not sure if this is the right place for this article, but I was glad to read it.
I'm part of the 'downtown committee' of the Coalition. Nice to see them get some press:
Meet Hamilton’s secret weapons
By Nicole MacIntyre
The Hamilton Spectator
For nearly four years a powerhouse of influential Hamiltonians has been
quietly conspiring with a simple goal: to make this city better.
You’ve likely never heard of the Hamilton Civic Coalition — that’s by design — but undoubtedly you know some of its nearly 60 members.
It’s a who’s who of community
leaders, from Mac president Peter George and hospital boss Murray
Martin to arts maven Louise
Dompierre and poverty advocate Paul Johnson. There’s also the heads of the school boards, harbour, airport, chamber of commerce, newspaper, immigration centre, and more than a few CEOs. It is, in the words of the coalition’s chair Mark Chamberlain, a “special group of folks.”
Collectively, they operate on the
basic premise that it takes a
community to change a community.
“No group by itself can solve (Hamilton’s) problems,” said Chamberlain, former Wescam president. “We all have a role to play because we all have a piece of the puzzle.”
For the first time the coalition is stepping from the shadows to play a public role in shaping Hamilton’s
future. A selection of its members has been chosen for a new mayor’s
advisory committee to guide the city’s revamped economic development
department.
It’s a major responsibility for the coalition that has so far preferred to keep its meetings and mission quiet.
The group began in 2003 as the brainchild of McMaster professor Roy Adams. He was inspired by the Toronto City Summit Alliance that made waves with its report Enough Talk.
Hamilton, he realized, was facing many of the same challenges identified by the mega-city’s civic coalition and could benefit from its own group. Adams hit the phones inviting dozens of community leaders to the table.
“Almost everyone I called agreed it was a good idea.”
The group, funded by the members’ employers, began to meet every few months to carve out its mission and values. Much of the first few years were spent simply learning from each other and building trust, explained Chamberlain, noting it was the first time such a diverse group ever sat down.
“It was an opportunity to share thoughts and concerns,” he said, adding the coalition is “really a way to network a whole lot of networks across the city.”
Eventually an agenda emerged. Everyone around the table agreed the coalition should focus on issues from urban renewal to immigration to civic finance. But finding consensus on how to tackle the city’s challenges has been far from easy.
Take economic development. While many on the coalition were eager to push ahead with an industrial park around the airport, other members weren’t so keen. It’s an issue the group still struggles with, but all sides agree the experience has been an education.
“You see a whole host of different perspectives around the table,” said coalition member and local environmentalist Lynda Lukasik, noting her own thinking has evolved.
“And I’m hoping that me being there is having an impact on how other members are thinking as well.”
The coalition’s membership, which is invitation only, has grown over the years as the group aims to represent as many voices as possible, particularly on subcommittees.
Its relationship with city council has also developed. In the beginning, Adams said one invitee declined to join because he felt the group would be seen as a threat by local government.
“Actually they were right,” said Adams, recalling the coalition’s early reception at city hall.
“Initially there was an uneasy relationship between the coalition and the mayor’s office.”
Then mayor Larry Di Ianni recalls the issue came down to the feeling that the coalition wanted to operate independently of city hall. In his opinion, if you want to effect change it’s critical to involve the government body.
The relationship improved with communication and co-operation. When Di Ianni publicly asked the province to help Hamilton pay for its social services cost, the coalition
privately used its forces to bolster his request. A letter signed by nearly every institution leader in Hamilton made its way to Queen’s Park to strengthen the lobby.
The money flowed, a first for Hamilton. The coalition garnered barely a passing mention in media reports,
exactly what the group hoped.
From the outset the coalition wanted to be modest, said Adams, who
served as its executive director until last summer. Former Burlington city manager Tim Dobbie has taken over the job.
“The coalition didn’t want to be way out in front,” said Adams.
“It wanted to get things done
quietly.”
Any credit, he explained, was directed toward the city’s politicians because they needed it for survival, while the coalition didn’t. The strategy was double-edged. While the low profile helped gain the support of council, Adams said it also limited the group’s impact because its high-level membership are largely
anonymous.
Still, the group has also seen some early success, such as an immigrant training program in local banks. Coalition member David May, the district vice-president for TD Canada Trust, started the initiative as part of the coalition’s focus on immigrant
integration.
The coalition is now turning its
attention to jobs, said Chamberlain. But rather than approach employment as just a question of economics, the coalition is counting on its many members to explore the issue from every angle.
The strategy meshes well with the city’s new investment in economic development. Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger has called on the coalition to help decide where the city should focus its energy. It’s an advisory role
Di Ianni is pleased to see develop. He felt the coalition was being
underutilized, especially considering its powerful membership.
“I don’t think they want to be a group of talkers. I think they want to be a group of doers.”
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