Providence releases new ED strategy Thursday, July 03, 2003 Providence has a new economic development strategy. Hoping to sweep away the political past of former mayor Buddy Cianci, the new mayor has launched the Providence Economic Development Partnership. (Cianci's buddies ran the old agency, the Providence Economic Development Corporation, and it was too tough to reform.) Cianci, you may remember, was convicted on corruption charges....Nevertheless, Cianci is revered in Providence, credited with revitalizing the city's economy and image. When I was working as a corporate strategy consultant, I lived in Providence and had the opportunity to view Buddy (everyone called him that) up close. Buddy had a passion for the job but also a dark side. Inside Politics provides a good story to illustrate. Entertainer Harry Connick, Jr tells of his visit to Providence several years ago. While performing on stage, he noticed an older man and two women standing just off stage in the line of his sight. Worried that this man would distract him from his performance, Connick asked his tour manager to get the man to move elsewhere off-stage so as not to be distracting. Several times, the tour manager asked this man to move, but the man with his arms crossed across his chest refused to move. Finally, after a last request, the man whom Connick later found out was Mayor Cianci told the tour manager, "if you ask me to move again, I can get you whacked." Buddy is now in the Big House. And Providence has a strategy that points the city in a new direction. Download the report. posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links Some Background on EDPro Weblog The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it. One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking. Background on Ed Morrison Download some background information on me here.

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