In order to keep folks and businesses from leaving Toledo? Does anyone out there have any thoughts? Being from Swanton and working in Toledo, I see a lot of simularities between the troubles of the two. Swanton is dieing as well. Please post ideas. I'm sure our current city/village officials could use them instead of criticism.
What Needs to be Done?
Comments ... #
click on "Support" to see what others think of the concept. (sorry).
I like what a tech-blogging entrepreneur said the other day:
I hate politics. My personal believe system says that if you want to change the world go ahead and do it, and don't use political channels to do it. If you want a community garden or park I suggest going out, raising money, and building it. Why wait for the government? I think the fact that so many people feel that the political system is the way to get things done is a HUGE problem. If you want to get things done just do them. If you don't have the means to change something then go find the means to do it--but political systems are the worst for getting things done.
Swantucky -your screen name says it all. Trailer parks, fat women in halter tops, and the word "simularities" speaks volumes for the school system. Move to Metamora.
posted by justareviewer on Sep 30, 2007 at 08:54:00 am #
Shop/eat local.
posted by jhostetler on Sep 30, 2007 at 10:39:46 am #
The population declines in Northwest Ohio are part of a much larger historical phenomenon of the exodus of industry from the Midwest to the Sun Belt and overseas, which can be traced as far back as the rural electrification projects of the 1930s. Projects like the Tennessee Valley Authority
brought cheap electrical power to the South and West, giving these regions a competitive advantage that began to take fruit in the 1960s, and the lower labor costs in these formerly underdeveloped areas of the United States were an additional attraction.While I applaud (and encourage) efforts to keep businesses and individuals from leaving the area, I think we have to recognize that this is a difficult trend to reverse. We do have one natural resource (fresh water) that will be in much greater demand in the coming decades, but the likelihood is that there will be great temptation to create fresh water pipelines to the Sun Belt.
It's cheaper to move water than people.
Some of the arguments put forth to "fix" the Rust Belt - the lowering taxes, weakening of unions, or improving of government services - are more like short-term bandaids than "cures." While I am not necessarily an advocate of massive government spending to reverse the demographic trend of movement away from the Rust Belt, we will not see significant change unless there is some exterior force brought to bear on the problem.
This might be technological in nature (paradigm-changing transportation innovations, akin to the early 1900s and the automobile), meteorlogical (sudden climate change), sociopolitical (government subsidies to encourage investment or relocation), or some other radical change in the status quo.
Placing the blame for decades-long demographic trends on such problems as weak public schools, poor delivery of government services, or high municipal/county/state taxes might make us feel better in the short run, but does little to recognize the larger phenomena. People pack up and leave an area en masse only when conditions become so unfavorable that other areas seem like paradise.
We might grumble about taxes, schools, and trash pickup, but we leave when there are poor opportunities in our hometown.
One field in which I have some interest is that of education. Newly-certified teachers in Ohio can hang around here and hope that they find an opening (with the exception of math and science teachers, for whom there is still demand), or they can pick up a newspaper and find high-paying positions galore in places like Florida, Texas, and Nevada. Recruiters at annual job fairs at UT and BGSU are signing up graduates from Northwest Ohio by the busload, and in some ways it is ironic that Ohio taxpayers are paying to train the next generation of teachers for cities like Las Vegas and Orlando.
I wish I had simple solutions for the problem of demographic hemorrhage, but taking the approach that reversing this trend is simply a matter of cutting taxes or privatizing schools is like standing on the beach trying to punch tidal waves.
posted by historymike on Sep 30, 2007 at 11:26:43 am #
I just thought there might be some nonpolitical, regular folk ideas as to what could help.
Thanks Mike and jhostetler , for your input.
As far as the other comment.. I havent seen any fat halter top wearing women here in Swanton. That isnt what I ask about. I asked for mature adult responses to our troubles. Metamora is a nice town I spose, but its not for me.
Business as usual.
Repeating received opinion from the same opinion makers who got us in this mess.
Uncritical acceptance of the status quo.
WTF Swantucky...lighten up. If you're looking for answers to the poor economic conditions - ask the business people who took the risk to operate in your community. What are their challenges? Ask your neighbors why they choose to live there. Ask yourself what you have done to contribute to your village's future. Obviously a new high school and a corn festival aren't paving the way toward your future...or are they?
posted by justareviewer on Sep 30, 2007 at 05:49:15 pm #
Where can I start? Do we live in a free market society? If so, then let's not ask politicians to do what they can't do. They are elected to administer the spending of our tax dollars. They can not lead: they are term limited and they are hemmed in by the boundaries of the office to which they have been elected.
LEADERSHIP IN A FREE MARKET SOCIETY MUST COME FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR!
Not too long ago, (in the 1980's), when the Committee of 100 was around, Toledo was booming! People avoided going downtown on Friday nights because of the traffic jams caused by CitiFest parties in the park. The infrastructure that is downtown Toledo today was built in the 70's & 80's with leadership provided by the private sector.
WHAT HAPPENED?
We converted from a City Manager form of Govt. to a strong Mayor form. And, the Committee of 100 was disolved. The Chamber of Commerce was handed the leadership reigns and the Area Growth Committee was formed. But, alas, half of the folks wanted growth to include north of the state line, and half wanted to stay south of the state line. The second half won! Times were good! The computer boom was on! The "good times" would never end!
BUT THEY DID!!
The sustainable competitive advantages this area has play extremely well in our global environment. And, they include much more than water. As I suggested in an earlier post, Look at the LEWIKI portion of this blog and read:"Another Story That will Knock Your Block Off". If we had implemented even half of the suggestions contained in that article back in 1993 (when it was published in "The Toledo Technical Topics"), we would be in a growth mode today, and Toledo would be growing just like San Jose grew from a cross roads to the large city it is today, because it is at the center of Silicon Valley.
Advantages or features of the Lake Erie West region:
- Time - At the crossroads of the two most heavily traveled roads in North America: I-80/90 and I-75.
- Education - 33 colleges and universities within a one-hour drive.
- Fresh Water - 18% of the world's fresh water supply.
- Transportation - Four international airports within a one-hour drive.
- Market Access - The center of a one-day drive, which reaches 50% of the population of both the U.S. and Canada.
More advantages in market access:
Within one day's drive of 63 percent of U.S. manufacturing facilities.
Within one day's drive of 80 percent of U.S. corporate headquarters.posted by MaggieThurber on Oct 03, 2007 at 12:11:55 pm #
Watch Sylvania in October. It plans to reprise becoming a Lake Erie West Community with much pomp and circumstance. The move is prompted by the dispute between City and Township on how to run the fire department. It is hoped that the move will unite all of the citizens of Sylvania.
If the Sylvania initiative comes off sucessfully, it will create a model for other communities to follow. Oregon, Port Clinton, and Bedford are watching the action. Monroe, Michigan became a Lake Erie West Community many years ago to boost tourism. It offers another model to follow.
Perhaps Swanton would like to jump on the bandwagon.
Also, log on to LEWIKI and read Jr's. post: "Another Story That should Knock Your Socks Off". Had we implemented those suggestions back in the 1990's, we would be gaining population, not losing it.
Also, log on to www.lakeeriewest.org and click on "Support", to sewe what others think of the concept.
posted by lew on Sep 29, 2007 at 03:39:39 pm #