The chamber, United Way and other community organizations deserve praise for their work and vision. Yet, these well meaning entities are not built to solve the complex problems — nor should they. Because elected and appointed officials are answerable to the public, they are endowed with that responsibility. Our leaders must consult the activists but end their increasing addiction to outsourcing the ultimate resolutions.

Webb: Resolution of important societal issues requires leadership from both private and public sectors. But the less we have to rely on government and taxes to deal with society's problems the better. To make good things happen in Utah, key people and institutions must step up and get involved, work for good causes and make financial contributions.

However, I've heard arguments that the private sector in Utah doesn't provide as much leadership today as in the past. In bygone eras, a handful of influential leaders could pretty much determine the direction of the city and the state. Some people yearn for the days when, for example, LDS Church President David O. McKay, Tribune Publisher John Fitzpatrick and Chamber President Gus Backman met weekly in the Hotel Utah coffee shop (or was it Lamb's Cafe?) to tackle civic and political problems. Their clout was enormous.

But anyone wishing for a return to that era will be disappointed. We simply don't have a few titans of industry pulling strings in back rooms. We've lost many of our corporate headquarters, and out-of-state owners of Utah's big companies and utilities aren't nearly as civic-minded.

Even major community institutions like the daily newspapers don't take leadership roles as in the past. Every daily paper in the state except this one is now owned by out-of-state chains. The days of highly visible civic activism by publishers like Wendell Ashton and Jack Gallivan are long gone.

Not all of the dispersion of political and civic power is bad. In today's high-tech, information-saturated, networked-but-diverse society, power doesn't naturally flow to a handful of people. In fact, an enormous backlash would occur if citizens felt a few self-chosen leaders were trying to control Utah's political, civic or business agendas.

Still, leadership and the ability to coalesce support around important political and civic causes are crucially important to the strength and success of a city and state. Thankfully, we still do have people and institutions that step up and provide necessary leadership and resources to make good things happen.