THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505240194
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: John Pruitt
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
Quick! List two achievements of the Chamber of Commerce in the past six months. Oh, what the heck, extend the time limit to a year.
Now, add to that two public services of the local board of Realtors, the bar association and the local ministerial alliance.
And while you're at it, jot down a couple of things this newspaper has caused to come about or at least has brought into the forefront of discussion.
Our goal being to come up with an extensive list of missions accomplished, this could go on and on.
The point here is not to malign any of these organizations or their members but to foster a discussion about how Suffolk seems, on many fronts, at best to be chugging along on the same track it has run on for years. Indeed, we might even have to admit to an occasional derailment.
What's happened? Why do so many things just seem to be overlooked or, even when they're spotlighted, pushed back on the shelf? Why are so seemingly few things carried to completion?
Is it just a sign of the times? Are Chamber of Commerce members, for instance, so busy doing the work of their employers that there isn't room for anything else - even when the good things they could undertake would be good for the city and therefore good for their companies?
How come the people who sell Suffolk as their livelihood don't see the benefits of investing to preserve real estate that sets Suffolk apart from other towns? How come returning something to the community is not in vogue?
Despite public protestations that we want less and less government in our everyday lives, we continue as a society, and certainly as a city, to rely on government to get all sorts of things done and to use government as our scapegoat when they aren't accomplished.
This seems especially out of place in a city with a rich agricultural heritage of self-reliance, but Suffolk just doesn't have enough people who will step out and rally others to worthy causes:
Organizations, such as the Chamber of Commerce, willing to lead efforts that are too much of a challenge for smaller groups; businesses that know the payoff of digging into their treasuries to support community-improvement projects; neighborhood leaders who know the best way to get things done is to band together and do them yourself; parents who see things that need fixing in the school system and recruit others to help fix them.
I know Suffolk has strong civic organizations that volunteer countless hours of service and contribute to worthy causes, I know some businesses understand an investment in Suffolk brings a hefty return, I know individuals who still get things done the old-fashioned way: by the sweat of their brow - without the expectation of even a thank-you.
But I also know there are more people not involved in civic organizations than involved; that the Chamber of Commerce, which should be in the lead of Suffolk business, is about as visible as a mole; and that too many people still are waiting for someone else to do things they're perfectly capable of doing for themselves.
The missing ingredient is leadership, and that's where the Chamber of Commerce can be a mule. It isn't enough to discuss issues over lunch with equally busy executives and settle for a report.
The Chamber has to persuade others that brainstorming solutions to the city's problems - and venturing to act of them - is good business. No other Suffolk organization, save obtrusive government, holds the same capital. No other organization stands to get a better return. by CNB