Geneva already has a plan for economic development, recovery, prosperity, and health — but we haven’t followed it. That was the message of my previous column, written before I knew the “Treatise of Grievances of Quasi-Anonymous Public Citizens Wanting Another Chance to Build Up the Lakefront” was going to suck all the air out of the room.
But the eight-part series did prove a point: Elected officials (and people with enough social and political capital to get an essay printed on the front page) do a great job of ignoring sound advice. In fact, it seems that the more detailed, well-documented, and clear a recommendation from an expert is, the more these people insist on asking their buddy down the street if he has any random thoughts we could follow instead.
My columns this summer, appropriately housed on the opinion page, were a multi-part examination of the city’s comprehensive plan. I hoped to remind people that Geneva had the good fortune of landing well-respected national experts in community development, housing, and economic revitalization who analyzed our situation using sound practices. Their work product was a framework to jump-start economic development without compromising community values or trading away Geneva’s signature assets. But it fell on deaf ears.
Instead, the authors of the series that landed on the front page last week leaned heavily on the work of a regional consulting agency, CGR, whose other local work includes a study (paid for by Seneca Meadows) that celebrated the landfill’s impact on the local economy. Landfills and lakefront housing — a sure way to make Geneva the least desirable community in the Finger Lakes!
I know that some people want me to use this column to make a point-by-point rebuttal of the inaccuracies and ill-conceived “solutions” of the front-page series. But I don’t think that’s necessary. Geneva already has two detailed, technical reports done by professionals who have had real-world success in communities across the country: our housing study and the comprehensive plan — the latter of which was not even mentioned in the multi-part musings of our disgruntled neighbors. Why should my column devote more ink to slapdash charts, graphs comparing apples to oranges, and other mistakes of fact and analysis when I could use the space to repeat the accurate, relevant, and viable strategies which have just been waiting for action?
So, I am hereby launching a multi-part series (here on the opinion page) that I’ll call “The Frustrated Finger Lakes Mom’s Guide to Finally Paying Attention and Getting Stuff Done.” This is a call to all the people who’d like to see Geneva ignore the bluster, leave the bad ideas behind, and get its act together in a sensible way before it’s too late.
Here are my underlying assumptions, which are supported by recent articles (not on the opinion page) of the Finger Lakes Times:
1) The powers that be are very skilled at ignoring experts, data, and facts.
2) Local influencers want to be saved by unicorns (build on the swampy lakefront with no existing infrastructure!) rather than putting in the real work needed for solutions.
3) Residents sometimes fall for empty promises and don’t expect much from their elected officials.
4) Many people name poverty as a problem (which is correct) without understanding why or how to begin addressing it.
5) Anyone who believes Geneva can significantly reduce taxes by building housing doesn’t understand Geneva’s tax or housing problems. Case in point: the building on the former American Legion site, celebrated by authors of the recent lakefront-housing infomercial. (I do hope the City heeded the warnings to require performance bonds from the developers to protect our interests!)
6) The people who got us into this mess can’t help get us out until: They set aside their egos, read the work of actual experts, and engage in serious conversations with people they might not like but are willing to put in the work.
Moms who get frustrated when kids don’t listen should not keep talking until blue in the face. Instead, we get to work, do the dang things, trust that everyone else will catch up, and welcome them with open arms when they finally come around. If you are interested and motivated to get working on real solutions, this next series (on the opinion page) is for you!
Jackie Augustine lives with her three children in Geneva, where she served on City Council for 16 years. An ethics instructor at Keuka College, she serves on many local boards and is founder of BluePrint Geneva. “Doing the Write Thing” appears every other Tuesday. Email her at writethingcolumn@gmail.com.
DOING THE WRITE THING: We have a plan for that
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23.01.2024
Geneva already has a plan for economic development, recovery, prosperity, and health — but we haven’t followed it. That was the message of my previous column, written before I knew the “Treatise of Grievances of Quasi-Anonymous Public Citizens Wanting Another Chance to Build Up the Lakefront” was going to suck all the air out of the room.
But the eight-part series did prove a point: Elected officials (and people with enough social and political capital to get an essay printed on the front page) do a great job of ignoring sound advice. In fact, it seems that the more detailed, well-documented, and clear a recommendation from an expert is, the more these people insist on asking their buddy down the street if he has any random thoughts we could follow instead.
My columns this summer, appropriately housed on the opinion page, were a multi-part examination of the city’s comprehensive plan. I hoped to remind people that Geneva had the good fortune of landing well-respected national experts in community development, housing, and economic revitalization who analyzed our situation using sound practices. Their work product was a framework to jump-start economic........
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