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87 <br /> <br />A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE GRATITUDE OF PORTSMOUTH TO MAURY <br />WISE COOKE AND ROBERT MALCOLM FORTSON, III, FOR THEIR EFFORTS <br />AND PERSISTENCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE "CITY OF THE FUTURE <br />INITIATIVE." <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, Maury Wise Cooke and Robert Malcolm Fortson, <br />III, introduced to the Portsmouth City Council an innovative <br />and lofty goal to develop a vision for the City's future and <br />offered as a suggestion the adaptation of W. Edward Deming's <br />Quality Management Techniques; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, Mr. Cook and Mr. Fortson recognized the Virginia <br />Productivity Center as a resource to assist Portsmouth in <br />formulating a strategic plan to develop this vision for the <br />City's future and raised the necessary funds from private <br />sources to develop this process; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, the City Council and their appointees began <br />meeting with the VPC representatives under the stewardship of <br />Mr. Cook and Mr. Fortson as a summit team, and then with the <br />stakeholders from which evolved Summit I on July 24-26, 1990, <br />and Summit II on September 18-20, 1990. From these <br />meetings statements of mission and vision were formulated. In <br />furtherance of these efforts the City Council made a <br />commitment to take the City of the Future Initiative to the <br />citizens of Portsmouth through community meetings; and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, Mr. Cooke and Mr. Fortson have generously <br />volunteered their time to the City of Portsmouth for the <br />benefit of the City and its citizens and their involvement <br />reflects a true spirit of selflessness and community pride; <br />and <br /> <br /> WHEREAS, the assistance given by these gentlemen has <br />already borne fruit for our City, including a city government <br />infrastructure to carry the initiative forward, and the <br />infusion of enthusiasm in the stakeholders who all recognize <br />that the City of the Future Initiative is the first step in a <br />very vigorous journey: the beginning of a new spirit, a new <br />awareness, a new commitment and a new level of activity in <br />which the City as a whole has a voice in the direction of the <br />future of Portsmouth, Virginia. <br /> <br /> <br />