The 29th North American Conference of the
Council of Georgist Organizations

August 5-9, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio

Tom Johnson: Can America's Greatest Mayor Still Save Cleveland? Statue of Tom Johnson in Cleveland's Public Square, holding a copy of Henry George's Progress and Poverty. Tom L. Johnson served as Cleveland's Mayor from 1901 to 1909. Lincoln Steffens called him "The best Mayor of the best-governed city in the United States." After he served in the US Congress in the 1890s, he became wealthy from licensing a patent for trolley pay-boxes. Johnson was an outspoken advocate of Henry George's Single Tax, and his administration's success was largely due to its policies of utilizing community-created rents as public revenue. Our conference will explore how the policies he championed can help today's Cleveland recover from depression and decline! Our headquarters will be the Doubletree Hotel on Lakeside Blvd., in downtown Cleveland, within sight of Lake Erie. For prices and online registration, please CLICK HERE! Click the picture at left to download the conference brochure in PDF form. Schedule Wednesday, August 5th 5 - 8 PM    Registration 7 - 9:30    Welcoming Reception and Member Reports Welcome by Ted Gwartney, CGO President, and William Peirce, local host Opening remarks on privilege by John Kelly CGO Organization Reports Each organization reports for up to 2 minutes Thursday, August 6th 7:30 AM    Registration begins 8:30 - 10    Cleveland's foreclosure crisis Welcome to Cleveland Fraudulent Mortgages in Slavic Village: Anthony Brancatelli, Cleveland City Council Predatory Lending: Rep. from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Georgist Perspective: Alanna Hartzok, Earth Rights Institute     Moderator: Ed Dodson, School of Cooperative Individualism 10:30 - Noon    Money and Banking Secret Life of Real Estate: Phil Anderson, Economic Indicator Services Ltd Tom Johnson's Crisis Currency: Dan Sullivan, Saving Communities Social Right to Land &: Money: Nic Tideman, Virginia Polytechnic Institute The Land-Money Connection: Polly Cleveland, Assc. for Georgist Studies, Barnard College     Moderator: Gilbert Herman, Henry George School of New York (HGS) 12:00 - 1:30    Lunch The Amazing Tom Johnson: Chuck Metalitz, Henry George School of Chicago 1:30 -3:00 PM    Real Estate Tax and the Housing Bubble Who blocked LVT in Ohio? William Peirce, Case Western Reserve University Why Pittsburgh Flourished: Joshua Vincent, Center for the Study of Economics Prop 13 and California's Bubble: Mason Gaffney, Univ. of California, Riverside     Moderator: Bill Batt, Robert Schalkenbach Foundation (RSF) 3:30 - 5:00    Steps for Saving Cleveland Shifting back to Property Tax: Fred Foldvary, Civil Society Institue, Santa Clara University County Land Banking: Robert Rink, Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp. The For-Profit Land Trust: Dan Sullivan     Moderator: Adele Wick, RSF 5:00 - 5:30    Roundtable session and Open Mike 5:30-7:00    Dinner on your Own 7 - 8:30    Secret Life of Real Estate The regularity of real estate cycles: Phil Anderson     Moderator: Damon Gross, RSF 8:30 - 9:30    Open Mike Friday, August 7th 7:30 AM    Registration begins 8 - 8:30    Open Mike     Moderator: Ed Dodson 8:30 - 10    The Functions of Government The Johnson-Hanna Trolley Wars: Bill Peirce Privatization as Contract Patronage: Dan Sullivan Selling and Leasing our Future: Frank DeJong, Green Party of Ontario, Canada What Should Be Private? Fred Foldvary     Moderator: Bill Batt 10:30 - Noon    State of the Current Economy Michigan Following California's Folly: Mason Gaffney Calculation of Aggregate Rent: Andrew Mazzone, HGS     Moderator: Clay Berling Noon - 1:30 PM    Lunch Cleveland's Assessment History: Bill Barrow, Cleveland State University     Moderator: Wyn Achenbaum 1:30 - 3    Building Classically Progressive Alliances Modern Progressive Perspective: Debbie Kline, Cleveland Jobs with Justice Georgist perspective: Frank DeJong Political Strategies: Steve Cord     Moderator: Herb Barry, Common Ground-USA 3:30 - 4:30    Quantum Leap Now! Marketing the Message, Building the Movement Short presentations and thematic open mike.     With Your Host: Alanna Hartzok 4:30 - 5:30    The End of Capitalism? Point/Counterpoint: Cay Hehner, HGS - Yes. Andrew Mazzone - No. 5:30 - 7:00    Dinner on your Own 7 - 8:30    Discussion of "Renegade Economist" Fred Harrison's YouTube Videos, with discussion     Moderator: Richard Biddle 8:30 - 9:30    Open Mike     Moderator: Jeff Smith, Forum on Geonomics Saturday, August 8th 8 - 8:30 AM    Open Mike     Moderator: Chuck Metalitz 8:30 - 10    Reaching the young, the media Presenter: Karl Fitzgerald, Earthsharing Australia     Moderator: Richard Biddle 10:30 - Noon     (A) CGO Annual Meeting Particpants: CGO delegates and affiliate members 10:30 - Noon    (B) The Origins of Monopoly Presenter: Richard Biddle Noon - 1:00    Lunch Table Topics: Nic Rosen, host 1 - 2:15 PM    Honoring Tom Johnson Visit to Tom Johnson's Statue in Public Square Host: Bill Peirce 2:15 - 5    Boat Tour Sight-seeing and Conversation on the Cuyahoga and Lake Erie 6:30 - 7:15    Pre Banquet Reception (Cash Bar) 7:15 - 9:00    Gala Banquet - Speaker: Walt Rybeck Will Obama Save Cleveland? Or Could Cleveland Save Obama?     MC: Pia DeSilva Sunday, August 9th 8 - 8:30 AM    Open Mike     Moderator: Chuck Metalitz 8:30 - 10    Making Sure Georgist Boom-Bust Analysis Gets Heard Resonating with Today's Students: Mike Curtis Media Talking Points: Nic Rosen Facilitating Academic Dialogue: Polly Cleveland     Moderator: Lindy Davies 10 - Noon    Farewell Brunch Toasts, Farewells CGO President's Vision for the Future: Edward J. Dodson     Moderator: Ted Gwartney For prices and online registration, please CLICK HERE! Contacts: Sue & Scott Walton, conference administrators PO Box 57, Evanston IL 60204 Phone: 888/262-9015 toll free in the USA or 847/475-0391 Fax: 775/248-8630 e-mail: sns@swwalton.com Back to the Council of Georgist Organizations main page