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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels October 21, 2004 Our View Hardesty vision over steady Laws Much of the future of Ashland revolves around managed development and planning for the downtown corridor. A plan for the future that recognizes the inevitable forces of change coming in the years to come is essential. Leadership in the development and implementation of this plan will be a significant role for any rookie councilor. In the race for city council Seat 1, newcomer Jack Hardesty is taking on the incumbent Don Laws. On the surface, the men offer some similarities. Both want to see the downtown remain economically viable - but consistent with the small town character of the city's past. Both want to see more attractive living opportunities downtown. But the way they will lead is where the differences end. Hardesty has a newcomer's zeal, though he can hardly be called inexperienced. The 75-year-old retiree was on the leading edge of the development of the city's art gallery association and has of late been very active in issues related to development. Hardesty was among the local group that worked to thwart Bemis, to protect the city's basic desire to limit large scale buildings. To his credit, Hardesty is not a knee-jerk, anti-development candidate. Some development is inevitable, even desirable, especially because the city's economic engines run on managed growth. He supports the Haines project, which will bring a creative, multi-use building to downtown. Laws, on the other hand, is a consistent and steady vote on the city council. He takes a no-nonsense approach to city government, and has a proven record of voting that can easily be evaluated. He is consistent in his voting patterns, many of which we as an editorial board agree with. The real difference in this race is that Hardesty seems poised to lead more than Laws. He wants to actively pursue an overarching plan for downtown growth. "I will push for a visionary downtown master plan to improve Ashland's ambiance and make it safer and more pedestrian-friendly, like a small European city." For this vision alone, we want to see what Jack Hardesty can do. Hardesty has been a business owner downtown, and understands the need to support those small businesses. Yet, as a self-proclaimed candidate without "ties to the power elite," he offers to balance the need for economic growth with issues of livability and quality of life. Hopefully, he will be just as independent from the anti-growth, anti-development forces that could truly rob the city of its important need for a sound economic base. If Hardesty can truly offer a balance, he will keep a cautionary eye on blatant commercialism, without thwarting each and every plan for managed growth that comes down the pipleline. If he can do that, he will be an effective councilor indeed. In this way, Hardesty is offering to lead from the front, not vote from behind. While Laws has served the city admirably and honestly, the potential for vision and leadership that Hardesty is touting is something we'd like to see more of. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams