Running for Town Council / It's About the Economy!!

If you haven't picked up on it from my previous two blogs, I am really big on trying to improve the economy in the Dexter area. I do believe that the Town is situated in a unique location and has resources available that could help the local economy prosper, even while the State and Nation faces an economic downturn.

Although I have nothing personal against those who have or are presently serving on the Town Council and other committees, I do believe that for the most part their way of thinking is out dated. We live in a high tech service sector society and thus need to be on the cutting edge if we plan on being a community that attracts businesses and families. For those interested, there is a fabulous website called O*net that allows people to research jobs and look at the demand for those jobs in the upcoming 10 years. My students use this site when researching possible career paths. If you look at the career fields that are most in demand, you will see that many of them deal with information technology, health care, and other service sectors. The question then arises, "How do we, as a community tap into those economic sectors?" Simply put, we must leave the old way of thinking behind and implement new technology, training, and resources that are available (sometimes for little to no charge). Our General Assistance must not only provide food, heat, and shelter; but also provide training and retraining as part of that assistance package. This same training should be provided to those still employed, but looking to change career paths, or simply want to learn something new.

I earnestly believe that the many displaced and disabled workers in Dexter would prefer receiving more than a monthly paycheck. They simply are not given the tools needed to get themselves on their feet in order to provide for themselves and their families. I think that a younger more aggressive Town Council would help bring the change needed to modernize our Town and provide it with the tools and resources needed to make our economy prosper once again.