Institute On Local Governance to Hold Session On Regionalism

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- "Regionalism: From Agenda to Action," a series of region-wide discussions on building a strong, enduring Western New York community, will hold its first session from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, in the Center for Tomorrow on the University at Buffalo North (Amherst) Campus.

The conference, coordinated by the Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth at UB, will bring together stakeholders from throughout the region to follow up on the Chautauqua Conference on Regional Governance held last spring.

The goals of the conference will be to outline perspectives on regional issues, review new data on Western New York, identify issues that emerge as priorities and develop an agenda for future sessions and follow-up actions.

"There is a very clear need to ensure that practical action steps and performance measures result from all the enthusiasm for regional approaches," said John Sheffer, director of the Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth. "That is the purpose of the series, "Regionalism: From Agenda to Action."

"This first session on Nov. 25 is designed to network many of the regional efforts under way and attempt to achieve a consensus on some fundamental principles. Most importantly, we need to get over the hurdle of believing that regionalism is about metropolitan government," Sheffer said. "The effort is to achieve systematic regional excellence and economic growth, not to dissolve our communities and create a highly centralized government."

He noted that the entire series is built upon a collaboration of a wide range of regional groups, including the Greater Buffalo Partnership, Grantmakers Association of Western New York, Association of Erie County Governments, the University at Buffalo, Forum for Consensus and many others.

The session on Nov. 25 will include a demonstration of the new Regional Information Network developed at the institute, which is designed to improve the base of reliable, accessible information in the Western New York region.

• State Sen. Mary Lou Rath, chair of the senate Committee on Local Government who will deliver the conference's keynote address, "New York State as a Partner in Regional Initiatives"

• Kevin P. Gaughan, the Hamburg attorney who initiated the Chautauqua conference and has remained an active proponent of greater regional collaboration

• Patricia O. Rehak, executive vice president of the Greater Buffalo Partnership who has worked in the economic development field for the past 17 years

• Kathryn A. Foster, UB assistant professor of planning, a founding member of the UB Governance Project and director for the project's initial report, "Governance in Erie County: A Foundation for Understanding and Action"

• Beverly A. Sanford, associate director for community relations for the Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth

• David C. Perry, UB professor of planning, a founding member of the Governance Project and creator of the Regional Information Network

Founded last summer, the Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth assists area governments and other service providers in promoting regional opportunity throughout Western New York.

For more information about the conference, call the institute at 716-829-3777. The deadline for reservations, which will be limited to 250 participants, is Nov. 14.