In last month’s Bridge, I spoke about our then-upcoming State of the Cities event and the excitement over having two new mayors join the panel. My message focused on embracing a metro mentality. I pointed out that for our region to prosper, decisions must happen with a regional approach to the issues and challenges we face as a growing community. Most of these don’t just affect one city; they affect us all.

Now with the event successfully just past, I am thrilled to say that these expectations were firmly met. For the first time, all four mayors individually and collectively embrace the idea of working together. It’s high time our elected officials and business leaders approach all issues with a regional mindset. While our mayors were elected to serve their particular communities—as they should, and do—it remains extremely important to serve our collective community.

It was mentioned among our 650+ attendees how refreshing it was to hear this collaborative spirit come from the panel and their vision to build a stronger community. Some questions were posed as to exactly how they would follow through.

We at The Chamber commend these leaders for their forward thinking, and we challenge them to adopt a process of working together for one community, for one metro. We want to see everyone at the table when it comes to community discussions. That is the only way we will see our region succeed as an economic engine, a thriving hub, a destination, and hopefully the envy of other communities. We must stay dedicated to attracting and retaining talent to solve our workforce gap. We must see through permanent flood protection. We’re confident these things will happen. We’ve just got to work together!

Craig Whitney
President/CEO
The Chamber