Having a vision for the future is essential
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Bridging the Divide
Chuck Bradley
Successful communities and counties always have a plan for the future. Unfortunately, “planning” is a dirty word in some communities and counties, especially in small communities and rural areas.
In some places, this is the result of today’s highly polarized political culture. In other places, it results from a misunderstanding of planning and its value.
The truth is, failing to plan simply means planning to fail. It is difficult to name any successful individual, organization, corporation, community, or county that doesn’t plan for the future.
Try to imagine a company, community, or county that doesn’t have a business plan; they would have a very hard time attracting investors or staying competitive in the marketplace. The same is true of communities and counties.
A community or county plan is simply a blueprint for the future. People may differ on how to achieve the community or county vision, but without a blueprint, communities and counties will flounder.
Understandably, people in small communities and counties don’t like change; however, change is inevitable. Technology, the economy, demographics, population growth or decline, market trends, and consumer attitudes are always changing, and they affect your community and your county whether you like it or not. There are really only two kinds of change in the world today: planned change and unplanned change.
Communities can grow by choice or chance. Abraham Lincoln is credited with saying that “the best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.” Communities and counties with a vision for the future will always be more successful than communities and counties that just accept whatever comes along.
Successful communities have strong leadership and committed citizens. A small number of committed people can make a big difference in a community. Sometimes these people are longtime residents upset with how unmanaged growth has changed what they love about their hometown. More often than not, they’re simply citizens who care a great deal about their community and county future.
Leadership is critical, but often unappreciated. As the mayor of one small town once remarked to me, “If you don’t care who gets the credit, you can get an awful lot accomplished.”
We live in a rapidly changing world. The post-recession economy is reshaping the way we live, work, shop, and move around. Communities and counties that prepare for the future will prosper. Those that do not will decline.
Today, people and businesses can choose to live or work anywhere. Communities that cannot differentiate themselves will simply have no competitive advantage. This means that quality of life is more important than ever.
Successful communities set themselves apart. We all can agree that communities and counties that choose their future are always more successful than those that leave their future to chance.
Our county and communities have numerous developments to attach yourself to and be proud of, such as a financially sound county government and school system, increased healthcare availability, economic growth, and an industrial park with more than 300 contiguous acres located on U.S. Highway 280. With Two Rivers Saw Mill and Westwater Graphite’s processing plant (the only one in the U.S.) joining former businesses, the industrial park is almost full.
The expansion of fiber and high-speed internet in our county, local business growth, job training programs, and volunteer initiatives are just a few of the planned positive changes in our communities and county.
Let’s keep our county and communities “future focused and progress driven, unlocking the potential of tomorrow, and working together to become the change we want to see.”
Please send your questions or comments to bradleychuck92@gmail.com.
