Responsible discussion
After posting this, an anonymous poster responded with this ...
j, You're are a smart dude but WTF do you know about economic development. When Novartis refers to workforce, they refer to an existing and far superior bio technology program in the research triangle. It is years old and even if we didn't have a flake of a mayor, that plant was never coming here. Athens was used as a pawn to get NC to up the ante.
We need to get off out asses and stop sitting around waiting for the next Novartis.We aready for progress now. Our tech school is ready. Our residents are ready. The only person who isn't ready is our joke of a Mayor who spends 25 times more money on greenspace than getting jobs for residents.
She needs to go.
If that's not a backhanded compliment if I've ever seen one ... though thanks for the support of my intellectual abilities (except, of course, for my grasp of economic development).
While I may not be a world-class expert in local economic development, I also do understand the realities that face each situation. And one of those realities is that Novartis implicitly stated that this community lacked the necessary workforce to adequately handle those jobs. And, let's be honest, given the choice to bring a bio-tech company to either the Research Triangle of North Carolina or Athens-Clarke County (at the time the decision was made), it's perfectly understandable why such a decision was made.
Listen ... economic development is vital and essential to any community. I don't think anyone is arguing that here. However, for any company to locate anywhere they're going to want to make sure they have a qualified pool of applicants to draw from.
Now, dare I ask ... with a poverty rate above 25 percent, with high school drop out rates hovering in near 50 percent, with 30,000-plus students willing to work for lower wages and with a glut of service jobs which offer little to no advanced training outside busing tables ... are you really going to tell me that job training, social skills development and education in general isn't more vital in luring these jobs here versus how much money we do or don't spend on greenspace preservation?
I ask that question because I'm someone who does have considerable experience working with families in poverty ... and more often than not, when I go to different employment fairs and meet with different businesses, they all seem to tell us the same thing - it's this lack of a qualified worker base which is the biggest hindrence to this community's economic development.
It's easy, particularly in an election season, to say 'well the mayor wants to hug trees more than people' because that makes for a cool sound bite that can be repeated over and over again. Well, not only is it patently false on the surface, but it does a huge disservice to people trying to make an educated decision on who to vote for.
And, to be fair, this works both ways. If someone said 'elect Charlie Maddox and all of our trees will get clear-cut' that would be patently false as well (for a variety of factors ranging from my personal belief that, despite our disagreements, he just wouldn't do that as well as the realities of how the Athens-Clarke County Commission will look following Election Day).
So folks are coming in and slinging arrows at Davison, and it's getting late in the game and these things happen. Fair enough. However, when you say things like she doesn't care about economic development, than I'd like to see what you think we should do instead.
j, You're are a smart dude but WTF do you know about economic development. When Novartis refers to workforce, they refer to an existing and far superior bio technology program in the research triangle. It is years old and even if we didn't have a flake of a mayor, that plant was never coming here. Athens was used as a pawn to get NC to up the ante.
We need to get off out asses and stop sitting around waiting for the next Novartis.We aready for progress now. Our tech school is ready. Our residents are ready. The only person who isn't ready is our joke of a Mayor who spends 25 times more money on greenspace than getting jobs for residents.
She needs to go.
If that's not a backhanded compliment if I've ever seen one ... though thanks for the support of my intellectual abilities (except, of course, for my grasp of economic development).
While I may not be a world-class expert in local economic development, I also do understand the realities that face each situation. And one of those realities is that Novartis implicitly stated that this community lacked the necessary workforce to adequately handle those jobs. And, let's be honest, given the choice to bring a bio-tech company to either the Research Triangle of North Carolina or Athens-Clarke County (at the time the decision was made), it's perfectly understandable why such a decision was made.
Listen ... economic development is vital and essential to any community. I don't think anyone is arguing that here. However, for any company to locate anywhere they're going to want to make sure they have a qualified pool of applicants to draw from.
Now, dare I ask ... with a poverty rate above 25 percent, with high school drop out rates hovering in near 50 percent, with 30,000-plus students willing to work for lower wages and with a glut of service jobs which offer little to no advanced training outside busing tables ... are you really going to tell me that job training, social skills development and education in general isn't more vital in luring these jobs here versus how much money we do or don't spend on greenspace preservation?
I ask that question because I'm someone who does have considerable experience working with families in poverty ... and more often than not, when I go to different employment fairs and meet with different businesses, they all seem to tell us the same thing - it's this lack of a qualified worker base which is the biggest hindrence to this community's economic development.
It's easy, particularly in an election season, to say 'well the mayor wants to hug trees more than people' because that makes for a cool sound bite that can be repeated over and over again. Well, not only is it patently false on the surface, but it does a huge disservice to people trying to make an educated decision on who to vote for.
And, to be fair, this works both ways. If someone said 'elect Charlie Maddox and all of our trees will get clear-cut' that would be patently false as well (for a variety of factors ranging from my personal belief that, despite our disagreements, he just wouldn't do that as well as the realities of how the Athens-Clarke County Commission will look following Election Day).
So folks are coming in and slinging arrows at Davison, and it's getting late in the game and these things happen. Fair enough. However, when you say things like she doesn't care about economic development, than I'd like to see what you think we should do instead.
posted by Jmac at 7:02 AM
9 Comments:
Again, from a posting already on your blog.
Major initiatives for economic development
1. Adequately fund economic development efforts:
- Increase local contribution
- Rebuild partnerships with local industry
2. Focus and carry out business recruitment based on our strengths rather than waiting for industry to come to us:
- Hospitality
- Animal Health
- Media Arts
3. Repair damaged local and state economic development partnerships with:
- Adjoining counties
- Georgia Department of Economic Development
4. Set clear and consistent guidelines for those who choose to do business in Athens:
- Protect our natural resources
- Incentivize desirable business
- Attract clean industry with well paying jobs
Some of the best programs aimed at teaching kids soft skills are The Chamber's mentor and adopt a class programs. (I guess it's not all smokestacks at the Chamber, huh Andy?)
Heidi has effectively fuct herself out of any meaningful support of those programs since her politics get in the way.
Politics aside. The Boys and Girls Club might be the best resource in teaching these skills. They need money to build new facilities. Whoever is elected needs to partner with the Boys and Girls Club.
For the first anonymous posting, I think those are laudable goals, but I don't see much discussion of how to go about doing that. I agree it's more concrete from the Maddox campaign, but simply saying 'recruiting more hospitality businesses' doesn't actually differ that much than any of the other candidates.
For the second anonymous posting, far be it from me to detract from the many good things the Chamber does. I have plenty of issues with the Chamber's political stances, but they are active with several non-profit organizations here in this town (IHN, for example, is a member of the Chamber), and that's to be commended.
However, it's completely one-sided and misleading to suggest Davison and the rest of the Athens-Clarke County Commission is solely responsible for whatever rift exists between the two bodies. To act as if the political powers at the Chamber have been eager and willing to enter into responsible and productive dialogue and discussion with the local government is wrongheaded.
Working together isn't going in to a meeting, saying 'we want X and Y' and than being shocked when the other side says 'we can talk about X, but Y is something we're going to have meet in the middle on' ... particularly when the results of these meetings is the formation of a brand new PAC solely designed to combat the ideologies of those you disagree with.
Listen, there are plenty who don't care for the Chamber in this town. I ain't one of them. I know folks who are members and I've been to some meet-and-greets they've done. They're serious folks who want the best for this community.
But there has got to be some give-and-take on their part too. When the community says, for example, 'we don't like all of this clear-cutting of trees' than the logical next step, if the Chamber thinks this will hinder business, is to find a workable compromise that perserves the interests of both sides. Again, at times, I've been frustrated with some of the actions and attitudes of the local government in some matters like this, but it isn't as if I'm brimming with confidence in the governing abilities of the Chamber's political leadership.
Also, good point on The Boys and Girls Club. The Wife has worked with their mentor program for the past few years, and it's just one example of the good things they do.
You're right. Both sides need to come together. Heidi has shown she not interested.
also
Gooooooo! Mrs jmac.
We need more of them.
That does not mean polygamy
Alright, so mayors are supposed to buy jobs for residents? What is that greenspace comment about?
She DID get four stars from Athens Grow Green, which seems to think you aren't a good candidate for office if you care about poor people.
Heidi ain't got a clue about economic development. It ain't flower shops and coffee shops as she so proudly proclaims. Further, forget what you read in the paper about Novartis. The word in Atlanta is it's a pure lack of elected leadership and we won't see anything else with Heidi at the helm.
What does Grow Green do for poor people? Do they have a mentor program? All G.G. does is make it more expensive to live in ACC by increasing our taxes.
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