21st-Century Rock Stars

Local government can aid
in economic development

November 22, 2006

While we are in an international fight four our economic survival and little assistance is coming from the state, there is much that can be done at local levels to help promote investment and ultimately job growth in Michigan.

In too many cases, locally elected individuals and appointed Planning Commissioners have become complacent and even arrogant toward companies requesting to permission to invest in their communities.  Site Plans are relegated to the end of long agendas (imagine sitting through a three hour budget battle waiting to invest millions of dollars in a community) and are often treated in a remarkably uncivil manner.  Given a choice (which a greater number of businesses now have), it is easy to see why company leaders and entrepreneurs opt for states that give them the “Rock Star” treatment.

While the controllers of jobs are in fact the 21^st Century “Rock Stars” in the economic sector, simple common courtesy will go a long way.  For example, local communities can help the cause by:

ü      Placing requests for new projects or job creating ventures at the top of agendas (and thus illustrating the importance of the item);

ü      Upon introducing the representative, a simple welcome and a statement like “thank you for considering our community” plays far better than a scowl, crossed arms, push back from the table and long skeptical looks down the nose.

ü      Getting a handle on fees and consultant charges.  The current system offers incentives to consultants that “flyspeck” plans and draw out review.  More hours equal more fees and these costs are simply passed on to petitioners.  The is no incentive for Cities or consultants to control these costs in any manner.  The end result is “review Fees” can cost more than the cost for preparing the plans.

ü      Moving quickly where possible and trying to accommodate timelines.  Remember, the communities are selling and need to close the deal to attract jobs.  We have never “sold before, but part of a successful sales process is to try and accommodate the needs of your customer.

Finally, the CAVEmen and vocal minorities must be counter balanced.  If their age-old concerns over increased traffic and noise are valid, we only need to continue operating in a “business-as-usual” mode and the result, in the not to distant future, will be an elimination of both.

Our community must be prepared to respond effectively to the needs of the large number of seniors it currently has in residence and increasing numbers it anticipates in the near future, as the baby boomers (those born from 1946 to 1964) attain retirement age. At this point in time, we are fooling ourselves if we think that suitable progress in those preparations is being made.

Listening to the recent debate on funding a joint Library/Senior Center study, it is very clear to me that several members of City Council do not agree that our seniors are a priority. There is no gray (pardon the pun) in this debate. Either you believe in your heart that local government has a responsibility for the health and welfare of its senior residents or you don’t. If you listen to the statements being made regarding the need for a larger senior facility, you can clearly identify those who have decided to marginalize the needs of our senior population.

Only when the seniors in this community identify and elect individuals who are truly concerned with their well being will their voices is heard. Until then, it will be all about city administration, public works and public safety. Planning for the future needs of our senior population needs to become a high priority of this and future City Councils and administrations. If it doesn’t happen, then there should be hell to pay.

I renew my call for the establishment an Older Person’s Commission to advise City Council on issues of Novi Citizen’s over 60 years old. The meetings need to be televised and special communications distributed to everybody over 60 in our city. We cannot wait for seniors to come to us, we most go to them.

Now that the elections are over and the pundits have spoken, I will throw in my two sense worth.

First, the Republican Party has nobody to blame but themselves for losing the Governor and U.S. Senate races. How original; two middle age men, low on charisma, facing two dynamic women, both outstanding campaigners with tons of personality. I have had an opportunity to meet all the candidates for Governor and U.S. Senate and speak to each of them personally, including several at length. I never doubted the outcome of the elections, even though I did not support either of the winners. They were just too good at reaching people and conveying personal warmth - something lacking in the two Republican candidates.

Second, it is very difficult to measure the effect of special interest money on the local races. While each of our three local incumbent Republicans (Crawford, DeRoche & Cassis) all won easily, I was surprised that token Democratic opposition did as well as it did. It was clear that many incumbent Republicans were running scared in Oakland County races, something that is new to Oakland County politics.

Third, the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate turned out to be a referendum on President Bush and the Republican Party. While the War in Iraq was important, I think what was even a bigger factor in the landside Democrat victory was the desire by independent voters to try something different in Washington. Republicans have lost touch with reality during the past four years. They have not taken the lead on the tough domestic issues (Social Security Reform, Health Care, crumbling roads, increasing violent crime) and lost the confidence of a large segment of the independent voters that now decide most elections.

We have officially entered into lame duck season for many of our favorite local politicians. Rep. DeRoche and Sen. Cassis are in their final terms. They have done a wonderful job for our community and it is critical we begin to identify their future replacements. It's what makes politics interesting.

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- Well done is better than well said.

Benjamin Franklin US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 - 1790)

In the tradition of Ben Franklin, the Novi Post provides informed political commentary on current events in Novi, Oakland County and all of Michigan.