A Forgotten City

Planning and Development Director Frederick Gardener suggested I read the study report, Voices from Forgotten Cities: Innovative Revitalization Coalitions in America's Older Small Cities.

What an important piece! Although using examples from northern cities who were originally larger than Griffin, much of the report is extremely relevant to the current conditions in Griffin. It affected me greatly to read a summation of the challenges we face and where these challenges originated. It showed examples of creative thinking and outside-the-box visioneering so desperately needed in Griffin.

Although it is a LOT of information, and I will have to read it again to determine what exactly is useful toward helping Griffin seek a Positive Future, it left me with a few distinct impressions:

1--I have always been appreciative of Griffin's distinguished past. We are a city of many firsts. We were once a thriving mill town with a solid work force and stable neighborhoods that grew around those mills. The reality of today is we are no longer a mill town. The mills are gone but the mill town mentality is not. We absolutely must honor, recognize and learn from our rich history, the past, and the past generations who once made Griffin a thriving small town. Although those past glory days are a noble and necessary foundation, those ways are likely not the composition of a thriving future. We--citizens from all corners of our community--must determine a viable, achievable and exciting future for ourselves.

2--Citizen involvement is another absolute must. This is our town. This is our children's hometown. For some of us, this is likely our lifelong residence. We must be willing to invest our time, talents and abilities to pursuing our Positive Future. It is worth it. The one with the deepest pockets, longest bloodline or largest influence is not always the one with the best plan, direction or idea for a vibrant future. It takes all of us, from all walks of life, to be willing to invest of ourselves (not necessarily monetarily, although monetary investment is a given requirement) in order to reap the benefits of that investment in the future.

3--We must recognize and capitalize on our existing assets. Our citizens are by far our most valuable asset. We must intentionally seek to tap into the untold depth of resources our citizens possess in the form of talent, experience, abilities, education, and desire for a Positive Future. We must recognize and capitalize on our existing physical assets, like Griffin Tech and UGA-Griffin, our medical-related industry, our beautiful historic downtown, and our available real estate space to attract new business and industry. We must recognize and capitalize on our existing geographical assets, like our close proximity to major cities, state parks, and transportation (both existing {I-75, 19/41} and potential {commuter rail}). These assets are already here, waiting for creative and forward-thinking people to bring them to life and utilize them for the thriving town we desire.

4--The very least we can do is cultivate a positive outlook on our own city. We must overcome our natural inclination to see and talk about the negative aspects. We must adopt a new, hopeful, encouraging, positive perception of our city, and then intentionally share that perception at every opportunity. There is a saying that goes something like--Perception is 9/10's of reality. In order to realize a Positive Future, we must do everything we can to propagate a positive perception of Griffin.

The vast majority of the citizens of the City of Griffin are good, hard working people, striving to make a decent living and family life for themselves. It is the responsibility of our elected officials and city staff to recognize our most valuable asset--our citizens--and determine sensible, achievable ways to meet their needs and attract others to share in our way of life.

It is my desire to serve the citizens of City Commission District 3, along with the citizens of the entire city, in that exact capacity.

Blessings!
Shannon
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