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Opinion Coordinated eco-devo effort is necessary
Coordinated eco-devo effort is necessary
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A consultant hired recently to take a look at local economic
development saw some good things going on, but he also saw things
leaders can do to improve. With growth stagnant, our basic industries
struggling and the average citizen feeling downright insecure about his
finances, here’s hoping somebody listens. Dick Gardner, the consultant from Bootstrap Solutions in Boise, visited the area this spring at the behest of the Union County Economic Development Corp. He interviewed more than two dozen people, then compiled his report. For openers, Gardner looked at the Union County Contact Committee’s performance in siting the new VA clinic. He made a few suggestions for improvement, but said that in the main the committee worked well together in helping get the project off the ground. Perhaps more interesting, though, was the second part of Gardner’s report, the one dealing with overall economic development efforts. Gardner presented valuable ideas on how the community can do better. They are ideas that should be seriously considered, and not filed away in a drawer somewhere and forgotten. Gardner wrote at some length about the so-called Tupelo economic development model, presented as a pyramid with human development at its base, economic development at its tip and leadership, organization and community development in between. Basically, the model shows that a community must first develop what it has, then turn to the task of attracting new business and industry. The idea is to build on the education, skills and interest of the people, and on the natural resources present. Entrepreneurship, business retention, amenity-based strategies and business recruitment will grow from that effort. The concept makes a lot of sense. Another important point brought out by Gardner is that the economic development effort here — and in many small communities across the West — is fragmented and more cooperation among leaders is needed. Locally there are at least 13 agencies, organizations and institutions, ranging from UCEDC to city and county governments to Eastern Oregon University and more, that are heavily involved in economic development efforts. Often they work at cross purposes, or, at least, in their own interests to the exclusion of others. It’s hard to argue with the notion there needs to be better coordination among the players. Achieving it, of course, is no easy task, but the time to start moving in that direction has arrived. To be fair, our leaders seem to be paying at least some attention to Gardner. If the report spurs even a little momentum, it will be worth the cost. The City of La Grande and UCEDC have called for a meeting of the various economic development entities in July. The need for cooperation will likely be addressed and perhaps people will begin discussing another of Gardner’s recommendations, a county-wide economic development strategy. Hopefully, some positives will come out of that meeting. Perhaps, even, the groundwork for a more stable economy will be laid. Nobody expects miracles, but all 25,000 residents of Union County have the right to expect some progress. |
