Economic development is a team sport

To the editor:
    We’ve talked a great deal recently about definitions of economic development. Like many things, it has an almost endless variety of definitions and meanings for everyone. I think it may be human nature to take a myopic (albeit a somewhat insular focus) view of things not easily quantified as negative. Since I’ve received quite a lot of e-mail, and am still looking brown from the Junior Olympics venture, I’ve also been thinking about Maine Winter Sports Center, and their economic development model.     And I’ve been thinking about competitions (in terms of our competing for more business in our community). I decided this week economic development may be about marathons, relays and teams as opposed to sprints, individual races and single athletes. There are no fast wins, no single “gold medalists,” and to use the cliché, no “I” in team … and since the last day of competition at the Junior Olympics was indeed team relays, I’ve been thinking about volunteers, and tagging.
    Volunteers, whether it be committees, civic groups, or boards tend to eventually run their course, in terms of involvement. Eventually their interest moves to another organization, program or stage in their lives. Then the time comes when they tag the next person to ski/run/swim the next leg of the race. But no doubt, it’s a process and it sometimes takes longer with less tangible results “right now” than we’d like.
    This week I believe economic development closely parallels a marathon. I also don’t believe I have much choice in this, as much as I might like fast results and quick wins. More importantly than this even, is the notion that there is one single “correct” definition of what economic development is.
    Mrs. Hebert used to say (to everyone I am sure) “everything” was economic development, ie. the Wellness Center, services the community provides, the schools, the people, the quality of life, amenities available etc, that it was all a form of economic development in terms of bringing and keeping businesses and people coming to a town, and growing your community. I wasn’t always listening, and I’ve had many an occasion since to wish I had listened to her more closely when she was with us all. So, as I think about economic development, our organization’s 10-year anniversary and all the other board members and councilors from then to now who’ve invested so much time and energy into their “leg of the relay,” I want to believe we are all ready for our next leg of the race, and that we keep in mind it’s a journey.
    Along with no one single definition, there’s no one single person who can affect economic development all by themselves (unless I win the lottery, and I am going to start playing soon). It’s a team effort, and I know we are a community with many good things ahead, even if we might have to ski/run up a fierce hill this next leg.