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City To City ... Citizen/Government Partnerships by Pat Dumas Citizens in partnership with government can bring about important changes in the quality of urban living. That message from the National League of Cities (NCL) is effectively spreading from city to city as more and more cities join with their municipal administrations to improve the quality of living in their neighborhoods. Addressing members of the NLC Advisory Council, Frank Benest, City Manager of Brea, California, likened citizen attitude to the concepts of a vending machine contrasted with an old-fashioned barn raising. In the vending machine approach to government, he pointed out, citizens put in taxes or fees and get back services. In the barn raising mode, citizens work on what they can achieve together, using their strengths and resources. "While delivery of services is critical," Benest notes, "citizens can start seeing themselves as only customers with no interest in the needs of the community as a whole. As barn raisers, various segments of today's communities can make unique contributions to governence and problem-solving." Connections for Communities, a Minnesota-based consulting firm that specializes in neighborhood involvement, has used the vending machine vs. barn raising comparison to help citizens look into ways they can partnership with their local governments. Vivian Hart of the consultant firm advises municipal leaders to call upon the time, talents, ideas, and knowledge of citizens in order to "re-create a government "by the people" through partnering. As government has grown more complex, she states, it often has forgotten to include its natural partners, the citizens. Adopting the "barn raising" attitude toward citizen-government partnership, the city of Atlanta, Georgia utilizes volunteer residents to patrol their neighborhood, identify code violations, and issue warnings to violators... Memphis, Tennessee has a Handyman Program offering elderly citizens volunteer assistance for minor household repairs ... Jacksonville, Florida has a Mayor's Intensive Care Neighborhoods Program with volunteers carrying out a range of activities that include clearing away litter, planting trees, tutoring children, and demolishing unsafe buildings. In cooperation with Troy United Ink Corp., a not-for-profit corporation 
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