Alternative paths to economic development
By Mike Kroll
I suspect I
sound like a broken record but I fear too few are listening. The first priority
for Galesburg has to be to retain and expand and enhance our population. A
population base is absolutely necessary to our survival but the characteristics
of that population will be a major factor in how well this community recovers.
Many believe that first you must have jobs to attract people and there is some
truth to this, however if we continue to loose population at this rate the
viability of the community decreases at a faster rate than the population.
A critical
mass of people is necessary regardless of their demographic or economic
characteristics. A few years ago former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, recognizing
a steady population loss in his state implemented policies that he hoped would
make Iowa an Òimmigration magnetÓ that was not well received by his
constituency despite his success in increasing Iowa's population by over five percent
during the 1990's despite the fact that Vilsack's plan was never completely
implemented. Large numbers of Iowans fought the plan even as it literally saved
numerous dying rural communities with an influx of Mexican immigrants who came
to work in meat packing plants across the state.
Many of
these immigrants arrived illegally and opponents saw them as a costly burden
but just as such immigrants can claim credit for keeping neighboring Monmouth
afloat through the labor, commerce and taxes the same was true in numerous
similar Iowa communities. Without the Farmland immigrant labor force the only
significant economic entity left in Monmouth would be Monmouth College for
without the immigrant labor Farmland would be history. Contrary to
anti-immigration opponents claims families with children are absolutely
mandatory to the survival of any community even if those families are poor,
unskilled or even illegal.
Without
children the economics of a quality school system deteriorate and without good
schools you simply cannot retain much less attract educated middle-class
families that we need to develop a sustainable economic base. Certainly we need
to focus on such families and just as importantly on reclaiming our
college-educated youth as they choose a place to settle and raise their
families. Quality of life, good schools, community amenities and an enlightened
and progressive political leadership are essential to building a population so
critical to our survival. Cutting city staff and services to reduce the local
tax burden may be politically attractive today but it undermines this
communityÕs future just as a failure to make proper community investments in
the past helped put us into our current situation.
Our concern
for maintaining population has to extend beyond the boundaries of Galesburg
because survival is truly a regional challenge. The silly and wasteful
competition between area communities and our seeming inability to cooperate for
mutual benefit must be overcome. The need for cooperation also extends to
township and county government. Galesburg officials must learn to work and play
well with these other government entities and we must find economically
beneficial ways to pool resources and cooperate for the betterment of the
greater area.
Leadership
and involvement by people with an economic stake in this community and the
backbone to stand up to obstructionists who balk at change will be essential to
our future. This leadership goes beyond just elected officials to include
community leaders outside of government but we must begin to see better
qualified candidates run for local office. There is no nice way to put this but
our present city council and county board are embarrassments, our economic
development officials are clueless and most of the rest of us are content to
simply sit back and bitch. Criticism is our right but only constructive
criticism is helpful while just plain bitching only exacerbates the divisions
within our community. And as citizens we must remember that we elect officials
for their good judgment and often times the greater good is served only at the
expense of tax dollars or the inconvenience of the few. It is important that we
elect leaders who understand that their role is to develop a vision and set the
course, even if such actions occasionally stir up emotions by some groups of
voters.
We need to
begin making substantial investments in this community and attracting our
neighbors to likewise invest in the future of Galesburg. This must be an effort
that extends beyond the city and county boarders to become truly regional in
scope. If we cannot convince ourselves and our neighbors to invest in the
future of Galesburg why should we expect outsiders to do so? If new skilled
manufacturing jobs are to be created in the area we must start small and invest
in them ourselves. As a community we need to encourage and support
entrepreneurs with the ambition and drive to succeed in startup endeavors,
particularly those with historical ties to the area. Nurturing a growing number
of small to medium but growing businesses is actually far better than
fruitlessly searching for the big outside operation that we can attempt to lure
here.
We sit
amidst some of the most fertile farm ground in the world and we need to
discover new ways to leverage this asset for the economic revitalization of our
community. I am convinced that for manufacturing to return to Galesburg to any
meaningful way some of it will be based on an agricultural crop (other than
corn and soybeans) that is grown around Galesburg. During World War II western
Illinois was the leading producer of industrial hemp but short sighted public
policy in Springfield blocks research and investment in either this crop or its
many potential products. Agricultural
researchers at the University of Illinois and elsewhere have attempted to
pursue promising work with hemp only to be hindered by politicians but this is
but one of many agricultural products that could be grown alongside corn and
soybeans to create new economic opportunities.
While the
railroad is currently a major economic asset for Galesburg we must recognize
that it too is subject to changing economic circumstances. The explosive growth
of both inter modal shipping and unit trains devoted to a single commodity has
come at the expense of more traditional and heterogeneous rail shipments that
necessitate classification yards like the one here. The time will come when
this will lead to a decreased use of the Galesburg yard yet our geography makes
it unlikely that we will actually see a major or intermediate inter modal
operation ever locate here. And if it did I am told by people who understand
this business far better than I that our vaunted Logistics Park would be a poor
location. Much better and more likely locations would be near the Cameron rail
interchange or southwest of the current rail yard if such an operation ever
becomes feasible locally.
Of
potentially greater significance is the opportunity for a return to reliance
upon regional passenger rail travel as gasoline prices and a collapsing air
travel system force us to relearn the value of passenger rail. Convenient and
available rail connections to Chicago already exist as a major Galesburg
advantage we have yet to leverage and the potential exists to create new
passenger rail links east and west as well. When Galesburg alderman Mike Lummis
first made this suggestion last year many dismissed it as unrealistic but I
believe he was truly on to something. Many of our neighbors already commute to
Peoria or the Quad Cities to work and the rising price of gas may make it too
costly for them to continue living here. There is a future for Galesburg as a
bedroom community to these larger cities, but only if it remains economical to
the employees.
It is now feasible for a satellite
office of a medium or large Chicago-based firm to locate in Galesburg just as
easily as in the suburbs and at lower cost in a less congested and family
friendly environment. We need to be actively recruiting such white-collar jobs
to Galesburg and creating such jobs with local investment in suitable office
space and amenities. While it is unlikely that downtown Galesburg will ever
again be home to national or regional large retailers it is quite possible that
it can once again be home to thousands of office workers if we create favorable
conditions to support this. With increased numbers of downtown employees the
need for better parking and supporting retail will also increase.
One key
infrastructure that must be developed soon if we are to attract such satellite
offices or work-from-home professionals is a widely available, reliable and
inexpensive high-speed data network. Our two existing private firms, the cable
and telephone companies, have proven unable to unwilling to deliver such
services on the necessary scale or at a competitive price or with sufficient
reliability. It can cost as much for just the last mile connectivity in
Galesburg as it does to obtain a complete high capacity Internet connection in
many other places. In today's world knowledge workers can be physically located
almost anywhere if they have the proper communications and business support
services available.
Like
rivers, the presence of a university would be a major asset to this area that
we just don't possess. Certainly Knox College is here but it is also almost
totally disengaged from the local community. Declining numbers of Knox
graduates choose to remain in Galesburg (for obvious reasons) but more
importantly both as an institution and individually as faculty and staff the
people of Knox have demonstrated an almost total disinterest in participating
in community issues. The people of Knox represent the single largest block of
thoughtful and educated people in this community yet most exist as if on an
island unto itself. They don't participate in the local political or economic
dialog and they do not offer the talents of their faculty, staff and students
to help address some of the daunting problems facing Galesburg despite the
college's obvious stake in this community's success.
If Knox
will not participate it is incumbent upon us to recruit such interest from
other universities in this state who possess the knowledge and resources that
can help Galesburg adapt and reinvent itself. It is much better to invest in
partnerships with educational institutions than continue to squander money on
consultants of dubious value. Galesburg can invite faculty and students with
necessary and relevant skills to assist us in redeveloping and redefining this
community. The city and the county should establish continuous programs of paid
internship opportunities to advanced undergraduate or graduate students to
supplement or enhance existing staff efforts or to help evaluate new ideas. For
example, such interns could provide Galesburg director of economic development
with a cost-effective staff or provide Knox County with people to help handle
administrative chores like purchasing or grant writing.
These are
just a few key ideas and barely scratch the surface of what we must do to save
Galesburg but the most important point of this commentary is that we recognize
and abandon the failed economic development strategies currently being pursued.
We must discover community leadership that is open to new approaches and able
to take responsible risks. Leadership that will not crumble in the face of
small band of loud opposition as they seek to rebuild the services and
infrastructure of this community. And residents must refuse to accept continued
complacency in the face of crisis.