myregion.org Chairman Joel Hass and Project Director Shelley Lauten discussed important regional issues during an interview on WMFE 90.7FM Radio last week. Pat Duggins, station manager and “On the Line” host Tanya Ott, extended myregion.org an invitation to appear on the weekly show, which airs every Wednesday night from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Special guest was regionalism expert Dr. Ervin Berman, Professor of Graduate Studies in Public Administration at the University of Central Florida.

All lines stayed busy during the course of the program. Callers from the seven-county region and as far away as California, shared their views and asked questions of the presenters.

“Can it work?” “What tools do we have?” “Are we talking about a regional government?” “How can our leaders think in a regional way?”

Dr. Berman discussed the importance of communication and collaboration among leaders. “Getting leaders together, building consensus and creating regional goals is critical. We assume that decision-makers work together but many times they don’t even know each other. myregion.org is involving the right elements - cities, counties, non-profits, businesses and the citizens,” Dr. Berman concluded.

Paul Saldaña, whose economic development efforts on the West Coast have succeeded because of regional cooperation, called from California with this advice: “A regional collaborative approach is essential to attract businesses to your area. There is not one organization that can tackle all the issues. A mechanism has to be implemented and a coalition needs to be put together. Future leadership becomes everyone's job on the big problems for the region's future, whether it’s a quality work force, traffic, crime, or water.”

Dr. Berman agrees, “Create several forums, region-wide and locally, to put the decisions about your physical growth, your educational future, your parks, towns and neighborhoods, into the hands of thousands. Make every citizen an author of your region's future. Achieving regional solutions never appears to be easy, so set objectives, strategies and then you can put any plan to work.”

You may contact Project Director Shelley Lauten at 407.835.2444 or via email at shelley.lauten@orlando.org. To learn more about myregion.org’s purpose, goals and objectives, visit www.myregion.org.

Photo: myregion.org Chairman Joel Hass with “On the Line” host Tanya Ott.