Young Emerging Leaders

I think our city is a great place. And I think we are moving in the right direction. However I don't think we should lose track of what we really are.

Right now we are a city with outdated drainage in violation of EPA standards. An Economy based mostly on manufacturing that is eventually going to move overseas, and higher than average sales taxes.

We have the potential to be a Mercedes, but right now we are a work truck. Painting flames on the side and putting an extra lift on it doesn't change the fact that the engine isn't quite there yet.

If we need something like benches and someone offers a solution that doesn't take much revenue from the other necessary projects such as drainage, then lets take them up on the offer. In a few years we can always replace them with something nicer. Making downtown nicer has been very helpful for the city and needed to be done. I'm not against that, but I am against not accepting a solution that fills a need because we are trying to be something we are not.

Don't get me wrong on this I think the benches are ugly, I also think the city has wasted money on many things (387 libraries for a town with 80,000 people when everyone lives within 10 minutes of the main branch, there is public transportation to get to the main branch and a bookmobile service. In an age where the internet is quickly obsoleting the traditional library.) I would rather see the city use ugly benches than waste more money on benches instead of addressing the old problems. Anyway I'm kind of rambling right now so I'm going to stop now.

Shayne Mckinney