THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 1995 TAG: 9510130198
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
Over the past two years, members of the Portsmouth arm of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce have been able to exert real influence on the city's direction after two days of brainstorming at the Portsmouth division's annual retreats.
In fact, the city's economic development plan, Vision 2005, grew out of the 1993 retreat and got a major push at the 1994 retreat.
In essence, the local chamber has been doing what I always thought chambers were supposed to do.
Sometimes it seems the regional organization, at various levels, has lost its way. Instead of focusing on business of all sorts and sizes, it seems to get bogged down in politics and catering to big business, offering little more than parties.
It's been good to see the Portsmouth division retain some real local interest. The retreats have been the major reflection of this.
On the other hand, this year's retreat was geared to regionalism, which also is something the Portsmouth chamber needs to focus on.
On Friday, Portsmouth chamber Director Lonny Staylor gave me a copy of the recommendations from this year's brainstorming session, held two weeks ago in Williamsburg. Although the sessions got off to a slow start, with participants more concerned about Portsmouth than the region, some good things evolved from the discussion.
For instance, the Portsmouth people want regional support for an interstate highway south, endorsements of light-rail systems to connect the cities and promotion of another tunnel for Portsmouth.
One small but important recommendation: Have the public transportation agencies in Hampton Roads provide all citizens with information about their services and how to use them.
The Portsmouth advice to Forward Hampton Roads, the regional chamber's economic development arm, was to ``focus on what we should do, not just on what we can do.'' In addition, they want Forward Hampton Roads to look for jobs that pay more than minimum wage, to ``target higher-dollars industries.''
As for water and sharing it, chamber members said first, ``We must bring equity to the table.''
The region, they said, needs to pool resources such as water and land to find ways to compete nationally for business and industry.
It's not the first time somebody around here has said we should use our water to bargain for land and industry, but it's always good to hear it repeated.
On the subject of economic development, the Portsmouth group took the position that ``what's good for the region is good for Portsmouth.''
They suggested creating a regional economic development commission (similar to the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission) and presenting one set of incentives for all the cities and using one marketing plan. In effect, that would eliminate competition for the same industry by two cities.
The group said the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce should endorse revenue sharing and also promote special legislation to distribute retail sales tax on a per capita basis.
Now that makes a lot of sense, too. Because so many of Portsmouth's retail dollars go to other cities, it is only fair for this city to get some of the money back. After all, we do provide services to more than 100,000 people who are spending much of their money elsewhere.
Expansion of Vision 2005 to include the entire city also was recommended. The group also suggested the city ``expand citizen input.''
Actually, the work sessions for Vision 2005 are open to anyone who wants to come, and a variety of people has been at the meetings I've attended. Maybe the chamber needs to suggest to members that they should participate - even if they neither live nor work in the area involved.
After all, we don't need to do all the work and then have somebody of influence suddenly appear and create opposition to the plans.
In fact, if all goes according to Portsmouth's usual pattern, we'll begin to hear some extremely vocal opposition soon. It would be better to head off the naysayers before they get started, and maybe some of the chamber activists could help.
One thing is certain: Portsmouth needs Vision 2005 if it is going to become a stable, thriving city. Those who believe it is essential to the future need to stay focused. They don't need to waste time and energy fending off critics who have contributed nothing to the plan.
The Portsmouth arm of the chamber has been good for Portsmouth. However, all that might change if the regional board continues with its plan to downsize and cut out the operation over here. I would think that would cost them a lot of members, but nobody seems to care as long as they keep the big corporations happy.
Regionalism is good if the chamber views all cities in the same light and if Forward Hampton Roads sells everybody, not just one city competing against another.
It also is good if it can bring all five Hampton Roads cities to the table and convince them they are no better than the weakest one.
That's the regional effort we should support. by CNB