Cincinnatus Association
NEWS IN BRIEF
06/06/2008

ARTS & CULTURE PANEL
>> The Cincinnatus Arts & Culture Panel met with Kathy Merchant to recap the year and plan for the fall. Kathy shared her vision for the arts, which is embraced by the Cincinnatus Arts Panel that we "diversify and grow the pie of support for the cultural assets that other communities only wish they had."

>> The Arts and Culture Partnership of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation is now associated with the Fine Arts Fund. The Fund will be hiring a "chief advocate" to support the Arts and Culture Partnership, and the Cincinnatus Arts & Culture Panel will work closely with that individual to support various initiatives.

>> The Cincinnatus Arts & Culture Panel supports the inaugural "RiverSpan Sculpture Exhibition" taking place June 20 - 22 on the Purple People Bridge. More information is available at www.RiverSpanSculpture.org.

EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNMENT PANEL
>> Several Panel members are active with Agenda 360 and are pursuing ways in which the Panel might support the Agenda 360 strategic initiatives aimed at furthering effective government in our region.  The Panel will sponsor the June meeting presentation by Agenda 360 leadership.

>> The Panel is studying the "environmental justice" ordinance introduced by Vice-Mayor Crowley, which Cincinnati City Council is expected to consider during June.

>> The Panel held its annual retreat and reaffirmed that its primary missions are to encourage greater collaboration between local governments in greater Cincinnati, including the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County; to educate our members and the general public on issues of good governance; to promote citizen engagement; and to work with other civic organizations on one or more projects each year to improve the effectiveness of local government.

EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION PANEL
>> The Panel is expanding its CPS Principal mentoring program and looking for volunteers

>> A plan for panel's work in the 2008-2009 year will be developed at its June meeting

>> Panel member Jan Leslie will be awarded the Citizen Cincinnatus Award of Excellence at the June general dinner meeting for her outstanding leadership in the passage of the CPS tax levy in March.

COMMUNITY INCLUSION PANEL
>> The Panel continues to publicize the results of the Stable Integrated Communities study. Brandon Wiers made a presentation to the Cincinnati City Council's Vibrant Neighborhoods Committee in late May and continues to work with interested community groups.

>> Several Panel members continue to be active with Agenda 360 in the areas focusing on issues of education and inclusion. The Agenda 360 Livable Communities Action Committee has recommended the Greater Cincinnati Commitment for consideration as one of the Agenda 360 initiatives.

>> The Panel has recruited 14 organizations currently who have signed on as co-sponsors of the Greater Cincinnati Commitment. Several meetings have been held to bring the co-sponsors together as one organization and plan for implementation. The co-sponsors are in the process of developing a mission and goals for this important work. One of the first recommendations was for members to talk with representatives of the Birmingham Pledge on which the Commitment is based to learn as much as possible about how the Pledge originated and how they achieved their remarkable success. This occurred in a May 15th conversation in which Cincinnatus and sponsoring organization members participated. We have the conversation available on CD as well as in writing. If you would like to read about or listen to this inspiring discussion, please contact Sue Wilke at suewilke@cinci.rr.com.

>> The Community Inclusion Panel welcomes new members and would like to invite those interested in getting involved or learning more about our work to attend our next meeting on July 7, 2008 at the Health Foundation, Conference Room G from 11:30-1 p.m.