City of Chester, Chester

Chester Selected as One of Six Cities by White House
President Obama Launches Strong Cities, Strong Communities

On July 11, 2011, the Obama Administration launched Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2), naming the City of Chester as one of the six pilot cities in the entire United States to take part in a varied number of capacity-building tools aimed at sparking economic growth through partnerships with government agencies. Other cities include Cleveland, OH; Detroit, MI; Fresno, CA; Memphis, TN; and New Orleans, LA.

Each selected city will be provided with experienced staff to work directly to leverage federal dollars and support the work being done at the local level to encourage economic growth community development.

SC2 pilot cities were selected on the basis of economic need, strong local leadership and collaboration, potential for economic growth, geographic diversity, and the ability to test the SC2 model across a range of environments. Federal assessment teams spent time on the ground working directly with Mayor Butler and other local officials to determine needs, opportunities and gather input for the pilot initiative.

SC2 focuses on making it easier for local governments to navigate the maze of federal agencies when seeking funding, providing assistance to help ensure that federal funds are used more effectively and developing new partnerships to accelerate economic revitalization.

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

Improving the way federal government does business: Cutting through red tape 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;

Providing assistance and support – working with local communities to find ground up, not top down solutions: Providing on the ground technical assistance and planning resources tailored to local governments' needs and helping them use the federal funds they already receive more efficiently and effectively; and

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, faith-based institutions, and other public, private, and philanthropic leaders.

For more information regarding the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative, visit the Office of the Press Secretary on the White House website at www.whitehouse.gov.

CHESTER, Pennsylvania