1. Ithaca, New York

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I got a chance to hear about one way in which institutions like these support Ithaca's enlightened politics when I visited Tim Joseph and Leni Hochman in their plant- and pet-filled house, part of a nine-household cooperative in a woodsy precinct on West Hill. Hochman is a staff member of the Alternatives Federal Credit Union; Joseph is a member of the county board. A self-proclaimed radical, he's also-like Dan Hoffman and former mayor Nichols-a hardworking pragmatist who loves the nitty-gritty details of politics ('90 percent of what we do is not ideological,' he says).

In the mid-'80s, Joseph worked for OAR as a counselor and a trainer of counselors. Part of the training was work in 'deep listening.' Four years ago, when a conservative taxpayers' group was hectoring the county board for its alleged free-spending ways, Joseph and fellow progressive board member Eric Lerner decided to listen to their opponents instead of simply struggling against them. They did more; they invited the tax protesters to sit on an advisory committee. 'We came to respect each other,' says Joseph. 'And the protesters discovered they had to grapple with real funding problems instead of abstractions about fiscal responsibility.'

If it seems like face-to-face politics works in Ithaca, well, it does. It has something to do with the powerful love of place that most Ithacans feel. It also has a lot to do with the manageable size of that place, and the fact that, as Linda Daybill says, 'I see a lot of the people that my decisions affect right on the streets and in the restaurants.'

Most of all, it's because Ithacans genuinely believe that individuals can make a difference. Sarah Pines, who lives in EcoVillage, is a shining example. Noticing how much perishable food was being thrown away in Ithaca, she recruited some volunteers and formed the Friendship Donations Network. Today, without a budget or funding of any kind, Pines and her friends move some 14,000 pounds of food, clothing, and household goods per week from supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, and individuals to 16 projects dealing with hunger and poverty in the city.

'If you believe in something,' says Paul Glover, describing how the city works, 'write a pamphlet with your phone number on it and post it in the Laundromats and bookstores. If three people call you, have lunch with them and call yourselves an organization. Post another notice. If five more people call, meet with them and issue a press release.' Ithacans' willingness to follow this advice on a daily basis is the electricity that makes this not-yet-perfect town a bright light on the American landscape.

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