THE FIRST SUBURBS CONSORTIUM The First Suburbs Consortium (FSC), was created in 1996 by elected officials from mature, developed communities surrounding Cleveland to: maintain, preserve and redevelop mature communities; 'level the playing field' when spending State development dollars; foster sustainable communities throughout Ohio; and foster regional cooperation. The FSC is the first government-led advocacy organization in the country working to revitalize mature, developed communities, and raise public and political awareness of the problems and inequities associated with urban sprawl and urban disinvestment. The Consortium began with three communities and has grown to fifteen mature communities in the Greater Cleveland area, consisting of the cities of Bedford, Bedford Heights, Brook Park, Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Euclid, Fairview Park, Garfield Heights, Lakewood, Maple Heights, Parma, Shaker Heights, South Euclid, University Heights and Warrensville Heights. Because local government resources are insufficient to close the gap -- new, innovative approaches are needed to change and transform policy. Current challenges of the FSC are: Make the case effectively enough to appeal to a broad coalition of voters and public interest groups; Educate and gain action at the Statehouse and the Governor's Executive Offices and Agencies - to change policies and practices that are not equitable and subsidize the deterioration of our communities; and Create and implement unique initiatives and programs which demonstrate that there are workable counter-measures, that can work regionally and statewide. In response to those challenges, the FSC has implemented several initiatives aimed at revitalizing and promoting reinvestment in our communities. These initiatives include: one of the first linked deposit programs in the country, targeted to homeowners in FSC communities; an Economic Revitalization Initiative aimed at providing reinvestment in older retail districts; a Housing Initiative aimed at looking at ways to more cohesively promote housing renovation and new housing initiatives; and legislative initiatives aimed at educating and affecting change at the State level. The fabric of our communities is being threatened by those government policies and practices which subsidize and promote development of new communities, disinvestment in mature communities and outmigration of people and businesses (through a variety of means including enterprise zone legislation, gas tax distribution, highway and water and sewer line extensions). By developing local initiatives to combat the detrimental effects of sprawl and leading statewide efforts to spearhead smart growth initiatives and shape public policy, the FSC is challenging leaders to think more regionally, and re-examine public policies to level the playing field and provide equity to all regions of Ohio.