On air Friday, July 18, WGVA newsman Ted Baker engaged us in a lively follow-up discussion on our two-part post on economic development in Ontario, Canada. As we wrote, the region shares many of the positives of Geneva and the Finger Lakes region, and has overcome the negatives, and is well on the way to a new economy.
The progressive municipality of Prince Edward County consists of a number of small towns merged into one local government and has succeeded in attracting a “creative class” of entrepreneurs, scientists, and artists who seek opportunity, history, diversity, and a sense of place.
Members of the 'creative class', gravitate toward regions where they find a blend of innovation and tradition, where new ideas and people find a home among old sites and sounds. They cluster together in like-minded groups which become advocates for the region which sustains them.
The No Strings Geneva interview discusses the Geneva lakefront planning process and the role of special events like local organizer Jeff Henderson’s Mussleman Triathlon and local promoter Carmen Mungo’s presentation of Chicago bluesmen Nick Moss and the Fliptops, with special guest Lurrie Bell, son of Carey Bell, at Morgan’s Restaurant in downtown Geneva. City government must create conditions that support the private efforts of folks like Henderson and Mungo.
Education helps grow a creative class and provides jobs and other economic benefits. So, education remains important to Geneva's future. Having local opportunities to learn and to work may encourage younger people to stay. That’s why the development of a more robust Finger Lakes Community College extension campus in the City of Geneva is so important. As always, there was more to discuss than the time would allow. You can listen to this interview, and previous radio interviews in the No Strings Geneva radio archive.
Wednesday, July 23
Winemakers, Bluesmen, Triathletes:
Capraro, Augustine, and Ted Baker Revisit the 'Creative Class' on WGVA
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4 comments:
I do agree about education being important to the growth of Geneva, or any community. And I also think that the expansion of FLCC is good and important. I would like a little more explanation of the cost/benefits, but that is for another hearing.
The goal of all of this is to make Geneva a desirable place to live. A creative class is not only necessary but indispensable. We need these people in government and in business as well as in education and the arts.
I would say that the first problem is cost. Geneva needs affordable and attractive housing. It needs good and effective public schools. And it needs to be safe.
As was once said, money is not the cause of evil, it is the lack of it. And it is this lack that is holding Geneva back. Less than half of the property in the City is actually paying taxes, that means that the other 48%/49% must pay for the services required by the City. That is a lot to ask of the property owners. There have to be other ways to increase revenue.
Another black eye for Geneva is the condition of some of the real estate. In some cases it is the condition of rental property where the owner is from out of town and the renter feels no responsibility. Lawn care, paint, and trash are pretty basic and I think that there should be a way to encourage owners to maintain the value of their investments.
I agree that every encouragement should be given to people like Jeff Henderson and Carmen Mungo to make Geneva better and better known, but there is a danger.
I have heard a lot about "arts groups". There has been talk of an arts center down town, the property known as "305" has been mentioned as a second venue, and at the last Council meeting during the discussion of Middle School/ FLCC use, Steve O'Malley mentioned that an arts group could use the auditorium.
How many arts groups can we expect in Geneva? And is it wise to keep property reserved in the hope that in the future someone would use it?
I prefer to be a bit more pragmatic and handle these groups and their requirements as they appear.
Tom,
Your comment is packed with great insight about Geneva. Thanks for writing (and, most importantly, signing your name) so that we can get your ideas into the discussion. First, on the creative class piece, we agree that Geneva will only improve by continuing to attract these dynamic people into community decision-making posts. But, we can also do a lot to encourage the current decision-makers to be more creative, more dynamic, and more responsive in their own dealings. Let's not make the mistake in thinking that cultivating a creative class only happens when new people move in, it can also evolve from existing residents getting some renewed energy! Second, we maintain that the community is safe and the schools are good. There will always be room for improvement, but we believe that most Genevans can feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods and good students will likely find great success in the public school system.
Second, we certainly see eye-to-eye on the need to diversify the city's revenue. You, as an avid reader of the blog, must be aware of our multiple posts on the issue of shared services, new revenue sources, property tax relief, and mitigating the effect of the tax-exempts. So, again, the real key is to get city government thinking along these same lines and doing some of the creative decision-making we're all talking about!
Third, you cannot overstate the importance of property maintenance to the overall health of a community! If landlords are delinquent, then the tenants and the neighbors suffer for that. There is a way "to encourage owners to maintain the value of their investments" and it begins with consistent and equitable code enforcement. Many landlords take pride in their properties and run them like a community business, namely, they want to give back to the community through their presence, not just exploit the property for their personal profit. But there are some who give the whole enterprise of rental real estate a black eye. Some landlords feel entitled to have their tenants live in slum conditions, to take all the money collected out of the property without ever reinvesting in property maintenance and improvements, to essentially run their property, and their neighbors' assessments and quality of life, into the ground. Again, here's where residents can be involved in self-improvement. Tell your councilor that you support code enforcement, that you appreciate their efforts to enforce reasonable community standards and that you don't believe that 'privileged' owners deserve a break.
Next, you spoke about there being "a danger" to encouraging the efforts of people like Henderson and Mungo, but you didn't elaborate on that. Please do.
Lastly, our posts on the development of 'arts groups' (or, maybe to put it another way, the way groups are using the 'arts' as an umbrella for 'development') shares your concern that some of the proposed projects are not "pragmatic." But we're not sure that you're appropriately characterizing Councilor O'Malley's statement. In our observation, he was suggesting that the existing facility (which Council was told would cost less to renovate than the cost to tear down and build a new facility) might be a better site for performing arts activities than the others you mentioned, not that we would have a downtown site, a "305" site and the middle school auditorium. We think it's actually very pragmatic to first consider the reuse of existing facilities before biting off a new construction project that hopes to make a go of it based on 'anticipated' programming.
So, we are agreeing with you on most points and look forward to continuing the conversation. To our other, anonymous contributors: See, it's not so bad if you sign your name, right Tom?
It is not a bad (or hard) thing to sign my name. I was told a long time ago that if I was going to do something like this I should identify myself as a matter of courtesy to others and integrity for myself.
When I was talking about the danger of encouraging events like those organized by Jeff Henderson and Carmen Mungo I was concerned that activities like this can become an end product rather than the signs of a healthy and vibrant community.
I was there when Councilor O'Malley mentioned the auditorium and it was not that clear that he was making it in reference to a better site, it sounded more like an additional site. You know the uproar that can cause. In my defense, that was also the impression of several other people that I talked to later, so thanks for clearing that up.
I spoke of Geneva having a "black eye", but there are also many pluses for the City. One is the coast of housing. I really do think that we do not realize how affordable housing in this City is when compared to communities not all that far away. We also have a very nice menu of services supplied by the City.
We do have a lot of home grown talent. We just need to take advantage of it. One impediment is that almost every suggestion or question is being looked on as a threat or accusation. And of course, there is the old standby of mis-communication. A perfect example of this would be the very unfortunate chain of events that led to the blow up over the position of City Attorney.
We need an open and free wheeling dialog where everyone realizes that the end propose is a better Geneva.
I do think that we have the elements to make Geneva a better and more vibrant community. What we need to have everyone working toward that same goal. Organizations like BID, the Chamber, the Landlord's Association, HWS, FLCC and the Smith; people like the City Manager, Val Basset, community, business and clergy should all be a part of the effort.
The most important thing is that Geneva has to realize that this is a job that will never end. There will be no walking away after a while saying the the job is done. People change, tastes change, economies change, and if a community is going to stay alive and vibrant it too has to change. The wheel must be constantly re-invented.
We agree that anonymous commentary is rarely useful or well-intentioned. You have not been afraid to speak your mind here, to disagree or challenge our positions, and you have suffered no retaliation. This is a model of open, respectful dialogue that we hope more people will begin to follow.
We think the 'pluses' you mentioned get to the heart of the 'value for the tax dollar' concept that the City Manager and Council have set as a strategic initiative. Hopefully more and more people will come to recognize the amenities that the City has to offer, and the collaborations you mention will continue to harness that positive energy in ways that make sustainable additions to our business community and our neighborhoods.
With regard to the acceptance of new ideas, we agree that everyone needs a little breathing room to bring things forward and get honest consideration of their ideas. This gets back to the first point, that participation--whether it's on this blog, at a council meeting, talking to neighbors, serving on a committee or whatever--is the key.
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