Letter To The Editor:
The future of the City of Alton and the Village of Godfrey are directly tied to the upcoming April 1 Municipal elections. Resident voters will have the opportunity to elect a Mayor and Alderman/Board members whose responsibility it will be to progressively lead their communities for the next four years.
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Each community is faced with an issue over which they have little control, that being an out-migration of residents driven by the second highest total tax base in the nation, with the possibility of yet another State Income Tax increase in support of the thirst for spending by our elected officials.
Madison County's unemployment rate is higher than the State's average suggesting the need for more competitive paying jobs within our business component.
Affordable and attractive housing is of necessity to drive families to the area and the available housing stock is reasonably priced.
Strong leadership must evolve from the upcoming election. Elected leaders must have the intelligence, the vision and the willingness to take advantage of the area's numerous positive attributes coupled with the built in plus's as being in the Central Time zone and more importantly having direct and immediate access to the Interstate Highway system, and major rail, air and river availabilities Homer Adams Parkway offers an excellent retail corridor while Godfrey possesses affordable land parcels.
LEADERSHIP MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE VIABLE ASSETS
Leaders must understand that to succeed. the two communities must work together, as one, in addressing problems that both communities share. Knowing that there are two governmental entities, they must believe that "what is good for one, is good for both" when an unduplicated cooperative effort prevails in solving issues of mutual interest. Coordinated efforts can more productively pursue and be successful in obtaining Federal/ State and proprietary grant funding. Cooperation can "regionalize" zoning policies and incentive initiatives to both "retain" our valuable existing business base as well as attracting new businesses.
We recommend that a Committee be appointed by the newly elected Mayors to study and come forth with an "Action Plan" which addresses common problems and sets forth ways to achieve positive and productive outcomes. The days of easy money are a thing of the past!
Electing candidates who embrace the concept of "Working Together" with a focus that we are a region is the key to positive and sustainable growth. Collaboration ''with those entities headed in the same direction saves time and money and achieves a better and and sustainable outcome.
APRIL 1 IS THE DATE TO CHOOSE CANDIDATES WHO WISH TO EXCEL BY GIVING BACK A GREAT DEAL MORE THAN WHAT WE HAVE COMMITTEE FOR GROWTH.
Dale Blachford, Ben Hollis, Zeke Jabusch, PJ Jun, Todd Peckham
Opinions expressed in this section are solely those of the individual authors and do not represent the views of RiverBender.com or its affiliates. We provide a platform for community voices, but the responsibility for opinions rests with their authors.
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