I thank you for your report on the Douglas County Forecast event, sponsored by DCBIA. But I am worried. From your report it seems we have no long-term vision for our beloved county.
Even putting aside the deep and painful recession we are now experiencing, our recent trajectory over the past 10 years has been devoid of any meaningful vision. A good testament of this failing is our county master plan.
And I don't see any other local leadership group filling the void. As a direct result we wander aimlessly, and succumb to the whims of almost any business proposal that pops up " whether it is helpful to our preferred long term destiny or just a way for a few folks to make a pile of money at the expense of our community.
Kris Holt was apparently a bright spot at the forecasting meeting since he had something of substance to contribute. He proposed that our county should focus on attracting manufacturing businesses. Whether this is good or bad, it provides a focal point for county-wide discussion. But the problem with Mr. Holt's proposal is that his reasoning was that manufacturing "pays the highest."
This is not good strategic planning. He did state that we have advantage over California due to quality of life, friendly regulations, and lower costs. If this is enough of a competitive advantage then let's develop an aggressive program to penetrate California. So far I have only seen superficial effort and results in this direction.
The first task for defining our destiny is to identify our community's strengths and weaknesses, then play to our strengths.
My view is that our incredible natural resources are unique and under-utilized. The second task is to actively seek the ideas of our citizens.
Perhaps the master plan process is the best venue to do this but it has failed us, so radical change is needed in the process.
The "upside of a down economy" is the time to reflect and prepare for the inevitable upturn that will hit us like a freight train, hopefully soon. So I urge our local business and political leaders to spend all the time necessary to define a vision for our future, one that we can all rally around and help make happen.
Jim Herd
Gardnerville
