The People Have Spoken…Now What?
Last week, the people of Scranton elected its first independent and first female mayor. In other races, the people elected its first openly gay councilwoman and made significant changes to the Scranton School Board. Change is afoot! Now what?
ON THE UPSWING
Scranton is in a strong and unique position. From a fiscal perspective, things are looking better than they have in years. Thanks to the interim mayor and others, over the last 6 months, the process of doing business in Scranton is much clearer and the overall culture is much more business-friendly; the new mayor will hopefully continue that strategy. Scranton’s arts culture is thriving, public education once again has hope, and the budding entrepreneurship ecosystem fueled by organizations like TecBridge and others is alive and well! All of these components make for a growing, and dare we say healthier, city.
HOW IS HIGHER ED INVOLVED?
As an institution of higher education, it is our job to help foster an environment of continuous learning. It is our responsibility to help this city and all the communities in which we serve, to develop good citizens who vote, who pay taxes, and who participate in our democracy. We all need to offer our help to government officials in order to move our region forward. Those of us in higher ed must work with our fellow legislators, entrepreneurs, businesses, and agencies to imagine the future of our region.
SCRANTON: THE CITY OF THE FUTURE
The city built for the future has forward thinking leaders that ask questions like:
- What is best for us as a community?
- How do our decisions impact the people, the economy, businesses and families’?
Our community sent a message to these leaders and others last week. We are expecting actions, legislation, initiatives and projects that are for the good of the community and that benefit a majority of people, not just a few. Our community leaders and institutions cannot only make incremental improvements, they must also create a city that can be transformed by change and opportunity well beyond the time they serve.
What are you hoping for with our newly elected officials? What can we be doing to aid our new leaders in setting up our city of the future?
Hope starts here.