Billionaire Financier Soros Backs Mayoral Transition Project. George Soros, the wealthy hedge fund manager, is backing a “public engagement” effort focused on the next mayoral administration in New York. The project, called Talking Transition, is physically taking shape on a lot in lower Manhattan owned by Trinity Real Estate. Soros, the founder of the Open Society Foundations, endorsed candidate Bill de Blasio for Mayor in August and has contributed the legal limit of $4,950 to his campaign.
De Blasio is leading the race by a wide margin in opinion polls. Laura Silber, director of public affairs for OSF, confirmed Soros' involvement in Talking Transition, and said nine other groups are partners, including the Ford Foundation. Silber said the effort is non-partisan. A de Blasio campaign spokesperson said the campaign is not involved in the project now taking shape downtown. A Department of Buildings notice says Talking Transition has an event planned for Nov. 6, the day after Election Day.
Additional reporting from Andrea Bernstein and Anna Sale. Mysterious Soho Structure for Political Event.
City of Chattanooga - Chattanooga, TN:Chattanooga Venture/Community Vision. Case Studies from the SCN Website. Whereas some case studies from the previous Sustainable Communities Network website are no longer available, Sustainability in Action: Profiles of Community Initiatives Across the United States is included on this website and is available in PDF format. These profiles of sustainability initiatives, one from each state and the District of Columbia, were originally prepared in 1995 for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Urban and Economic Development Office which became the Office of Sustainable Communities in 2010. In 1996, they were subsequently included in the Sustainable Communities Task Force Report of the President's Council on Sustainable Development.
Together these examples tell a story of a new wave of American ingenuity whereby citizens and institutions were solving problems and planning for the future in innovative ways. Click here to view the Sustainability in Action: Profiles of Community Initiatives Across the United States resource. Carl Moore.