I recently found myself embroiled in a “not-in-my-backyard” dispute, pitting my neighborhood against a well-connected group of investors who hoped to operate a late night dance club 55 feet from my bedroom window.

I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice to say, that we neighbors felt pretty lucky to have an active neighborhood organization to argue our case. Without them, we would have felt completely bulldozed by the coterie of professionals—a lawyer, a sound engineer, a paid petition organizer and assorted local power brokers—who showed up at the licensing hearing.

A Ribbon Cutting for a Neighborhood Improvement Project in El Paso

The point is: wouldn’t it be great if every neighborhood in the U.S. had an association or an organization to look after its interests and serve as a sounding board for community concerns? Often it is the more affluent areas of cities that are best organized and the less affluent ones that tend to get ignored.

Some cities have gone out of their way to help neighborhoods that aren’t well organized. In El Paso, Texas, a 2010 All-America City, if a neighborhood doesn’t have an association, the city’s Neighborhood Services Department will help them start one.

The program dates back to 2003, when the El Paso City Council passed the city’s first Neighborhood Recognition ordinance to address two concerns, local apathy and the imbalance of power between organized neighborhoods and unorganized neighborhoods.

• A new and improved Neighborhood Recognition ordinance was adopted to further define neighborhood boundaries. The city identified those neighborhoods that weren’t represented and started looking for ways to bring them to the table.
• An annual Neighborhood Leadership Academy was convened to provide citizens with the direction and savvy they need to navigate city processes and to become neighborhood resources and ambassadors. The academy seeks out nontraditional leaders to ensure that all members of the community are represented.
• El Paso’s Neighborhood Improvement Program gives residents opportunities to submit their own neighborhood-driven small-scale capital projects. During the first two rounds of the program, $850,000 has been expended and 21 projects completed.

A Meeting of Neighborhood Groups in El Paso

Since the program began, the number of neighborhood associations has nearly doubled and citizens feel they have more say in the decision-making process. A coalition of the city’s 67 associations meets monthly to discuss citywide issues and how the effect the various neighborhoods.

“I think we’re getting there,” says coalition president Mark Benitez, when asked how the neighborhood empowerment program was working. “We’ve empowered quite a few people to address different issues. I think it has had a big effect on the areas that have been underserved over the years.”

“This benefits the city too,” added Benitez, who heads the Cielo Vista Neighborhood Association. “It gives the city government a chance to voice their issues and goals to the neighborhoods.”

I know of other cities that have embraced the value of neighborhood power—Rochester, New York’s Neighbors Building Neighborhoods program, Portland, Oregon’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement and Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Community Oriented Government—to name a few. (If you are interested, read more about them in this report on local government and civic engagement I wrote a couple of years ago).

I have no idea how my particular neighborhood beef will turn out. I’m just glad the local neighborhood organization had my back. Otherwise, I would have been pretty frustrated by the process. To me, these two-way communication systems that El Paso and other communities have pioneered are the essence of democracy. I’m always interested in learning about any other examples of neighborhood-based local government programs. If you know of any good ones, e-mail me at aac@ncl.org.

Mike McGrath is senior editor and chief information officer for the National Civic League. A former newspaper reporter and magazine writer, he is editor of the quarterly National Civic Review, which will be beginning its centennial year of publishing this spring.

Mike’s posts will appear every Thursday on the State of the Re:Union website.

This was the view from where I stayed when I attended Moogfest:

Only 20 minutes outside of downtown Asheville, it shows you the incredible diversity of the landscape in this area. Juxtapose this with the electronic, synthesized world of Moog. Initially, it doesn’t seem to make sense. Two worlds that should ultimately clash instead became a harmonious solution.

Moogfest was held over Halloween weekend last year in Asheville, North Carolina. Many festivals take place over many weekends throughout the world, so this may prompt you to ask why is SOTRU bringing up Moogfest—if you’re the curious sort anyway. The answer is simple. Moogfest, maybe more than any other festival, makes the surrounding community that it takes place in a featured performer. Its history with Asheville is an important one, you could even say that there is a three-way synthesis between the Moog family, the Moog company and the Asheville community.

It’s important to note that the Moogfest was previously hosted in New York City, but returned home in 2010. The performer list was long, diverse and quite alluring. Acts that ranged from indie rock darlings MGMT and alternative legends Devo to hip-hop superstar Big Boi and ethereal Icelandic performer Jónsi took the various stages. Part of the proceeds went to the Bob Moog Foundation which you can learn more about here.

We spoke with Michelle Moog-Koussa, Bob Moog’s daughter and the foundation’s Executive Director about the important of hosting the festival in Asheville.

There seems to be this fantastic balance between the synthesized world of Moog and the pastoral surroundings of Asheville. Can you discuss that?

Michelle Moog-Koussa

I think you’ve identified the exact dynamic that brought my father down here in the first place: balance. Dad was looking for solitude and quiet—far away from the corporate environment. In 1978, we moved from Buffalo, New York, to an 89 acre piece of land at the dead end of a long country road outside of Asheville. The driveway itself was 1/3 mile long. The property was nestled in a mountain cove, and had a beautiful stream running through it. At times, all you could hear was the stream and the wind blowing through the trees. The natural beauty of the place provided a much-needed balance to my father’s daily work in pushing sonic barriers.

The Moog ethos is steeped in organic, rich sounds and expansive creativity. You could say that Bob Moog’s work was the sonic mirror of the natural world. I think that’s what you feel when you’re in his much beloved hometown of Asheville, North Carolina.

Was it important to stage Asheville as much a part of the festival as much as the artists and other offerings?

I think it was because of the wonderful synergy that exists between the Moog ethos and the creative community in Asheville. There’s also a lot to do and see in Asheville, both culturally and recreationally. That made it a very attractive place to come hang out.

How do you feel Asheville benefits from having Moogfest?

Moogfest certainly provided a huge boon to Asheville’s economy, but it also provided invaluable exposure for Asheville to people all over the world, giving them a glimpse into the unique, creative, forward-thinking town that Asheville has become over the past few decades.

How do you feel the festival went?

Extremely well, especially for a first-time event. AC Entertainment, who produced the entire festival did an extraordinarily good job at putting together an entire weekend that wowed the audience. Fifty bands, five venues, ten thousand people. As my father would say, “What’s not to like?”.
I think the true success of the festival can be based on audience satisfaction. One thing that really struck me throughout the weekend was how happy and relaxed people seemed to be, whether it was at the panels and workshops, at the concerts or out on the streets. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.

Stay Puff at Moogfest 2010

Yes! Moogfest is planned for around the same time next year.

There were so many amazing performances. What were some highlights of the festival for you?

I’m going to have to be honest on this one—I didn’t get to hear much of the music because I was working the whole time. I spent the evenings backstage asking artists to sign items that we later auctioned off on eBay (with great success). I did hear a bit of Jónsi, Massive Attack, MGMT, Hot Chip, Pretty Lights and Thievery Corporation. They were all fantastic and I really regret I didn’t get to see more of the bands perform.

The Bob Moog Foundation was in charge of the panels and workshops that took place during the day in the Moogaplex. There were some amazing, historical moments in those panels that I’m extremely proud of, including exposing audiences to modular synthesis, sound design and forty years of Moog history. The panels were such a success that we’ll be expanding them in 2011.

Jónsi at Moogfest 2010

Moogfest was a perfect gateway into the Asheville community. All taking place downtown, you could walk from venue to venue to catch the performance you wanted to see, enjoy the Moog-inspired artwork show or check in to one of the many panels held over the weekend. While the scope of the event was concentrated, it was enough to make you venture and interact. And all eyes weren’t ultimately always peering towards the various stages. Being held over Halloween weekend was license for many to forgo normal concert apparel for lavish costume. It gave the entire event that much more of a jubilant, even celebratory feel.

What was really different about the event other than its concentration on place, there were no token measures. While some performances very much outdid others, it had this rare seamless feel to it that made you feel like it was more about coming together around an idea, even around a moment in time. It would be a shame though not to point out that Big Boi whipped the crowd into hysteria with Outkast and solo material alike, Jónsi created an other-worldly experience and Dan Deacon conducted one of the most interactive and innovative live sets that I’ve ever seen.

Massive Attack at Moogfest 2010

The organizers of Moogfest (AC Entertainment) created a good balance allowing you to experience all the different dynamics of concert going (sans a stadium . . . thankfully) from a big hall with thousands to a more intimate theater-style setting to club-style scenes. It was a confluence of so many great cultural things and promises to only get better. As Michelle mentioned, plans are already in place for Moogfest in 2011 and no matter where you are, it’s worth the trip. Get the latest about Moogfest 2011 at the official Moogfest website.

We Want to Know:

Start the conversation below!

… Well, some parts of Miami.

Early Morning Miami Beach

SOTRU got back a little while ago from a week of reporting in the Magic City, filled with stories from so many pockets of Miami, from Little Havana to Little Haiti, the streets of Overtown to the sands of South Beach. A lot of people told us that Miami feels more a part of Latin America or the Caribbean than the U.S.—and you can feel that, from the waitress addressing you first in Spanish, then in English, to the men on the sidewalk hacking open green coconuts with a machete, so you can drink the juice straight from the husk with a straw.

There’s another part of Miami that felt unlike the U.S. I know. And, to get a taste of this particular alternate reality, the best time of the week is early on a Sunday morning. Say, 7 a.m. It’s just after dawn, the birds are singing… and in Miami’s hottest 24-hour-a-day clubs, the dance floor is packed.

Yes, that’s right, as some people are getting ready for Sunday church services or sleeping in, there’s a whole community in Miami that’s getting down. Daylight be damned.

Alan T, at Club Space, Miami, FL

At Club Space in downtown Miami, doorman extraordinaire Alan T was still assessing the outfits of people attempting to get beyond the velvet rope. He told me the crowd is a little different at this time of the morning than on a Saturday night—the first shift is straighter, the second shift is “multisexual.” And the early morning clubbers dress a little differently—“hotter,” Alan T says, “definitely hotter.” Gives a whole new meaning to dressing up in your “Sunday best…”

For more on Miami, check out our spring season of episodes, coming out soon…

There’s a problem in your community, and you want to fix it. What’s your first step? Do you head to City Hall or attend a public hearing? Do you schedule a meeting with a local politician? Or do you consider taking action, and then continue along with your day?

We know, we know: as citizens of a democracy, it’s our duty to communicate with elected officials. But public engagement, at least in its traditional forms, can be intimidating and time consuming, leaving many of us to wonder whether it’s even worth the effort.

Is there a better way?  The leaders of Local Projects, a media design firm for public spaces and museums, think so.  They call it Give a Minute.

Courtesy: Paul Martin Lester

Launched last November in Chicago, Give a Minute is an online application that aims to reinvent the process of public engagement for the 21st century. In collaboration with CEOs for Cities, Local Projects fashioned it like an online suggestion box. Ads go up on city billboards or bus shelters, encouraging people to think about ways to improve their community. For example, what would get you to walk, bike or take public transportation more often? The ads ask readers to respond via text, Twitter or on the project website, where ideas are published like Post-It notes. City leaders read the suggestions and send personal responses.

Give a Minute is an interesting idea, but it’s not novel. Earlier this year, The Huffington Post reported on a new trend called Gov 2.0. – a movement among city politicians to collect local feedback via Internet forums and social media. In New York, the deputy mayor of operations said he envisions a day when people receive Facebook notifications about civic proposals.

With all this talk about Gov 2.0, I’ve started thinking about what it means to get involved in our communities. It’s exciting to promote tech-based populism, but I wonder if we risk losing the power of traditional community activism, like the electric energy we saw in Madison’s mass protests about union rights. As intimidating or exhausting as traditional engagement might be, I wonder if traditional community activism can bring us together and excite us about politics in a way that text messaging can’t.

Maybe the real key is to combine the force of Gov 2.0 and traditional engagement, to encourage any and all forms of public participation.  Ideally, tech-based communication can even help organize face-to-face discussions about community issues. In Chicago, Give a Minute collected posts for a public event about connectivity and mobility in December. Local Project’s online suggestion box is also expanding, with plans underway to launch Give a Minute in New York and San Jose. Will it head to your city next?

• Have you ever participated in a protest? How do you communicate with your elected officials?
• What do you think of Gov 2.0? Would you like to launch Give a Minute in your community?

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These thoughts were inspired by two Good Magazine blog posts about Give a Minute (one in November and one in January), as well as the Huffington Post article about Gov 2.0.

Source: Man Vyi

Honestly. It sounds like an empty feel-good mantra, but even in those times that you may get to feeling misanthropic and like nobody cares about anything or any one but themselves, something seems to reveal itself. Just the idea of how we care and help each other can be cause for division and anger. But it’s so profound when you see real help through the lens of a child taking on a herculean affliction. It’s comforting to know there are those times, those challenges and those people that individuals in communities are willing to surrender their inclinations for and help. There are times when it is completely visible and others that we will probably never hear about.

It’s exciting to think of all of the good, selfless work that is going on in large and small pockets of the country . . . even humbling.

We Want to Know:

• Is there a person or organization doing work in your community that encourages you to help improve humanity?
• What type of work is desperately needed in your community and what do you think would help?

This post was inspired by a story from WEKU called Little Soda Pop Tabs Go a Long Way. It is about a little boy by the name of Dalton Brock that got into a serious car accident with his mother in which the doctors said of his skull fractures and head bleeds, “It was impossible that he lived.” He is now at the Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital in Lexington hoping to be able to walk without assistance. The family moved into the Lexington Ronald McDonald House. This is a story about the family and community raising money by collecting soda can tabs.

One of the biggest problems we face as a country is our inability to face problems, or rather, our inability to have face-to-face conversations about our problems, educate ourselves, weigh the options and come to a consensus about how to move forward.

Instead, we divide ourselves into warring camps, hand out talking points and get into the fight before we even understand the true nature of the problem or how we might do things differently. Name the issue—health care reform, climate change, the economic crisis—too much energy is being spent on gearing up for the big fight before we even have a real conversation.

I’m always heartened to find out about local groups like Hands Across North Quabbin that are trying to get people look at problems and challenges in a different way.

Hands is an ambitious effort to shift the “civic culture” in an economically depressed, politically polarized region of north central Massachusetts. Founder Mark Shoul compares the organization to the agricultural extension programs that were developed years ago to help rural dwellers learn new and better ways of growing crops and caring for farm animals, only in this case, the goal is to grow a healthier “civic culture.”

“We create projects where people come together to work

on issues of common concern so that trust gets built,” says Shoul, a longtime resident of the region who had headed up a local community development corporation before founding Hands.

North Quabbin is a region of fading mill towns—Athol and Orange—and “postcard” New England villages. Years ago, one of the region’s largest employers shut down leading to high levels of unemployment, political infighting about who was to “blame,” and growing class division between the older, blue collar residents and an influx of more affluent newcomers attracted to

Action Forum to prioritize community issues that need to be worked on

the unspoiled scenery and quaint New England architecture.

Concerned about the way things were going, Shoul gathered together some of the smartest and most respected people he knew to think and talk about ways of building trust and moving the community forward.

An opportunity arose when the town of Athol got into a brawl about what to do about the local high school, which had lost its accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The superintendent came up with the plan to turn things around, but the plan was unacceptable to many in the community.

In the meantime, the local school committee (school board) had earned a statewide reputation for being divided and dysfunctional. “The problem wasn’t really the school committee,” says Shoul. “The school committee was a reflection of a divided community.”

Youth from five No. Quabbin churches stain picnic tables for community pavilion in Athol

Shoul’s organization stepped in to try to break the impasse, challenging opponents of the superintendent’s plan to come up with their own ideas. The first step was to organize a massive volunteer effort to fix up the high school building. The next was to organize a long-range strategic planning process for the Athol-Royalston Regional School District.

The upshot was this: the high school got its accreditation back, and the community developed a new sense of direction for the district. This was the first of several new initiatives inspired by Hands, including the development of a North Quabbin Green Economy Network and the construction of a new pavilion for community meetings.

I met Shoul last year at a national “civic innovators forum” in Washington, D.C. His organization was one of several civic start-ups I found out about during the forum. I asked Shoul to write an article about Hands for our quarterly, the National Civic Review. His article, co-authored with Hands board chair, Philip Rabinowitz, will appear in the summer issue of the review.

Shoul thinks it takes three conditions to change the “civic culture” of a community: First, a high level of dissatisfaction; second, a new vision of a better future; and third, action-oriented first steps on how to achieve that vision.
Admittedly, collaborative problem solving is a tough thing to do at the national level. There are too many entrenched interests groups, professional campaign organizers, PACs and lobbyists and too few forums for real discussions, and, frankly, most Americans simply aren’t engaged at that level of government.

But learning about local efforts such as Hands Across North Quabbin process helps us think about political issues and policy debates in a different way and, hopefully, to imagine a healthier civic culture in state capitols and Washington, D.C.

Mike McGrath is senior editor and chief information officer for the National Civic League. A former newspaper reporter and magazine writer, he is editor of the quarterly National Civic Review, which will be beginning its centennial year of publishing this spring.

Mike’s posts will be appearing every Thursday on the State of the Re:Union website.