Dailey: Leon County is on the right path
Tallahassee Democrat –By Dave Hodges
August 16, 2010
DESTIN — Leon County’s further economic progress will require residents to overcome the challenges that remain, among them the need to build on the area’s sense of community, speakers said during the final segment of the 2010 Annual Community Conference.
In his remarks on the state of the county, County Commissioner John Dailey said the county is headed in the right direction, but his outlook is not as positive as that of other speakers during the weekend.
“We still have tough times ahead of us and it’s important that we pull together as a community,” he told the attendees at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa.
He called on the county government, the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County and the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce to focus on four priorities: protect the jobs the community has, be ready to assist those local businesses that are poised to expand, work to attract firms that want to relocate to the Tallahassee area and work with the universities on the business resources they have available that support economic growth.
“If we took a snapshot of Leon County today, I would have to tell you that we are on the right track. We are headed in the right direction,” Dailey said.
The commission has cut $38 million from the county budget the past three-plus years, nearly $1 million a month, but has been able to maintain the delivery of core government services. During that time the county has continued its capital expenditures on roads, libraries and development of the joint dispatch center for emergency services.
Still, the future holds much uncertainty, Dailey continued. Unemployment is still too high and consumer confidence remains low.
“Our real estate market is still uncertain and we are possibly headed for a double-dip recession,” he said.
At the state level, the projected state budget deficit is $7 billion to $10 billion.
“If they decide to balance that budget on the backs of local governments, we will feel the impact,” Dailey said of the Florida Legislature. “Now is the time for us to redouble our efforts and very specifically, move together as a community.
“This is not the time for your county government to throw up its hands in the air in frustration and take our marbles and go home,” Dailey added.
Author and consultant Rich Luker continued the emphasis on community in his remarks that followed. He described various factors — ranging from encroaching technology to changing social structures — that prevent true, direct connections among people and therefore impede the further development of community.
Luker, who wrote the book “Building Simple Community,” said Florida is virtually the only place where individuals move from other states, only to connect with and live among others from their home state.
He and his wife found a neighborhood in St. Petersburg where they got a community connection. “I discovered Florida in 2005,” he said.
Others who have had a similar experience come here for the same environment, the same atmosphere, rather than the lure of a job, a real estate opportunity or the space program. He is here because of the people, he said.
“We have got to think and do differently,” Luker challenged the audience. “We become an unbreakable asset through thoughtful acts of kindness.”
The annual conference is sponsored by the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and was presented this year by telecommunications company CenturyLink. Conference attendee Rob Palmer, projects director for Our Region Tomorrow, said close community connection is something his organization seeks to promote.
“That’s how we look at Our Region Tomorrow. We are conveners. How do we convene the conversation?” Palmer said later. “It could be around mobility. It could be around health. It could be around diversity.”
Together, the region’s cities and towns have assets that will make the region competitive, he added. “Our shared values are so much more important than the differences.”