Panel of business leaders will scrutinize city

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Nutter last week unveiled a seven-member panel of private-sector leaderzs that will work with the city to identify opportunitieas to cut costs andimprove operations. Efforts are alreadyh under way by the Privatwe SectorOutreach Board, whichh was launched in the fall througyh a joint effort of the city and the . The city’s financiaol crisis has increased the urgency of the boarf and their network of volunteers to step to the plated and provide their expertisewhere needed, said Juditg M.
von Seldeneck, who serves as Although their work will cover a broad spectrujof issues, including the city’ss tax structure, criminal justice system and health costs, the most immediate task will be finding efficiencie s and more cost-effective means for the city to operate, said von chairwoman and CEO of of Philadelphia. “The private sectort has been through this; time and again, companies have gone througb downsizing,” von Seldeneck said. “It’ds something they know how to do, they have shareholders all on their necks and they have to be able to show succesa in atimely fashion.
” Philadelphia has already identified projects where private sector help is all that remains is matchinh outside talent to their needs, von Seldeneck “What we are doing is meeting with teamsz that have been established by the administrationm to get the details, understand the then we assess the companies that have agreed to volunteer von Seldeneck said. “Government is so big, it’ like turning the Queen Mary, it’s goinh to take a lot of efforyt and a lotof people. The good news is there’s a good attitud at all levels. … You have a reallt good platform to build on and we just need to get some successe shere soon.
” It’s that marriage of those outsidse of city government working with those within it that will changre the city for the better, said Dan Gallagher, formeer president of the Philadelphiza Chapter of the Society for Human Resourcw Management. In answer to Nutter’s SHRM is rolling out a publifc affairs initiative in the next couple of monthe that will provide a pool of talent into which the citycan tap. Participant s would remain on the payrolls of their firmz whileproviding part-time or full-time assistancee to the city as they have in other said Gallagher.
He doesn’t expect the economy to hinder the efforrt which already has garnered commitments from afew “It’s definitely challenging, but I thini it’s even more challenging right now for companies to potentiallty give money. I thinlk this creates a creative way to give additional resource tothe city,” Gallaghert said. Long-term goals include the establishmentr of an academy to provide ongoing city leadershilp trainingand development, Gallagher said.
The Universitgy of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government has been discussinfg the possibility with the city over the last few but plans may be stalled by thecurrengt crisis, said David Thornburgh, executive director of the Fels “The city budget situation obviously throws a wrench in the works, but we are trying to explore creative ways with the city to pay for but we are just sort of at the beginning of that Thornburgh said. “The caveat is that private-sectodr firms are under their own strese rightnow too.” Accounting firm KPMG and Comcast Corp.
are among the companies actively supportinbgthe efforts, said Gallagher, who is executive directord of organization development for . “We are lookin to build innovation by taking internall resources that know how the city ticks andexternal resources, which are experts, and partnerinf the two to create optimization,” Gallagher said. In additioh to von Seldeneck, the Privat e Sector Outreach Board includes: Rosemary Turner, vice president and chietf operating officer of UPS MetroPhiladelphia District; Daniel Fitzpatrick, president and CEO, Citizenxs Bank Eastern PA, NJ, DE; Ann Weaver president of ; Michael president of ; J.
William Mills III, regional presidenb of , and Harold L. Yoh III, chairman and CEO of Day Zimmermann.