Viewpoint

Aliceann Wolhbruck, Executive Director, NADO Research Foundation

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
- Winston Churchill

The beginning of 2003 has been highlighted with threats of war, an increased focus on homeland security and growing concerns about the economy. Declining revenues and budget cuts have put state and local governments in the most trying fiscal situation in many decades.

In his State of the Union address, President Bush said, “With unemployment rising, our nation needs more small businesses to open, more companies to invest and expand, more employers to put up the sign that says help wanted.” As organizations charged with creating jobs and building communities, economic development districts are faced with many challenges in helping sustain and strengthen their regional economies and small businesses.

The role of regional development organizations in small metropolitan and rural regions is more important than ever as state and local governments seek efficient and effective solutions to meeting needs and solving local problems. There has never been a more important time for regional development organizations to strengthen existing partnerships among local officials who serve on their boards and to find new approaches and new partners.

As the largest national association advocating a regional approach to community and economic development, NADO is taking the lead in creating new alliances to address rural needs. One example of the effectiveness of partnership is the success of a five-year coordinated effort by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and NADO to gain greater understanding of the critical importance of transportation for economic growth in rural America.

The NADO-NACo partnership resulted in the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issuance of a rural planning rule that strengthens the role of rural local officials and regional development organizations in statewide transportation planning. While the federal government distributes nearly $30 billion in highway funds to states and metropolitan areas until recently rural local officials were not involved in the planning and investment decision-making process. (For more information on this rule and other information on transportation visit the NADO Regional Transportation Online Center at www.nado.org/rtoc.)

As the nation addresses domestic and international challenges, the optimists in small metropolitan and rural regions must continue to look for opportunities to strengthen their economies by building effective partnerships at the federal, state and local level.

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