"Yes We Can"

In light of this year's ever increasing presidential campaigning (and we're not even yet to the general election part of it yet!), I found it most appropriate to capitalize on one of the presidential candidate’s slogan: "Yes We Can" and relate that to downtown development practices today.

You see, the importance of this statement -this slogan, this concept - is simple. Without a positive attitude, a dying downtown in need of resurgence will not move forward. It will sit there, in all its imperfections and failings, and remain just that: An imperfect downtown that has failed. The community will continue to talk about how awful their downtown is in its current state, how unsafe, how unfriendly, and they will simply walk away. They will continue to watch buildings further deteriorate, streets and sidewalks continue to crumble, weeds blossom in their unsightly splendor, all the while joining together in their triumphant (peer pressure driven) union of being the community that is offended by the obscenity of "that" downtown. Oh they will triumph together that they live on "the upper side of town" and they will bond together over their high society, most noble living that is far, far away from "that" downtown.

But what happens when an out of town guest comes to visit. What happens when that friend from Franklin, Tennessee comes to visit? Or, what about the friend from San Antonio, Texas? Or the niece from Athens, Georgia or Asheville, North Carolina? The first thing they want to do is do something unique. They want you to show them your town, take them out to dinner at a restaurant you can't find in their town, and go shopping in a boutique you can't find anywhere else in the country! Those that step into your community may soon bring to light that neglecting your downtown may not have been such a "community bonding" experience after all.

So what's next? "Yes we can" is next. The best possible thing a community can do for its town is reshape the negative attitudes into a "Yes We Can" attitude. "Yes We Can" make downtown great again. "Yes We Can" rebuild the old fountain square. "Yes We Can" bridge the broken partnerships within the community. "Yes We Can" make downtown a destination rather than an avoidance. "Yes We Can" showcase the things that made our town what it is today. "Yes We Can" celebrate our past and show it off to the world. "Yes We Can" bring life back to our downtown. We can start with flowers. Green plants. Banners. A fresh coat of paint. A window washer. For Sale signs. For Rent signs. Events. And, a few bold leaders willing to stick their necks out and take bold decisions that show their belief in "Yes We Can". They can start with renovating a building to house City Hall. They can start with setting $500,000 aside to redevelop a small strip of land into a small park along the waterfront. They can find matching grants to leverage that small investment. They can build a sports facility downtown. They can build a performing arts center downtown. They can make downtown now the place where community bonding sentiments continue. Instead of a community bonding over the negatives of their downtown, the community will begin to bond over the positives of their downtown and yes, be given bragging rights to those who come to visit!

One bold step after another will lead to bold success. One bold step after another will lead to the kind of success that we read about in the papers, in magazines, in classroom textbooks. One bold step must begin with "Yes We Can". Because after all, where would this country be today if our forefathers had not carried with them "Yes We Can"?