FOR THE SAKE OF UNCLE SAM!!!!

“Openness and Transparency”, is a popular buzz phrase in our culture today. We expect leaders doing the public’s business to be open and transparent. The convenience of modern technology has made it easier than ever; but the practice is almost unnatural to those of us who have been leaders in the public sector. It is a struggle to change old ways of doing things.

Similarly, the general public is not accustomed to responding to government leaders when they do reach out for input – except, of course, in a crisis or when some unpopular action is taken, or when we have a self-serving request.

Changing attitudes – among the citizens and their leaders! That is what the We The People initiative is all about – fostering attitudes wherein widespread public dialog, courteously done, about important issues is just the comfortable and right way to do things.

Visionary? Maybe. Idealistic? Surely. Difficult? Absolutely.

We need you! For the sake of Uncle Sam!

Ed Allen

I AM DOWNTOWN!!!!

I am writing today wearing two hats; 1) as an ordinary citizen of Owensboro/Daviess County and 2) as the Executive Director of the “We the People” Initiative. I moved here in 2006 with my family and like many people immediately gravitated to the downtown area to see what it had to offer. I was disheartened as I walked up and down the streets looking at abandoned buildings, vacant parking lots and in general unkempt conditions. It was clear that this was a downtown on the way to becoming a ghost town. I was surprised and wondered why the downtown wasn’t prosperous, especially with an asset like the beautiful Ohio River right there. When I would comment on the downtown area, people would say “Owensboro is just an old river town and it will always be this way”.

In 2008, when I took the position of Executive Director of “We the People” I was excited to find out that I was not alone in my thinking. Downtown revitalization and transformation was the number one priority in Economic Development that came from the 2007 “We the People” America Speaks 21st Town Meeting. Soon after I started my job, the Gateway Planning Group started designing a plan for a new downtown. “We the People” were apart of the planning even facilitating unprecedented public participation in that downtown plan. “We the People” unveiled the final plan at our November 2008 first anniversary celebration. Excitement was in the air as so many of us felt there was true hope for our community. Since then, there has been much negativity throughout the community after a tax increase was passed to pay for the downtown plan.

I congratulate our public officials for looking to our future and investing in our community. This project is surely an economic development gift that we cannot pass up!!!! I encourage all of the downtown supporters to come forth and help us channel the momentum from the town meeting. Let’s support our downtown to become a place that is prosperous, thriving and a place we are all proud to call home. Let’s make it a place that keeps our children here and a place that will bring our children back.


Shelly Nichols

The Rise of the Creative Class

First of all…wow….It seems as though I have been going in so many directions the past few months. But I wouldn’t be entirely truthful if I said that my activity has been for "work", or "business".

I made a conscience attempt early in my 20s to engage myself in activities that were completely meaningful to me. Particularly over the past 10 years, I’d like to think that my family (my wife, children, mother, mother-in-law, brother, etc…) have been witness to a life led with passion, feeling, and purpose.

This past week I’ve been engaging my students in the use of Twitter. As of today over 55 of my current students are on Twitter. What I have seen with my students, just in this week, is that because of this opportunity, they now have a higher level of energy for thinking, observation, expression, and a desire to establish something special. They’ve been given a simple opportunity to create.

So this brings me to the point of community development. And now you say, "huh?" "What?"
I was turned on to a groundbreaking perspective in community and social development in early 2004: "The Rise of the Creative Class."

Over the past 15 years I have had a keen interest in community development. A large part of my academic training, and what I do now as Assistant Professor of Sociology at OCTC, is focus attention on society, culture, and human behavior.

So the Creative Class argument set forth by Richard Florida completely resonated with me. The premise of his work is this: people want to be freed or empowered to create. Not only is that perhaps an innate human desire, oddly enough, it is tied to community and social development in the 21st century. Give people the opportunity, create the environment for wonderful things, and let people go. Give them the tools needed to be and do something extraordinary. In turn, his research points to high rates of economic growth, population stability and growth, and citizens reporting very high levels of quality of life: both personally and in terms of how they view their community.

So let me give you something to chew on, and perhaps you can provide a comment or two: what types of opportunities and access should our community have to allow people to be creative? Think about the possibilities all across the spectrum: religion, government, education, the arts, in the workplace. An alternative question to consider: is our community too stagnant to the point of being unwilling to accept change? Do our institutions have an inviting environment which encourages participation, engagement, and creativity?


Chad Gesser is Assistant Professor Sociology at Owensboro Community and Technical College chad.gesser@kctcs.edu