May 26, 2015 at 5:51 p.m.
Community can make a difference
Editorial
Will Dunkirk’s chance to be selected a Stellar Community by the Office of Community and Rural Affairs be determined by the hospitality shown last week to the lieutenant governor?
Probably not
That decision’s going to be based upon the city’s final application and the facts supporting that application.
But, just the same, it never hurts to roll out the welcome mat for visiting dignitaries when you want those folks to hold a positive opinion about your community.
Last Tuesday wasn’t Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann’s first visit to Dunkirk. At the urging of Mayor Dan Watson, she stopped by in 2014 to visit with Bill and Marilynn Blankenbaker as they were preparing to close their jewelry store. The lieutenant governor is from a Dunkirk-sized town, and her family once had a jewelry store as well. She charmed the Blankenbakers and seemed genuinely delighted to see them again last week.
And this most recent visit had to make a positive impression.
She couldn’t have asked for a better reception. Mayor Watson, the city council, the clerk-treasurer, two former Dunkirk mayors, the mayor of Portland, all three Jay County commissioners, a former commissioner, the executive director of the Jay County Chamber of Commerce, top officials from Jay County Development Corporation, Glass Days committee members, and the members of the Dunkirk Investment Group were all on hand at Webster-Depot Park.
It was an impressive showing by any measure, and it couldn’t have hurt to have the lieutenant governor see first-hand the work that’s been done on projects like the Todd Building and the depot and stabilizing the Stewart Building. It makes it easier for her to envision the potential of moving the library and The Glass Museum and the enormous impact the proposed senior housing project would have on the downtown.
In the end, it will be facts that drive the Stellar Community decision. But when you can put a face on those facts, when Dunkirk isn’t just a name on a map but a community, that can make a tangible difference. — J.R.
Probably not
That decision’s going to be based upon the city’s final application and the facts supporting that application.
But, just the same, it never hurts to roll out the welcome mat for visiting dignitaries when you want those folks to hold a positive opinion about your community.
Last Tuesday wasn’t Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann’s first visit to Dunkirk. At the urging of Mayor Dan Watson, she stopped by in 2014 to visit with Bill and Marilynn Blankenbaker as they were preparing to close their jewelry store. The lieutenant governor is from a Dunkirk-sized town, and her family once had a jewelry store as well. She charmed the Blankenbakers and seemed genuinely delighted to see them again last week.
And this most recent visit had to make a positive impression.
She couldn’t have asked for a better reception. Mayor Watson, the city council, the clerk-treasurer, two former Dunkirk mayors, the mayor of Portland, all three Jay County commissioners, a former commissioner, the executive director of the Jay County Chamber of Commerce, top officials from Jay County Development Corporation, Glass Days committee members, and the members of the Dunkirk Investment Group were all on hand at Webster-Depot Park.
It was an impressive showing by any measure, and it couldn’t have hurt to have the lieutenant governor see first-hand the work that’s been done on projects like the Todd Building and the depot and stabilizing the Stewart Building. It makes it easier for her to envision the potential of moving the library and The Glass Museum and the enormous impact the proposed senior housing project would have on the downtown.
In the end, it will be facts that drive the Stellar Community decision. But when you can put a face on those facts, when Dunkirk isn’t just a name on a map but a community, that can make a tangible difference. — J.R.
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