In recent weeks, I’ve found myself challenged to keep an open mind and filled with a strong desire to soak up positive news.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment of thanks for family, friends, our beautiful community and the fact that democracy has redundancy.
Reflecting on my recent term as president of the Colorado Municipals League, I had the opportunity to advocate for issues relative to our community on a state level. I also had the opportunity to learn about other cities and towns throughout the state and across the nation.
While many topics are not a comparison to the scale of our community, it is a reminder that we can draw parallels in philosophy and innovative ideas and apply them where appropriate.
I just returned from the annual City Summit of the National League of Cities, hosted this year in Pittsburgh. Once a strategic battleground turned booming steel town, and then a leader in manufacturing of aluminum, glass, shipbuilding and rail transport, the city saw its wealth plummet in the economic collapse of the late 1970s. Yet as the steel industry collapsed and unemployment surged, the people of Pittsburgh continued to invest in education and innovation. It is a prime example of community pulling together to pool its assets and celebrate its diversity.
Rising from the ashes, the residents drew upon their positivity and resources. They invested in their community and partnered with their local government. The result is a surprising local hub of global innovation, a stunning example of a transformed city and the results of what can happen if a city and its residents invest in each other.
Now home of one of the fastest growing millennial populations in the nation and the first robotics program in the nation, Pittsburgh has had a resurgence in arts and culture; university research and development at Carnegie Mellon, Pitt and Duquesne; and technology and innovation with companies like Google, Apple, Bosch and Uber’s new autonomous self-driving vehicles. They are turning parking lots into community parks and rediscovering their Strip District, where all but two of the 200 businesses there are locally owned and independent.
Some take-aways to consider are perhaps relative to our decline in gas and oil revenues, loss of our local ballot initiatives for our infrastructure, and the animus pervading the national news media, we, as people of this community, can continue to keep an open mind, encourage ideas and suggestions, celebrate our differences and diversity, and continue to innovate and learn.
We can take action, stand up for one another and bridge the gaps between us. We can invest in our community by supporting our colleges and nonprofits, by joining organizations like the La Plata County Economic Development Alliance, and by shopping at our local businesses.
This holiday season, make a donation to an educational institution and nonprofit organization, consider membership in stakeholder groups like the Alliance (www.yeslpc.com) and before you click on Amazon or go out of town to shop, look to our local businesses first. By supporting Durango businesses, you are supporting local jobs and sales tax dollars that are critical to keeping your streets plowed, your community safe, your trails accessible, your library and rec center open and parks maintained (even the organic ones!).
Our annual upcoming Noel Night on Dec. 2 is the perfect opportunity to start. I hope to see you downtown then!
Christina Rinderle is the mayor of Durango, a position rotating among members of City Council. She was re-elected to City Council in 2013 and will serve as mayor until April 2017, when she will be succeeded by now-Mayor Pro Tem Dick White. Reach her at Christi-naRinderle@DurangoGov.org.
