It has prompted communication. In Eastlake, for instance, Mayor DiLiberto has addressed the value of aggregation on the cable television broadcast he does from City Hall. People will listen when they can be convinced that their self-interest is best served collectively, even if that collective is government. Government is not a dirty word. Before scandal derailed him, Tim Davis, the Summit County executive, was on the right track with a regional approach to development.
Government can be useful even on the federal level.
U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, the Lorain Democrat who is the top-ranking minority member of the House health and environment subcommittee, has made himself an expert on health issues, including the cost of prescription drugs. Brown said of cost reduction. Despite the oversimplification and overreaching of the government-bashers, government provides useful services, including shopping for electricity. If so, consumers can exercise that option. The best thing about the community choice work of the Northeast Ohio Mayors Legislative Action Group may be where it could lead.