Six Months of Developing a Community

By Tom Neyer, Jr

My first six months as a Commissioner confirmed my belief that our community could, indeed, become a "Great American Center". That is, if we followed certain "truths" that are critical to the growth of this community now.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I know that you hear this all of the time, but it is a pleasure for me to be here. Looking around this room, full of people whose professional backgrounds are so similar to mine, I am pleased and excited to be a member of our industry. I'd like to elaborate on that pride for a few minutes, perhaps in a different way than you might have expected.

Great-grandpa Joseph Neyer started my family's business in 1894 as a church and school contractor. Grandpa, recognizing a finite market when he saw one, branched into commercial construction. His sons, (my dad and his two brothers) decided that design/build and land development were the ways to go. Now, as my generation runs the business, we have evolved again, retaining the design and construction but adding full service real estate development.

As we have made this transition into development, among our challenges has been helping our .employees, (and ourselves) understand the difference between these two sides of our business, development and construction. One small part of that process came several years ago when I decided to simply look up the definition of "develop" in the dictionary. To my surprise, Webster's 1994 New Unabridged Dictionary offers 16 different interpretations of the word. I enjoyed the various meanings so much that I actually have the entry framed in my office. (Please contain your laughter regarding my lack of imagination in artwork!) Because I think they can help us see the real purpose of our industry, and because they also describe well what effective government can do for a community, I'd like to share a few- of those definitions with you this evening.

The first one listed is "to bring out the capabilities or possibilities of' -- fairly simple, but not a bad start. Next is the photographer's definition: "to render visible". That again is a bit self- evident, but still an important cornerstone. Skipping over one biological usage, (because I can't begin to explain "differentiation in ontogeny") we come to another, rather important one: "to cause to go through the process of natural evolution from a previous and lower stage... to a later -and more complex or perfect one." Wow. An important point for people in our industry is "natural evolution". You probably can recall at least one building project -- or company -- that failed because its evolution was forced and unnatural.

There are two more definitions. The first is the chess player's, which also has everything to do with good government: "to bring a piece into effective play". That clearly describes my challenge as a Commissioner: effectively bringing the many pieces of a community into play. The last one is my favorite, and applies with equal power to both our profession and our governments. It is the musician's usage: "to unfold, by various technical means, the inherent possibilities of a theme." Without the technical means represented in this room, the inherent value of a site or a design will never be realized. Without appropriate, effective government, the possibilities of a community will remain only possibilities.

A few days ago, I decided to spend less time on the development and construction topic than I had originally planned. Why? Because I am concerned that the "inherent possibilities" of this community that I love so dearly may never be developed. Although my comments are certainly focused on Hamilton County, be assured of their relevance to the Dayton area members as well. That's because, as the "Ohio Valley" designation of this Chapter indicates, Dayton and Cincinnati are already integrated, and becoming more so. It's also apparent, from speaking with business and political leaders around the Country, that my observations could apply to many American communities.

Tomorrow morning, I will have been a County Commissioner for six months. That makes tonight an appropriate opportunity for reflection. I'd really like to stand here and talk about how wonderful things are, and how much I had to do with making them that way. The truth is though, that as genuinely bright as our prospects are, we stand in imminent danger of allowing the greatest series of community opportunities in at least a generation to get away from us. Worse, the energy and promise that these opportunities offer may not only be squandered, but in fact somehow be spun into negatives! Worst yet, with the usual lame apologies to Pogo, I must tell you that 'we have met the enemy, and he is us'.

At my swearing in ceremony, I gave an installation speech entitled " A Great American Center." In that address, I went on and on about our community's many assets and how when properly aligned, we will be a "Great American Center" -- a center of caring, justice, education, jobs, business, health, entertainment, culture, ideas and leadership. Six months later, I am relieved to tell you that my vision of that day and its potential has even greater clarity. We can get there, and I still believe that we will. If .......

If we as a community can resist the powerful temptation to accept and join the incessant, naysaying chatter of self-interested, under-informed, over-available obstructionists, full of criticism but lacking sound alternatives.

If we realize that there is more than one good solution to most community issues; that the true challenge is to assume the risk of choosing one, rather than accept the safety of not.

If we stop fighting battles that were resolved months or years ago, daring to believe that the courses we have chosen will- in fact be grand ones.

If we regain a sense of balance, and focus constructively on issues of true importance to the livability, humanity and competitiveness of our home; and,

If and only if we embrace the absolute fact that the promise and prosperity of each person in this community is affected by the promise and prosperity of every other.

A few weeks ago, I was in a traffic jam. This was, by Ohio standards at least, the jam to end all traffic jams. A 116 mile stretch of Interstate 64 in West Virginia was closed by an accident. This required a beautiful, but winding, hilly, 3 hour detour over the Midland Trail -- a route that's particularly treacherous for the ever-longer trucks that we seem to permit nowadays. Two of those rigs got a bit too close and, of course, had a wreck of their own. Through truckers' radios and word of mouth, it became clear that we weren't moving -- an inch -- for quite a while. In a delightful, astonishing turn of otherwise maddening events, I was suddenly part of a new community. This was a community of every age and ability, religion and race, income and ideology. This new community, from all over our great nation, (I counted license plates from 39 states including Alaska!) was linked only by circumstance, but linked we were.

People were dancing to music from other people's cars, sharing bottles of water (and other bottles that as a public official I couldn't possibly condone) and swapping stories about where they had been and where they were going. People were actually smiling as we got to know just a little bit about people who, though entirely different, were exactly alike. As the jam broke, and we finally resumed our arthritic journey through the mountains, we parted knowing that we were going through the same place, at the same speed, as everyone else.

Likewise, shared circumstance is, at the end of the day, all that links us here in our Greater Cincinnati community. I have an alarming impression that we too often forget that. We seem more compelled by the fact that some of our cars are of different capabilities, costs and colors than the fact that none of them are moving. Most troubling to me, we seem more interested in who is driving than where we hope to arrive or the route we plan to take getting there.

In the installation speech that I mentioned earlier, I also said that "In our well intentioned efforts to manage a complex society, we have crafted governments who are principally concerned with 5 keeping people from doing bad, rather than helping people do good." Six months into this office, I think that my statement was correct but simplistic and understated. I should have levied similar criticism at some in the general public, many "public interest" lobbies, some members of the media, and certainly sometimes at myself.

This is not the blanket indictment of a spent, bitter officeholder. Rather it is the earnest concern of an optimist -- but one who is truly astonished at how inclined we Greater Cincinnatians are to address community issues by means of the circular firing squad. Hamilton County is a place of true history, diversity, commerce, and culture. This combination of blessings grants us rare opportunities to shine in an increasingly competitive world; with those blessings comes a requirement that we use them wisely, fully, and with an inspired vision of our shared future.

Now, to help get about the business of community building that I feel we so desperately need, I'd like to get a few things on the table. Though equipped with the wisdom of neither Moses nor David Letterman, I too have a top ten list. Of course I have to address "the S-topic", (stadiums) but most of my top ten list is different -- some might seem quite obvious, some more controversial. This is my list of ten truths, the acceptance of which today I believe is critical to the growth of this community tomorrow.

Truth #1 The actual "apples-to-apples" construction cost of Paul Brown Stadium did grow by $12.5 million. It is also true that we will incur additional costs for inflation ($31 million), prevailing wage (a cost sure to please this group at $15 million), practice facilities ($10 million), and design ($17 million). For the remaining $12.5 million in "scope creep", I happily accept responsibility; the long-term value will far exceed the incremental cost.

Truth #2 The original Stadium Task Force numbers should never have been used in first place. Those figures, though put out for understandable reasons, were never meant to stand on their own without greater explanation than a political environment allows. We Commissioners have permitted a combination of honest confusion and deliberate distortion to rob this community of some of the good feelings it deserves as part of our stadium investment.

Truth #3 Voters would have approved the stadium projects whether they totaled $400 million, $600 million, or $800 million. The sales tax cost (1/2 %) is still the same, the other benefits promised (property tax relief and school assistance) are still in place, and Art Modell still would have moved the Browns to Baltimore -- making the dire alternative to a new stadium plainly apparent.

Truth #4 We have plenty of money to produce a generous, enduring baseball deal as soon as there is a coherent body on the other side of the table to accept one. This Chicken Little nonsense about the County being out of money plays directly into the hands of those who would have us lay our every card on the table so they can pick the hand to play. That's hardly a negotiation tactic that you or any other successful businessperson would embrace.

Now that we've dealt with the popular headlines, let's get back to what will really "develop" our community.

Truth #5 Please, please hear this one. The preceding four truths combined are relatively meaningless when compared with any one of the next five.

Truth #6 Ten years from today, you will care about the present stadium controversies almost as much as you now care about the 1950's debate over which field should replace Lunken. Ten years from today, on the other hand, you will still be paying to birth, house, feed, repair, re-educate, jail, and bury those people who we neglect to stabilize today. Hamilton County Government will administer more dollars in welfare, child support, and other human service functions this year alone than we will spend to build both stadiums, which serve at least thirty years. It's true -- $805 million in 1997. Above that, human services dollars administered with dignity, opportunity, and value truly can help people learn to help themselves. If there is any correlation between our community's priorities, values, and expenditures, our attention is sorely misspent on stadiums.

Truth #7 Two of the greatest challenges facing our community are: a) an economically crippling lack of accessible people to fill good jobs, and, b) an individually crippling lack of good opportunities for the un or under employed. Duh... Though we've made progress and it's easier said than done, we must do a better job of matching these two obviously compatible needs.

Truth #8 Regional government will not come, but regional alignment must. Both points to this truth are critical. Although I agree it would be ideal to have one 13 county, 1.9 million person, $4 billion regional government that we'd call Cincitukiana, (you should see my spellchecker digest that one!) it is destructive to keep discussing its retroactive imposition. It's destructive because when jurisdictions fear the loss of their own autonomy, they are less inclined to cooperate with those around them. That slows regional alignment, the second, critical part of this truth. "Alignment" simply means having the strengths and weaknesses of one jurisdiction complement and balance those of its neighbor. There are some examples of alignment already, but economics and common sense will require more.

Truth #9 In the next five to eight years, Hamilton County will decide to remain a first class community. Notice I don't even mention the option, because I don't believe that our sense of pride will allow us to slip to second, or third class. I'm not referring to size; we will always be a second tier region, and that's okay with me. I don't want to live with the size or hassles of New York, or LA, or Chicago, thank you very much. I do, though, want the economic, cultural, recreational, medical, and educational opportunities of those places. You know what? So does everyone else. That's why the alignment that I mentioned a minute ago is so important. A sustained, robust economy and the mainstreaming of technology have, for a time, hastened the rate of change. American communities, just like American businesses, are in a period of irreversible decisions, enormous competition and inevitable consolidation. How we position ourselves in this shrinking world is a result for which our children and theirs will ever curse or ever thank us.

Truth #10 We are in this together -- every city and village, every county and township, every single individual in this 13 county, three state metropolis. I apologize if it sounds redundant, but I cannot possibly emphasize this enough. The corollary truth is that you must insist on community mindedness from your officeholders -- in word and in action. This applies both to those that you elect and those that they appoint. You truly deserve nothing less.

So there you have them. Ten truths, the denial of which will, believe, retard in many important ways the true development, in the musician's terms, of our community.

I apologize for reading this speech to you, as opposed to the more casual approach that we both probably expected this evening. I hope you can tell though, that this means too much to me, indeed to all of us, for me to wing it. Together, we will develop this region into a Great American Center. Not just because we can, but because we must. Thank you again for letting me share some thoughts on how we must get to it.