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Dear Regional Leaders, Tulsa faces a defining moment. We are about to make decisions that determine our regional prosperity for a long time. The stakes are high. Please don’t blow it. Last July, an unprecedented 1,100 citizens gave a resounding thumbs-up to a ‘Visioning’ process. City and County leaders collaborated — and listened — as 287 project proposals were submitted, many from the grass roots. That process now seems in jeopardy. Boeing may represent a major, tactical employment opportunity (as does perhaps a more winnable target — American Airlines). But it must not deter you from more fundamental, long-term opportunities to stimulate prosperity for our region. The economy is weak. Large and small businesses are taking a beating. Sales tax revenues and employment are declining. Schools and public servants are suffering. We face fierce competition from other US cities — already revitalizing their downtowns, re-creating walkable neighborhoods, providing genuine mass transit choices, and adopting sustainable development practices. The more successful adopted new approaches to listening and responding to neighborhood concerns. Just as important, we detect a crisis in confidence, a loss of a sense of civic purpose and widespread cynicism among our region’s residents. To address these factors we call for a fundamental shift in the region’s economic strategy. To attract cutting-edge companies, we must recognize that the most important customers are the folks who live here now. We must create an environment that we can take pride in and want to stay in: a livable community that celebrates our distinctiveness and diversity. Arts, education, entertainment, green spaces, shops, libraries and homes in stable neighborhoods are crucial factors. If we like our city better, it’s more likely others will too. Quality of life factors are increasingly vital components in the selection of locations by businesses. So don’t pull the plug on us. Do not abandon the last year of public dialogue, or, worse, leave it hanging. By all means make an offer to Boeing. Offer an incentive to American Airlines. But concentrate resources on the bigger picture, which will lead to a more diverse base of industries, businesses and skill requirements – and to happier, prouder residents. Boeing and American represent skilled manufacturing jobs. We need these but such jobs do not help the high-tech knowledge workers who lost their jobs at WorldCom and Williams, and who are now crossing the Red River in search of work. Even an improved economy from more blue-collar jobs will not generate the high-tech jobs Tulsa needs most. That's the flaw in putting all our eggs in the manufacturing basket. We want to support the next package of projects that require public investment. We want to be sure that they address long-term needs: for sustainable development, a vibrant Downtown, healthy core neighborhoods; and thriving, distinctive, regional communities. Two failed capital improvements packages and double successes at the other end of the turnpike should tell us something. We need clear goals and compelling strategies. We need inspiring projects that directly address those strategies. Projects must be backed by sound business plans with good returns (direct and indirect) on our collective investment. Voters must be convinced that their voice in this strategy has been heard. It will be easier to convince voters if you have thought straight and listened to their ideas. The time for investing strategically and imaginatively in our region’s future is right Now. The TulsaNow Coordinating Team
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