TO HAVE YOU BOTH HERE. GOVERNING MAGAZINE, THE TOP PERFORMING CITY. DO TELL?

CATHILEA ROBINETT: IT'S VERY TRUE. THE THING ABOUT INNOVATION, IT'S A GREAT BUZZ WORD. WHAT WE TRIED TO DO IS BREAK IT DOWN INTO SEVEN COMPONENTS WE WERE LOOKING FOR. I HAVE THIS GREAT LITTLE CARD HERE. WE ARE LOOKING AT DYNAMICALLY PLANNED, BROADLY PARTNERED, RACE INFORMED, SMARTLY RESOURCED, EMPLOYEE ENGAGED AND DATA DRIVEN AND PHOENIX PUT IT TOGETHER AND WAS THE TOP REFORMER OF ALL OF THE CITIES IN THE NATION.

TED SIMONS: I WANT TO HIT ON THOSE CATEGORIES, NOT ONLY PHOENIX BUT WHAT WORKS FOR MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS. WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR CITY SCORED SO HIGH?

GREG STANTON: IT'S THINGS WE TAKE SERIOUSLY. WE WANT AN EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT. WE WANT AS MANY CITIZENS AS POSSIBLE TO BE PART OF THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS. WE WANT TO EMPOWER EMPLOYEES SO THEY ARE LEADERS IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY, REGARDLESS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD YOU LIVE IN, YOUR SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, RACE, RELIGION, YOU ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION IN PHOENIX. THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT HOW THEY DEFINE INNOVATION. WE DECIDED TO GO FOR IT. IT WAS NOT A EASY TEST. 92 QUESTIONS, MAKING YOU LOOK INWARD TO YOUR ORGANIZATION. WE WERE HAPPILY SURPRISED TO FIND THEY RANKED US LEADING PUBLICATION IN THE FIELD TOP CITY IN THE COUNTRY.

TED SIMONS: OUT OF CURIOSITY, WHO IS NUMBER TWO?

CATHILEA ROBINETT: WE DIDN'T HAVE A NUMBER TWO. WE HAD THE TOP TEN, LAS VEGAS, SAN DIEGO, RIVERSIDE, SAN JOSE.

TED SIMONS: PHOENIX GETS ONE AND EVERYONE ELSE GETS "ALSO."

CATHILEA ROBINETT: EXACTLY.

TED SIMONS: DYNAMICALLY PLANNED, THE METRICS, NOT JUST WHAT A CITY DOES BUT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO?

CATHILEA ROBINETT: CROWD SOURCES, ENGAGING PLANNING, LOOKING FROM NOT A TRADITIONAL STANDPOINT BUT HOW THEY LOOK AT THE DYNAMICS OF THAT.

TED SIMONS: NO SILOS, THEN.

CATHILEA ROBINETT: LOOKING AT HOW YOU CAN COME TOGETHER AS A TEAM AND MAYBE APPROACH THIS IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN YOUR TRADITIONAL WAY OF PLANNING.

TED SIMONS: IS THAT EASIER? PHOENIX IS GROWING. THERE ARE TOWNS NOT GROWING. IS IT EASIER TO BE INNOVATIVE AND HAVE THESE IDEAS WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG AND NEW?

GREG STANTON: IT'S OUT OF NECESSITY IN PHOENIX. WE ARE ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN AMERICA. WE PASSED UP PHILADELPHIA, OFFICIALLY TOMORROW. YOU WILL SEE IT. WE ARE NOT TIED TO OLD INDUSTRIES LIKE THE AUTO INDUSTRY OR STEEL INDUSTRY. WE ARE A YOUNG, BIG CITY. WE HAVE BEEN OVERLY RELIANT ON REAL ESTATE AND GROWTH. WE HAVE TO BUILD A MORE INNOVATIVE, EXPORT BASED ECONOMY. THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN BY OSMOSIS. IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN BY SMART STRATEGIC PLANNING. ALL OF THE THINGS THEY HAVE LED THE WAY ON IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO BUILD A DIVERSE ECONOMY THAT WILL LAST A LONG PERIOD OF TIME IN PHOENIX.

TED SIMONS: RESIDENT INVOLVED. THIS WAS BIG IN PHOENIX. WE TALKED ABOUT THIS ON THE PROGRAM, THE SELECTION OF THE POLICE CHIEF VERY MUCH RESIDENT INVOLVED.

CATHILEA ROBINETT: RESIDENT INVOLVED IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE CATEGORIES. WE HAVE THE MAYOR OF ALBUQUERQUE AS WELL. THEY HAVE DONE THIS AS WELL AS OTHER CITIES. TAKING THAT, GETTING EVERYONE ENGAGED, SURVEYING THE PUBLIC, NOT JUST THE SAME FIVE PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP, HOW ARE YOU GETTING THEM INVOLVED, TAKING THE FEEDBACK AND IMPROVING THINGS IN CITIES?

TED SIMONS: WE DID THE STORY ON THE POLICE CHIEF. ENGLAND -- THE CITY OF LONDON WAS LOOKING AT HOW WE SELECTED OUR POLICE CHIEF BECAUSE RESIDENTS WERE INVOLVED.

GREG STANTON: THEY HAVE TO BE. THE POLICE CHIEF THE HIGHEST PROFILE POSITION IN THE CITY OF PHOENIX. TRUST IN THE COMMUNITY REGARDLESS OF NEIGHBORHOOD, LATINO, AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, ALL OF THE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, THEY HAVE TO FEEL INVESTED IN THE POSITION SO WE WENT TO A HYPER, RESIDENT DRIVEN APPROACH FOR THE POSITION. THE SAME MOLDING SHOULD BE FOR OUR STRATEGY ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND QUALITY JOBS. WHAT ABOUT TRANSPORTATION? WE PASSED A TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT. WE GOT IT RIGHT BY HAVING A HUGE COMMUNITY LISTENING PROCESS BEFORE GOING TO THE BALLOT. THE MODEL WE FOLLOW FOR THE POLICE CHIEF IS WHAT WE SHOULD FOLLOW FOR EVERY MAJOR DECISION.

TED SIMONS: IS THIS A MODEL OTHER CITIES CAN FOLLOW, NOT WORD FOR WORD BUT THE SCHEMATIC FOR THESE SEVEN CATEGORIES?

CATHILEA ROBINETT: OUR PARTNER IS LIVING CITIES, A WONDERFUL NONPROFIT. WE CAME UP WITH THE FORM TO TAKE TO CITIES SO THEY HAVE A ROAD MAP. SAN FRANCISCO WAS HERE TODAY. THEY ARE SO EXCITED. THEY WERE LIKE, WE ARE USING THIS. WE HAVE NEVER HAD THIS BEFORE. CITIES WANT TO INNOVATE. THEY WANT TO DO A BETTER JOB BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A WAY TO DO IT. WE ARE SUPER EXCITED BECAUSE THESE ARE SEVEN AREAS. CITIES CAN SAY WE ARE GOOD HERE. WE NEED WORK THERE. LET'S DO BETTER HERE.

GREG STANTON: IF ONE PART OF THE CITY IS DOING WELL, NO PART IS DOING WELL. YOU CAN'T JUST HAVE GREAT JOBS IN ONE PART OF THE CITY. YOU HAVE TO INVOLVE EVERYONE. THAT'S THE MESSAGE OF INNOVATION FOR US ALL. THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE RECOGNITION FOR THE CITY OF PHOENIX.

TED SIMONS: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT IS IT FOR NOW. I'M TED SIMONS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. YOU HAVE A GREAT EVENING.