Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
This is my first blog as the Executive Director of the Cheatham County Chamber of Commerce. In thinking about what to write, I found myself wondering whether to touch on the initiatives that I am working on at the Chamber, or the benefits that I plan to offer, or the general direction I intend to take the organization. I spent the last three weeks reaching out to the membership, the local officials, and the community at large with the intent of determining the best plan of action in these specific areas. What I found through these conversations was eye-opening.
I discovered that we have a very rich and diverse culture in this county. The folks residing on the north side of the county and those on the south side of the county are very different in their philosophies, lifestyles and desires. This diversity breeds many different opinions about how things should be and which direction we, as a county, should be heading.
Many people would like to see progress, and by this I mean they would like to have all of the luxuries of the big cities available to them in their own backyard. Other people like it the way it is and don't want to invite change into this quiet little community. These people would rather enjoy the comfortable quality of life they have at home and drive into Nashville, Springfield or Clarksville to work, eat and play. Both of these philosophies come with a price; too much progress can deprive us of the natural resources that make this area so beautiful and inviting, whereas too little progress means that the tax burden is placed solely on the individual with no businesses or industry to help tow the bill. I believe there is a way to satisfy both philosophies and it starts by recognizing the things that we do agree upon.
We all agree that this county is a beautiful, natural playground with its rivers, parks, and trails. We all agree that we want to pay less taxes and still maintain quality schools for our children, infrastructure for our towns, and responsive emergency services. We all agree that we want good neighbors who share similar interests and respect our privacy. And...we all agree that progress will happen in one form or another because nothing stays the same.
If this is true, then I think we can agree that the best way to proceed forward is to make a plan to control progress in our collective vision rather than letting progress control us. Protect our natural resources but promote and share them with outsiders so that businesses can thrive on tourism dollars and thereby relieving the tax burden on our citizens; invite industry into areas of the county where it is viable but define to them how their buildings will look, the carbon footprint they will create, and the noise that will be allowed on their premises. This will bring desperately needed jobs to our county, which has its highest unemployment rate in modern history at almost 9%. We can have signage regulations and strict building codes but find alternative methods to help our small business owners market their goods and services.
I discovered that we have a very rich and diverse culture in this county. The folks residing on the north side of the county and those on the south side of the county are very different in their philosophies, lifestyles and desires. This diversity breeds many different opinions about how things should be and which direction we, as a county, should be heading.
Many people would like to see progress, and by this I mean they would like to have all of the luxuries of the big cities available to them in their own backyard. Other people like it the way it is and don't want to invite change into this quiet little community. These people would rather enjoy the comfortable quality of life they have at home and drive into Nashville, Springfield or Clarksville to work, eat and play. Both of these philosophies come with a price; too much progress can deprive us of the natural resources that make this area so beautiful and inviting, whereas too little progress means that the tax burden is placed solely on the individual with no businesses or industry to help tow the bill. I believe there is a way to satisfy both philosophies and it starts by recognizing the things that we do agree upon.
We all agree that this county is a beautiful, natural playground with its rivers, parks, and trails. We all agree that we want to pay less taxes and still maintain quality schools for our children, infrastructure for our towns, and responsive emergency services. We all agree that we want good neighbors who share similar interests and respect our privacy. And...we all agree that progress will happen in one form or another because nothing stays the same.
If this is true, then I think we can agree that the best way to proceed forward is to make a plan to control progress in our collective vision rather than letting progress control us. Protect our natural resources but promote and share them with outsiders so that businesses can thrive on tourism dollars and thereby relieving the tax burden on our citizens; invite industry into areas of the county where it is viable but define to them how their buildings will look, the carbon footprint they will create, and the noise that will be allowed on their premises. This will bring desperately needed jobs to our county, which has its highest unemployment rate in modern history at almost 9%. We can have signage regulations and strict building codes but find alternative methods to help our small business owners market their goods and services.
We should also consciously purchase products from businesses in our county to help support their families. When you spend a dollar always be thinking about where that dollar goes and if it has to go somewhere then remember it should go to Cheatham first. If we agree on these things, then the rest is simple.
So as I enter my fourth week as the Executive Director of the Chamber, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to live in this beautiful county and serve the wonderful people who live here. I encourage anyone who reads this blog to remember that your neighbors own the small businesses in your community and their livelihood depends on you purchasing goods and services from them. Support your community, support your small businesses, and support your neighbors...buy local.
So as I enter my fourth week as the Executive Director of the Chamber, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to live in this beautiful county and serve the wonderful people who live here. I encourage anyone who reads this blog to remember that your neighbors own the small businesses in your community and their livelihood depends on you purchasing goods and services from them. Support your community, support your small businesses, and support your neighbors...buy local.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)