(Register & Bee article, paywall may apply unless you break through it)<\/p>\n
Let’s analyze some parts of the editorial that they got wrong…<\/p>\n
Giving companies public money to locate a factory here has always been \u2014 in the minds of many local people \u2014 a sketchy way to grow the economy. When a business grows and expands without public money, that\u2019s considered laudable achievement.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The local people who have that mindset are sadly oblivious to the fact of “that’s how deals are made now”. Sure, it would be great if companies just decided on Danville (or anywhere in the Southside region) without any incentives… but that’s not the way it works in today’s economic development world. If you don’t give incentives, North Carolina will and those incentives can place the new business in North Carolina. It would be great for the practice of incentives to cease immediately, but that’s about as practical as universal nuclear disarmament.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re not sure why Vogler decided to speak for the other eight members of City Council, other than to do a little Tuesday night grandstanding. It would have been far more impressive for Vogler to convince the other eight members of Danville City Council to join with him in a unified statement to the people of Danville on this important issue.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
If the Register & Bee reporter had asked Vogler why he made the solo speech on Tuesday night like I did, she would have gotten the answer that some members of council didn’t want to tell the full story. Instead, the lead on their article was Gary Miller’s repeated demand for Duke Energy to cough up some coal ash cash<\/a>. I sat back and listened to Vogler’s speech. I watched the smiles and nods of approval from Fred Shanks, Alonzo Jones, Larry Campbell, James Buckner and Buddy Rawley. I asked Lee Vogler for a copy of his speech so that I could publish it here on SouthsideCentral, and he was glad to oblige<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Vogler gets some deserved heat for his self-promotion at times, but this wasn’t a case of him seeking the spotlight. Vogler didn’t give away confidential information in his speech. I’d have loved to have this speech coming from Mayor Sherman Saunders and Vice Mayor Gary Miller, but their speeches have lately been “Danville is great! We’re listening to you!” and “Duke Energy is a bunch of meanie poopieheads”. Saunders & Miller knew everything that Lee Vogler said in his speech too, and never said it. I’m not giving a free pass to Shanks, Rawley, Jones, Campbell and Buckner for not coming forward with this information… but at least they visibly supported Vogler saying what needed to be said. Vogler showed more leadership that has been seen in a long while by having the guts to make that speech. He may have gotten the spotlight, but he didn’t seek it out this time.<\/p>\n
But there isn\u2019t a man on Danville City Council today who didn\u2019t run on the promise of new jobs for this community. If more members of City Council lost their own jobs on Election Day, then it stands to reason those who survive the voters\u2019 wrath would take this issue seriously.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I’ve got news for the R&B editorial staff and a lot of Danville citizens. Danville City Council has very little to do with recruiting new jobs to the area. That falls on Danville’s Office of Economic Development and city council has no oversight of that department except through the city manager. Telly Tucker, Corrie Teague, Linwood Wright and the dearly departed Jeremy Stratton broker and brokered the deals. City Council gets the inside scoop on what’s going on behind closed session doors and can advise and recommend action but that’s about all. Economic Development doesn’t go to city council and ask “What should we go after?”. It’s their job to answer that question themselves and to take action to make it happen. The mayor, vice-mayor and council members aren’t expected to have the deal-making acumen to get personally involved with bringing a new company to Danville. City Council is great at a “let’s close this deal cocktail reception” or at a ribbon cutting, but sending Sherman Saunders to China isn’t going to move that deal-making needle much at all. Telly Tucker is doing a great job with a great team now, and the successes or failures in the future will be his to bear.<\/p>\n
Danville’s Job Bust problems came from a flawed process that put too much power in too few people along with a poor vetting and money disbursement policy. Sure, you can blame City Council for this because they’re the elected body… but that wouldn’t be totally fair because I don’t expect them to have the detailed knowledge to micromanage and use oversight on city department functions. City Council has three employees that report to them… the city attorney, the city clerk and the city manager. The buck stops with the city manager. If you’re going to chop off heads in vengeance for Job Busts, City Council shouldn’t be first on the chopping block.<\/p>\n
Of course every council candidate is going to say and promise “I will support bringing new businesses and jobs to Danville” in their campaigns. Would you expect any less? I know that Danville City Council doesn’t have much in a role for that process. Apparently, the Register & Bee editorial staff doesn’t know that.<\/p>\n
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