Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us January 16, 2006 Economic plan too long ignored As the board of directors of a multi-million dollar business, the Ashland City Council’s inattention to economic planning has been subpar since the group took office a year ago. But at least the ball is in play now, starting with three councilors who seem, finally, interested in entering into discussion about Ashland’s economic future. The group — Cate Hartzell, Jack Hardesty and David Chapman — issued a letter in December calling the chamber into question about its expenditures and asking that it be accountable for how it has helped build our economic base beyond tourism. But it is troubling that a city council bereft of substantive thinking on economic planning and development made its first de facto agenda item of economic planning a letter that calls into question Ashland Chamber of Commerce efforts on the city’s behalf. The council needs to get its own house in order. Consider: What are the city’s goals for economic development? Are there specific areas of expansion that are realistic that could help create good paying jobs? Will the council consider incentives to businesses that may relocate here? Will they dedicate some of their own resources to economic strategies? Priority means funds to make it so. Will the council invest? Besides throwing around the nifty idea of wanting to attract clean industry — something that every city in America says it wants to do — what are the nuts-and-bolts aspects of a plan to accomplish this? It may not be totally fair to pigeonhole this council as hostile to business, but to be sure, many in the community, particularly business leaders, believe it to be so. The letter from three councilors calling into account the chamber only solidified those beliefs. Let’s be clear. We don’t believe these councilors are launching an attack on business. Nor is it out of line to ask that the chamber be more open about its efforts and accountable about its expenditures, particularly if the city wants to get more involved, rightly so, in economic planning. Hardesty is reportedly the one councilor who insisted that the issue be on the council’s goals a year ago, and as a former small-business owner wants to see the city support its small-business leaders better. But the letter revealed a knee-jerk approach that won’t prove to be effective. The very minutiae of the request caused a great deal of defensiveness among the chamber. Any economic plan must include the chamber, so why start off with fists clenched? The timing, months before the chamber’s annual review with the city, was viewed as a direct attack. The method, three councilors launching a challenge without the benefit of council discussion, increased concern about the desired end result. Economic planning for the city is too important for missteps such as these. Instead the council would do well to move economic planning higher on its priority list. If ever a mission calls out for the mayor to take charge, this is it. Don’t staff it out, don’t hire a consultant and don’t leave it up to one faction of the council. Gather industry leaders and key economic players to craft a plan for economic development that includes short-term targets and long-term sustainable goals. Create a vision and then implement it. Specifics over ideology, vision over consensus is needed to craft a plan that strengthens the city’s economic base for years to come. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams