Electric utilities have so much opportunity to be a catalyst and lead in the development of smart cities and communities. It’s a pure play for the safer, cleaner and more resilient benefits of affordable electrification. Electric utilities can step up with a New Paradigm of Thinking and “leap frog” to real, deliverable 21st century solutions today. Solutions that will work at scale, have a reasonable ROI, and that customers/citizens will embrace. Electric utilities can explore public private partnerships (PPP’s) to bring much needed funding to smart city projects. Someone has to lead….let it be us.