Home Field Advantage In his monthly e-mail Civic Strategies Otis White writes that "residency requirements, which mandate that city employees live in the city they serve, have faded away in most places, but in Cleveland they could be back with a new twist. The city government has struck a deal with labor unions and contractors to set aside at least 20 percent of construction jobs for residents of the city. The deal applies to city government projects of $100,000 or more. And Mayor Jane Campbell wants to go further. She's urging the city council to approve a set of guidelines that, she says, will result in more contracts to firms headed by women and minorities. Her proposal: If a contract is under $500,000 and a female or minority bidder is within 5 percent of the low bid, she gets the award. For contracts under $10,000, the city simply awards one out of every five to firms headed by women or minorities, assuming they're available and qualified. Over the years, the city has tried various ways of encouraging more employment for residents and more contracting with female and minority firms, but to little avail. When it added a runway at the airport, for instance, the city said it wanted 35 percent of the jobs to go to residents. Actual number: 19 percent. The city has similarly undershot its goals for female and minority contracting." Not the sort of national attention we need. But then again, most major cities are in a similar boat. Otis writes of Atlanta, Seattle, Philadelphia, Detroit, and more. Cities across the country are experiencing situations not unlike ours. Their website good place to measure how we stack up against some of those other places. http://www.civic-strategies.com

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