Report Provides Wake-Up Call
High poverty. Few jobs. More people moving out than moving in "” it's not a pretty picture.
The
Regional Indicators Report is a scorecard produced in collaboration
with Agenda 360 and Vision 2015. It is, well, grim. The groups,
economic development initiatives for Greater Cincinnati and Northern
Kentucky, respectively, compared the Tristate to "peer regions." We
placed 10 of 12, besting only Cleveland and Louisville.
We are behind in college graduation levels. Our skilled labor pool needs to grow. We need more high-paying jobs.
No
surprise, says Mary Stagaman, executive director of Agenda 360. "We
knew before the downturn that we hadn't kept up with the rate of growth
nationally."
But that doesn't mean giving up on
regional goals to keep talented workers and provide economic
opportunity. The next step is to speak up, says Bill Scheyer, president
of Vision 2015. "We'll try to really push the material out and get a
commitment from people to keep an eye on the indicators and push them
forward."
The region has momentum and profound
strengths. There's spectacular development along the riverfront, and
our colleges are re-defining themselves to meet the needs of the
future. The Tristate has the tools to change, and thanks to the report,
there is a map to success. So, let's get to it. -
Casino Cash = Streetcar Bust?
Cincinnati
City Council caused a firestorm when it eschewed public debate and went
behind closed doors to set priorities for spending the expected $20
million in new casino revenues. The move outraged the public, prompted
a lawsuit and caused accusations to fly amongst council members.
Council played the Scarlet O'Hara card and announced it will deal with it tomorrow. As in, next year.
Frankly,
earmarking 25 percent of new money for the contentious but expected
streetcar could be a deal breaker during the next round of city
elections. Also next year.
Council has played
the end around before. Because of loopholes in the law, rooted in weak
legal language, and because the issue isn't a constitutional one,
council can effectively choose to be secretive. But it's simply
anti-democratic to avoid debate.
The city faces
a $60 million deficit, police layoffs and a royal mess with underfunded
pensions. Harrah's has named a construction team but has not yet broken
ground on the casino, and revenues aren't expected until 2013. So, with
the promise of an NAACP ballot initiative next year that would allow
citizens to vote on how to spend the money, council is priming for
debate.
Wherever the money goes, it's vital.