The CGO 2003 Conference
Affordable Cities: Bringing the Cost of Living Down to Earth
The 23rd North American Conference of the Council of Georgist
Organizations
July 16-20, 2003
Bridgeport, Connecticut
The 23rd North American Conference of the Council of Georgist Organizations
July 16-20, 2003
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Why has the nation's leading industrial region become a hodgepodge of urban "quick fixes"?
Why are huge shopping malls built right next to blighted downtown shopping districts?
Why must ever-more desperate cities offer Corporations ever-sweeter deals?
What if we told you that every city sits on a revenue source that is fully sufficient to meet its budgets while bringing businesses and people in? Would you be interested?
Wednesday, July 16
6:30 PM — Welcome — from Mayor John Frabrizi and Hosts Ted & Toni Gwartney. Refreshments in the Roof Garden.
7:30 PM — Fundraising — Scott Walton will share an overview of foundations, corporate sources & planned giving.
8:30 PM — CGO Member Reports # 1 — Welcome from Mark Sullivan. Jake Himmelstein, Moderator.
9:30 PM — Internet Workshop — Wyn Achenbaum, Lindy Davies, Dan Sullivan and others on how we're doing at using the Web to get the Georgist message out.
Thursday, July 17
8:30 AM — Welcome — Ted Gwartney & Mark Sullivan.
8:45 AM — Seeing the Cat: Issues in Georgist Education — (concurrent sessions)
Georgist Punditry: Responding Knowledgeably on
Current Events — Led by Don Hurford and Mike Curtis.
Georgist Education: Theory and Practice — Chuck Metalitz, HGS-Chicago and
Vesa Nelson, HGS-NY.
10:30 AM — International Georgist Issues
The Case for Land Rent Taxation in South
Africa — Peter Meakin.
Building the Georgist
Movement in Nicaragua — Paul Martin & Jim Dawsey.
Lunch — Does overpopulation cause poverty? — Point/Counterpoint with Ed Dodson & Lindy Davies.
1:45 PM — Land Appraisal Bus Tour of Bridgeport — Tour Guide: Ted Gwartney. With a visit to the Booth Family Farm in Fairfield, a national historic landmark with beautiful architecture & gardens.
5:30 PM — Dinner on Long Island Sound: Last stop on the Bus Tour before returning to the Hotel.
8:30 PM — CGO Member Reports # 2 — Moderator: Jake Himmelstein.
9:30 PM — Open Mike #1 — with Your Host, Don Hurford.
Friday, July 18
7:30 AM — Registration & Continenetal Breakfast
8:20 AM — Welcome — Ted Gwartney.
8:25 AM — Introduction — Mayor John DeStefano, President of the National League of Cities and Mayor of New Haven [invited].
8:30 AM — The Wealth of Our Nation and Our Cities —
Problems created
by tax policies — Bob Kantor, Regional Director, Fannie Mae, Hartford.
Who
Owns our Cities? — Ed Dodson, Senior Housing & Community Development
Business Manager, Fannie Mae, Philadelphia.
10:15 AM — Connecticut: A State of Haves and
Have-Nots
Moderator: Bob Kantor.
Connectiions Between Federal Taxation, Development Patterns in
Connecticut, and Sprawl — Roger S. Cohen*,
University of
Connecticut at Hartford.
Are State Taxes Discouraging the Creation of New Businesses, and
Harming Business Competitiveness with Adjacent States or Other
Countries? — Andrea Stillman, Chair
of the Connecticut House Finance Committee.
Does Connecticut Rely Too Heavily on the Property Tax? Should It Rely
More on a Property Tax Modified to Gradually Capture Land Values as Public
Revenue and Exempt Property Improvements? — Josh Vincent, President, Center for the
Study of Economics, Philideliphia.
1:15 PM — Elected Officials Roundtable — Introduction by New Haven
Mayor
DiStephano.
Why Connecticut needs the Local Option to Move to Land Value Taxation —
Jeff Davis, State Representative.
LVT and the renaissance of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — Nate Saunders*,
Harrisburg City Business Manager.
Other officials will engage in discussion exploring the potential benefits
of LVT in their cities: Representative Andrea Stillman; New Haven Mayor
DiStephano; Hartford Mayor Perez*; Stamford Mayor Malloy*; Assemblyman Mike
Arnone, New Jersey.
3:30 PM — Wrap Up / Next Steps — Jeff Davis, Bob Kantor and Ted Gwartney
4:00 PM — The Monetary Free Ride — Monetary solutions to the American fiscal crisis. Stephen Zarlenga, author of The Lost Science of Money & Michael Hudson of the Institute for the Study of Long Term Economic Trends.
Friday Evening Options:
Ferry to Port Jefferson, Long Island (Ferry leaves dock at 4:45 and 6:00PM,
takes 1 hour 15 minutes each way.) — Bridgeport Bluefish baseball —
Cabaret Theaternear the hotel — Excursion to New York City (train every
hour, takes 1 hour & 20 minutes).
Saturday, July 19
7:30 AM — Registration for Day Visitors
8:30 AM — Welcome — Ted Gwartney & Mark Sullivan.
8:45 AM — Native Sovereignty, Casinos and Connecticut's Economy — Lindy Davies.
9:30 AM — Ecologising the World — Jeff Smith.
10:45 AM — Natural Resource Wars: Geopolitics in the 21st Century — Dan Sullivan, Alanna Hartzok, Susan Witt (E. F. Schumacher Society). Moderator Christopher Williams.
1:30 PM — Missed Opportunities: Great Economics but Terrible Politics — Michael Hudson, Jeff Smith, Stephen Zarlenga and Dan Sullivan on the early years of the Georgist movement.
3:00 PM — Break: Last Chance to Browse Display Tables.
3:30 PM — CGO Business Meeting — Members and Affiliates
6:30 PM — Cash Bar
7:15 PM — Gala Banquet — Welcome by Ted & Toni Gwartney. Jeff Smith, Master of Ceremonies. Mark Sullivan on "Why the Georgist Movement Has Not (Yet) Succeeded" Lindy, Sue & Scott present Team CGO Awards
Sunday, July 20
8:30 AM — Open Mike # 2 — with Don Hurford.
10:00 AM — Friendship Brunch — Short Speeches by Newly-elected CGO Officers, Toasting, Tributes & Farewells.
Program is subject to change without notice.
Administrators: Scott W. Walton & Associates, Ltd. (Sue & Scott Walton) (847)475-0391 or (888)262-9015 (sorry only in USA) fax: (775)248-8630 e-mail: sns@swwalton.com. Please call us with any questions or comments.Our hotel is the Bridgeport Holiday Inn, in in the center of downtown Bridgeport close to several restaurants. Parking is free to all guests. Amenities include: indoor pool, voice mail, coffee makers, hair dryers, irons and ironing boards.
Getting there: Our hotel is at Exit 27 on I-95. It is two blocks from the Greyhound Bus Station and Amtrak/Metro North Rail Station; the Port Jefferson Ferry Terminal is also close by.
There are five nearby airports: LaGuardia, Kennedy, Newark, Hartford & Islip. All have ground transportation to our hotel. Please allow approximately three hours to get to and from the airport of your choice. Complete travel details will be sent with confirmations.
Rooms: Sleeping rooms are $89 plus tax for single/quad occupancy. Reserve your room by June 13th by calling 800-HOLIDAY, or (203) 334-1234. Mention that you are attending the Georgist Conference/CGO. To get this price, you must follow these instructions — no exceptions.
Meals: There will be a catered lunch each day. Saturday evening will feature our annual Gala Banquet. The conference will conclude with our annual Friendship Brunch on Sunday. All program meals will have vegetarian and fruit selections.
Room Sharing: If you would like to share a room, but need to find a roommate, please contact the administrators as soon as possible.
Exhibits and Inserts: Tables are 72" by 30". Prices are $50 per full table; $35 per half table. The exhibit room will also be used for conversation and breaks.
The cost to insert materials in registration packets is $25 per insert. If you wish to Exhibit or to Insert, please contact the administrators by June 25, 2003.Refund Policy: A 20% administrative fee will be charged if you cancel before June 27, 2003 After that date, the cancellation fee will 50% on all full and partial packages. (Excepting documented medical emergencies.)
Participant List: A list of participants as of July 1st will be available at the conference.
Questions and Special Needs: Notify Sue or Scott as soon as possible if you have any special needs, at 847/475-0391 or 888/262-9015 or efax: 775/248-8630 or by e-mail: sns@swwalton.com.
Team CGO: Mark A. Sullivan, President; Alanna Hartzok, Vice President; Dan Sullivan, Secretary; Jake Himmelstein, Treasurer; Ted Gwartney, Advisor & Co-Host; Toni Gwartney, Co-Host; Sue & Scott Walton, Administrators; Ramon A. Alvarez (Henry George School of New York), Hanno Beck (Banneker Center), Lindy Davies (Henry George Institute), Pia DeSilva (Henry George School of New York), Ed Dodson (School of Cooperative Individualism), Sonny Rivera (Robert Schalkenbach Foundation), Josh Vincent (Henry George Foundation of America)
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Please join us Next Year
in Albuquerque, New Mexico July 21 - 25, 2004 |