One of the hallmarks of the 21st Century Council in the past has been the issuance of Quality of Life Reports on a regular basis. With a lack of funds to support the research and publication of the report, and the lack of response from the decision makers in government to the data, the efforts were suspended. The importance of looking at long term trends and critical issues have not gone away however. This website identifies important areas of concern with an approach that emphasizes analysis and recommendations for action.
What we need are a few individuals with time, energy and interest to take on one or more of the data sets and submit it to us to post on our website and possibly include in a My View is the Tallahassee Democrat. The data is out there in a variety of accessible sites and reports. What is needed is a look at trends over time and suggestions for best practices to address shortfalls or disparities, issues or problems. Successes also need to be highlighted along with the strategies that gained the positive results.
Look for something on community crime data in the near future as an example. If you have an interest or a question, drop me a line at jmcroteau@hotmail.com.
James M. (Jim) Croteau, Ph.D.