Need
for Collaboration on Tough Issues
Identified in Northeastern States
"One of the most gratifying parts of the project," Marsh said, "was meeting with a broad range of leaders and practitioners—from mediators to elected officials. Many we talked to were looking for new ways to solve complex, intractable problems, and saw great potential for the 'solutions' approach."
A key finding of the assessment was that gridlock, fragmentation of government and non-governmental entities, and a "not-in-my-backyard" attitude hinder communities' ability to advance sustainability on the ground.
White said she and Marsh heard about several incidents where positive, smart growth solutions were blocked by small vocal minorities, or where collaborative plans were developed but never implemented. "What is clearly needed," White said, "are resources, skills, and networks to manage conflict and implement solutions at the community level."
Despite these challenges, four states—Maine , Vermont , New Jersey , and New York—have expressed a strong interest in working with State Solutions to develop solutions-approaches in their own states.
In early February, the initiation team for State Solutions met to review the assessment and decide on next steps. The team will host a national workshop this summer to connect with like-minded practitioners and leaders. The aim is to develop a national network to increase awareness, knowledge, and resources for a range of collaborative problem solving approaches.
The initiation team also decided to change the program's name from "State Solutions" to the "Community Solutions Partnership."
Initiation Team members include: Malka Kopell, Founder and Executive Director of Community Focus; John Parr, President, Alliance for Regional Stewardship; Bill Potapchuk, Founder and President of the Community Building Institute; Jim Souby, President and CEO, Oquirrh Institute; Tom Stipanowich, President, CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution; and Greg Wolf, Director, National Policy Consensus Center.