There was some measure of puzzlement when the announcement went out that Mayor Ron Littlefield planned to deliver a state of the city report. The cynical journalist wondered what had changed over the past few months since he delivered his vision for the next four years at his inaugural speech in April.
On the stage of the Tivoli he outlined his approach to the homeless issue, touched on improvements to the library system and steps taken to fill in potholes and improve sidewalks — the infrastructure thing.
But his spring words sketched out the beginnings of a theme when he touched on growth boundaries, consolidated services between the city and the county and a community dialogue on the shaping of a region that is being transformed by the economic engine fueled by Alstom and Volkswagen on the new front and mainline companies such as Unum and Chattem.
There are signs that point back to the 1980s.
The economy was sputtering, and Chattanooga was as well.
Community leaders came together to re-energize a moribund community — not everyone was prepared to say the best days for this midsize city were in the past. Industry had left and was leaving; the young people, the seed corn, could not get to the county line quickly enough, with nary a thought of a return home. Out of those planning sessions came a new vision that converted the thinking and direction of some, but there were many who remained unconvinced.
The backbone was not new or expanded business opportunity but a return to the rivers, mountains and valley, reconnecting to the basics.
The new direction took time and spawned more than a revitalized riverfront with an aquarium. It was a commitment to change.
In the current Business Week, Michael Porter, a Harvard Business School professor, stated, “During an economic downturn, there is a greater level of flexibility. Leaders need to take advantage of sharper thinking and get people on the same page and off traditional mindsets.” Mr. Porter provided an economic blueprint for Chattanooga almost a decade ago, focusing on “clusters” of growth.
Another economic downturn is under way, but the area is not in a malaise. Expanded job opportunities are on the horizon, and the questions today center on being in a position to understand and respond to the opportunities.
Mayor Littlefield asked aloud, “What’s next?” He answered himself, “What’s next is a new order of things.”
He shared comments from Ray Christman, retired president and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, who said that local governments are about “determining how services can be delivered most effectively and efficiently.” The mayor said a suggestion was for local governments to merge functions and perhaps even consolidate.
So what is next?
In the eyes of Mayor Littlefield, it revolves around adequate urban services to sustain and support a new, growing population. Urban growth boundaries, debated and adopted a decade earlier, figure into these infrastructure issues.
Will Chattanooga be a gateway city that ties together a region poised to grow?
Is there a willingness to engage in a community discussion and, at times, a debate that examine established services as part of an overall community map toward growth?
Over the four years that cover this mayor’s second term, issues tied to the urban identity of the community will be pushed to the forefront.
A census will occur in 2010, quantifying population growth and other demographic information, but also setting the framework for new city council and county commission districts as well as state legislative and congressional boundaries.
At the end of the counting, the questions posed last week on urban identity may be intertwined with the size, scope and type of local government that mirrors the aspirations of a changing community.
To reach Tom Griscom, call 423 757-6472 or e-mail tgriscom@timesfreepress.com.
