Chester to become a SC2 city

On Monday, July 11, SBA’s Deputy Administrator, Marie Johns and Chester Mayor Wendell N. Butler Jr. will announce a new initiative to strengthen local communities and support bottom-up solutions.  Marie Johns for formally announce the selection of Chester as an SC2 city. 

Recognizing the vital role cities and local communities play in strengthening our economy and the importance of cutting federal red tape to utilize government resources efficiently, the Obama Administration will announce new efforts to collaborate with cities. 

Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2)

The Obama Administration’s  Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2)  initiative will pilot an innovative interagency approach for supporting our Nation’s cities, towns, and regions—one that is focused on partnering with these communities to strengthen their local capacity, comprehensive planning, and regional collaboration so they can better leverage their economic assets and build a strong foundation for economic growth and resiliency.    

• President Obama understands that, to win the future, we have to reform government so it’s leaner, transparent, and ready for the 21st century.  That means breaking the barriers of old Washington to provide better, faster, more effective help to the American people.

• SC2 recognizes that every community is unique, with its own set of challenges and opportunities. The key to winning the future is empowering communities to frame their own economic vision, then partnering with them to identify, strengthen and leverage the tremendous physical, commercial, and social assets that they possess.  This demands a more customized approach to supporting communities on the ground in their efforts to create jobs and revitalize their economies. 

• Moving away from business as usual in Washington, SC2 will break the federal government out of its traditional silos, allowing it to partner more effectively with localities that have faced significant long-term challenges in developing and implementing their economic strategies to become more competitive, sustainable and inclusive. 

• This is a new approach, not a new grant program.  Instead, the Obama Administration is piloting a menu of local capacity-building tools to test various models of place-based technical assistance and planning resources to help cities and regions maximize the benefits from the federal funds they already receive.  

• SC2 will also pilot ways to develop and leverage partnerships with philanthropies, anchor institutions, the business and non-profit communities, and others to help cities, towns and regions tackle comprehensive problems with comprehensive collaborative solutions. 

Through this pilot, the Obama Administration will focus on three key goals:

1. Getting the Federal House in Order:  Breaking down federal silos and rationalizing the federal bureaucracy to help deal with the overlapping maze of agencies, regulations and program requirements that are sometimes confusing to local governments;
2. Providing Assistance and Support – Not Mandates:  Providing on the ground technical assistance and planning resources tailored to a city’s needs and helping them use the federal funds they already receive more efficiently and effectively; and
3. Partnering for Growth: Developing critical partnerships with key local and regional stakeholders that encompass not only municipal and state governments, but also new partnerships with the business community, non-profits, anchor institutions, CDC’s, faith-based institutions, and other public, private, and philanthropic leaders.