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St. Louis Leaders

 

Welcome to STL Leaders Speak Out. On a bi-weekly basis, brief podcasts by Leadership St. Louis® graduates offer insights on leadership to inform and inspire. This week, hear from Dee Joyner, Senior Vice President, Commerce Bank. Read more

Influencing Policy

FOCUS is the regional citizen’s league and works to bring about positive change in the community by involving people in issue analysis and problem solving. Outcomes from FOCUS’ in-depth task force reports and implementation work include enacting state and local legislation, convening regional conferences and forums, establishing coalitions and organizations, and expanding human and community services. Our policy work can be structured in the following ways:

  Task Force- To have a voice in the future direction of our community, we have to speak up. This is why FOCUS St. Louis creates numerous opportunities for individuals to examine critical issues and provide feedback to policy makers.

Citizen Task Forces (Current)
Citizen Task Forces (Historical Work)
  • 21st Century Economy Task Force
  • Household Hazardous Waste
  • Metropolitan Sewer District
  • Valuing Our Diversity Taskforce
  • Inside City Hall
  • Desegregation Task Force
  • Welfare Reform Task Force
 

Collaboration- FOCUS believes that effecting change requires community collaboration. We are involved in several important collaborative initiatives that work to improve the quality of life for citizens in the 16-county bi-state region. Examples of our work include:

  • The Metropolitan Forum
    • Convened by the Regional Chamber and Growth Association, East West Gateway Council of Governments, and FOCUS St. Louis® the Metropolitan Forum was a venture of leaders in the business, government and civic sectors, who worked from 2000 through 2008 to build a better St. Louis region. Priority concerns were sluggish job growth, racial and economic disparity and the effectiveness of local tax policy. The coalition’s outcomes included a web based searchable database of local government tax spending, research related to tax incentives, and culminated in a National Academies style study conducted by experts from around the country and producing the Regional Fiscal Reform report.  Download the Met Forum report here.
  Community Concerns Forums - Policy forum events reflect FOCUS' role as a regional catalyst and convener in numerous community collaborations and multiple efforts to engage all citizens in our vision of a thriving, cooperative region. Forums on a wide variety of topics are held throughout the year to inform citizens about developing regional issues and connect them with key policy makers and guest speakers.

For more information or to be added to our contact list for notification of future events, contact Director of Policy, John Wagner at 314-622-1250 x105.
  Research- From time to time FOCUS staff will undertake independent research that is relevant to our mission and four priority areas. Examples of our work include:
  • Funding Our Future, A Financial Overview of the St. Louis Schools/A research based study of the St. Louis Public Schools financial reporting structures.
  • Urban Education in FOCUS/A FOCUS publication that puts regional perspective and values to the community for discussion.
  Advocacy/Positioning - As an organization, FOCUS may take a policy position on ballot issues or other initiatives that are in line with our mission and four priority areas. Extensive research by staff and discussion by board members precede any decision to take a public stand.
Examples of issues past and present include:

  • Saving Affirmative Action in Missouri (May 2008)
  • Strengthening Access to Higher Education for Immigrants (Ongoing)
  • Proposition M (November 2008)
  • Proposition B
  • Home Rule Amendment
  • Community Comeback Act

 
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