Commissioners are looking for a vision
I attended the last couple of hours of the Guilford County commissioners' planning retreat today and commend them for working on "developing our roadmap," as they subtitled the session.
All 11 participated, which is encouraging in itself.
They also heard from six community leaders -- Carole Bruce, Henry Frye, Pat Danahy, Tom Dayvault, Jim Morgan and Lee McAllister. Each was asked to present a vision for Guilford County.
I'll write more about that next week, here or in print, but I want to briefly mention points made by Frye, former chief justice of the N.C. Supreme Court, and Dayvault, president of the High Point Chamber of Commerce.
Frye threw out the idea of 211 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot. But raise the temperature by just one degree and water begins to boil. That releases steam, which can power engines and make things happen.
So, where do we need to raise the temperature just one degree to make things happen in Guilford County?
Conversely, where are we in danger of losing steam if we let the temperature drop by just a degree?
Dayvault emphasized one overriding issue: job creation. The Triad has lost a lot of jobs in the last 10 years, he said, but it's poised to turn things around. That requires Triad cooperation, he asserted. Communities have to work together as allies, not separately as competitors.
On that subject, I'd challenge leaders in Guilford and Forsyth counties to answer this question:
What will you do to help land a Toyota auto manufacturing plant ... in Davidson County?
Davidson County has the land, and apparently is on Toyota's list of possible locations. What assets do larger, wealthier Guilford and Forsyth counties have that they can leverage to help attract this potentially huge economic development deal that would benefit the entire Triad?
By itself, Davidson County might not be able to generate the 212 degrees it would take to get it done. There's got to be a way its neighbors can make a difference.
Commissioners Chairman Paul Gibson is off to a good start in 2007. For now, commissioners all seem to be looking in the same direction. That's the way to develop a vision for Guilford County.
Any vision has to be broad enough to take in the entire Triad.
Comments (4)
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What will you do to help land a Toyota auto manufacturing plant ... in Davidson County?
That, Doug, is an outstanding question. Whether and how the region answers it will tell us a great deal about the region's long-term viability.
Posted on January 5, 2007 9:30 PM
Doug,
I've read some articles on the Toyota project and not one NC official was quoted in the articles putting forth the positive reasons Toyota oughta build their plant in NC as did reps from Tennessee and Arkansas.
Either it's a foregone conclusion Toyota isn't coming here, or the NC economic development div, or whatever their called, needs a more aggressive approach to attract new business.
Posted on January 6, 2007 2:43 PM
It is absolutely vital that Guliford Co.'s pre-occupation with race and those who would exploit it for financial or electoral gain must be swept from power. This divisive, alienating destructive, passe' modus operandi must be refuted and negated at every turn by the media, government and civic organizations of every stripe. We can't compete with other counties and other states if this is not done. We're history.
Posted on January 6, 2007 10:34 PM
Jon, we haven't done well trying to attract automakers. Kia recently broke ground for a huge plant in Georgia, and I never read anything indicating North Carolina was considered. For the Southeast, we're a high-tax state, which can't help. Are there other factors that put us at a disadvantage? The UAW has made inroads here (Thomas Built Buses). Certainly, Toyota doesn't want to deal with the UAW. The issues John alludes to are a concern, but not in Davidson County. There's a very business-friendly climate there, and it is a low-tax county compared to many others in the Piedmont. Its location is excellent, it has good transportation networks, and there's a ready and willing workforce. The state and all Triad governments should be making a full court press.
Posted on January 7, 2007 1:04 PM