THE EDITORIAL
BY JEFFREY J. ORTIZ
WEEK OF AUGUST 28, 2005
www.jeffortiz.com
Dear Reader,
The following is a summary of comments and suggestions that I received from residents, business leaders, landlords and Nederland students have for our city government.
Be a good manager: Push aside politics and manage the city in a business-like manner. But don’t forget that the main function of government is to serve the citizens. Keep in constant contact with residents via neighborhood meetings or newsletters and answer their complaints in a timely manner.
Build on the city’s strengths: Forget about lost opportunities such as Mid Jeff Hospital and Wal-Mart relocating in Port Arthur. Focus on downtown Nederland’s strengths: a beautiful setting, historic buildings and a great shopping venue.
Plan for the future: Develop long-term plans of what the downtown area should look like. Allow plenty of public input in the process, and make sure the city follows through on these plans.
Be aggressive with attracting jobs: Don’t sit in City Hall or in EDC offices and wait for companies to come to Nederland. Be aggressive in recruiting economic development with high-wage jobs. Also, think of ways to reduce the time it takes for a business to set up shop in Nederland.
Be friendly to businesses, shoppers: Make sure that downtown streets and alleys are clean and well lit at night. Most importantly, take business owners’ complaints and advice seriously.
Pull Nederland students downtown: Students want reasons other than bars or movies to come downtown. Take a hard look at downtown development projects that will cater to their wants and needs.
Give Nederland High School students a voice: Students are growing in number. City government should make students feel like their concerns mean something. City Council and the Mayor should meet with students every few months to accomplish this.
BY JEFFREY J. ORTIZ
WEEK OF AUGUST 28, 2005
www.jeffortiz.com
Dear Reader,
The following is a summary of comments and suggestions that I received from residents, business leaders, landlords and Nederland students have for our city government.
Be a good manager: Push aside politics and manage the city in a business-like manner. But don’t forget that the main function of government is to serve the citizens. Keep in constant contact with residents via neighborhood meetings or newsletters and answer their complaints in a timely manner.
Build on the city’s strengths: Forget about lost opportunities such as Mid Jeff Hospital and Wal-Mart relocating in Port Arthur. Focus on downtown Nederland’s strengths: a beautiful setting, historic buildings and a great shopping venue.
Plan for the future: Develop long-term plans of what the downtown area should look like. Allow plenty of public input in the process, and make sure the city follows through on these plans.
Be aggressive with attracting jobs: Don’t sit in City Hall or in EDC offices and wait for companies to come to Nederland. Be aggressive in recruiting economic development with high-wage jobs. Also, think of ways to reduce the time it takes for a business to set up shop in Nederland.
Be friendly to businesses, shoppers: Make sure that downtown streets and alleys are clean and well lit at night. Most importantly, take business owners’ complaints and advice seriously.
Pull Nederland students downtown: Students want reasons other than bars or movies to come downtown. Take a hard look at downtown development projects that will cater to their wants and needs.
Give Nederland High School students a voice: Students are growing in number. City government should make students feel like their concerns mean something. City Council and the Mayor should meet with students every few months to accomplish this.
1 comments:
good thoughts...politics with heart. economics that center around building the social aspect also of a community and attraction good business at the same time...nice
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