The forum was moderated by Harris Sokoloff, Michelle Charles and Louise Guigliano.

As the “Oprah” panelists ran down their list of radical ideas including eight-county consolidation, tough controls on driving into Philadelphia, and a huge expansion of rail lines, one Citizen Voice piped up with a half-serious question:

"What did you put in the water?" said Bill Robinson, a Fairless Hills resident, who was among nearly two-dozen suburban Philadelphians crafting a vision of the city in 2010.

And he wasn’t alone in his skepticism.

After all, wage and business taxes had supposedly been eliminated by 2010 - with the revenue loss covered by real-estate tax growth resulting from a massive influx of new residents to the city.

“Gov. Rendell,” explained Lower Merion patrolman Keith Christian, had done wonders in terms of rallying federal aid for the region’s transit needs.

A good thing, too. Since, as “Oprah” panelist Annette Gibbons said, the region had agreed upon strict measures to discourage driving into the city - such things as higher parking and gasoline prices on certain days.

“But I want to know how you got the cars off of Walnut Street at 5 o’clock,” asked Virginia Klipstein, a participant from Glenside.

Sara Shevchik, a high school junior from Warrington, wondered how it would work, since she recalled that in 1999 there was no convenient way for her to take public transit to the city.

“All of these things flowed from county consolidation,” said panelist Aaron Seigel.

It was a process of legislation as well as consensus-building, the panel reported, which convinced the region’s residents of the need for regional interdependence - and something else. Call it a “new form of citizenship,” one of the Citizen Voices suggested during the evening’s summation. It was the sense that people had a personal responsibility to pitch in, and sacrifice some convenience for the good of the community.

Or as panelist Randy Swirein of Delaware County said, “ ‘Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas, anymore.’ ”

As such, the suburban view of a best-rated Philadelphia a decade from now was one of the most sweeping in terms of structural change.

At the same time, they spent far less time on issues such as crime, schools and neighborhood development than did many of the city-resident forums.

Don’t assume that had to do with a lack of familiarity with Philadelphia, though. This group included folks born in the city, as well as long-time residents who, though they had moved out, remain regular and frequent visitors. Their connections to the city include the cultural and entertainment attractions, the city’s historical significance, and work, business, and family ties. And when they went around the room, each suburban Citizen Voice readily provided an answer to the question: What do you like about Philadelphia?

Like it, yes, but that hardly meant there would be no change if these Citizen Voices had the power to direct the city’s future.