River Conference demonstrates importance of cooperation

I've shed a lot of digital ink talking about the Obama Administration's Livable Communities initiative, and you'll no doubt hear even more from me on this partnership between DOT, HUD, and EPA down the road.

The idea that housing, transportation, development, and sustainability & environmental protection must be coordinated is picking up steam.

An example of an effective partnership dear to me and closer to my home of Peoria is the 12th annual Conference on the Management of the Illinois River System.

That conference opens today and showcases the work of the Integrated Management Plan for the watershed and other collaborative efforts. It also offers a public forum for discussion as well as panels on:

• Improvements in the River Corridor
• Water & Sediment Management in the Watershed
• Agricultural Land-Use & Conservation
• Sustainable Economic Growth
• Citizen Involvement & Community Action
• Utilization of Ecosystem Services

Now, I recognize that the Illinois River--though central to the history of my hometown and crucial to the economy and environment of my home state--may not be that interesting to all of you. And I didn't list those panels to entice you to Peoria for the conference (though you should visit!). There is a larger point here.

When I was a Congressman, I spent a lot of time working to protect and enhance the Illinois River with many different organizations--state, local, and federal. And I also spent a lot of time working very successfully on river matters with Democratic then-Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn even though I am a Republican.

Cooperation--that's the larger point. Bipartisan, collaborative, interagency, intergovernmental, citizen-community organization-business, public-private cooperation.

Comments

[Jocelyn]

Interesting points - thanks for the information.

[Michael E. Bailey]

You were lucky you had good cooperation from all levels of government, both political parties, and business and labor. It was great for the Illionis River and all the towns along it. That is a rare thing. And it takes only a few people who don't want to work with anyone else to be able to torpedo or paralize an entire project, an entire city government, an entire state government. That is a problem that must be overcome. But it is hard to overcome when the small group is very committed, does noisy and disruptive protests at council meetings, tries to prevent people who don't agree with them from going into the council meetings. This kind of atmosphere does not foster cooperation, it fosters fear and paralisis. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.