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Location: Blogs Jim's Blog |
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| Posted by: Jim Hansen |
8/14/2006 |
People in Jerome come from diverse perspectives but have a lot in common with each other as they deal with the immediate effects of growth. They were glad I showed up again to meet more people face to face. Even though big interest groups in Washington, D.C., heavily influence national and international policies, the people in Jerome pay the price.
Growth affects every community differently. It has become clearer to me with every community I go to that Congress and other elites in Washington, D.C., don’t seem to care. Most small communities are frustrated with incumbents in Congress and often don’t see them as partners in solving problems – even though those problems are caused by larger national and international policies. Occasionally, Congress will throw money their way for a project, but when push comes to shove, Congress will side with the big corporations that are putting pressure on those communities to accommodate their needs, rather than the local folks who have to sort through all the competing demands.
The people who understand the impacts of growth best are the residents, the small businesses (including the farms owned and run by local families) and the city officials they have elected. The smaller the community, the more likely the local leaders I meet are wearing lots of different hats.
When I spent another day in Jerome, I found out more about how growth has affected this town just north of Twin Falls. There are a lot of small businesses downtown struggling to keep their doors open. Because there has been a steady growth in the number of Latino families, there are also more businesses downtown owned and run by Latino families. This has created new challenges and opportunities for downtown business owners to work together for their mutual benefit. National politics tries to divide people, but folks in Jerome are working on ways to find common ground.
Regardless of what type of family owns the business, they all work long hours and have very modest profit margins. They also face huge pressure from big box corporations whose national headquarters are thousands of miles away. Those corporations outside the city limits are a mixed blessing. They provide jobs but they also make huge demands on the city that other businesses don’t expect. Then, when company executives don’t get what they want from the city, they have been known to go around them to ask state or federal politicians to give them what they want.
I met quite a number of small business owners in Jerome. One who recently retired is Joe Rose who started Rose Photography. He now puts a lot of his time into the Jerome Rotary Club’s many local projects. The mayor of Jerome, Charlie Correll, is the secretary of the Rotary Club and a local CPA downtown. Another impressive local business person, who is also the president of the city council, is Marjorie Schmidt. She and her husband, Terry, own Schmidt Electric. They are just a few of the people who took the time to share their perspectives on the community. I appreciate all the people who took the time to visit with me. How seldom their vision is reflected in the big lobbyists in Washington, D.C., who have the ear of members of Congress.
A few weeks earlier, I met several folks who attend St. Jerome’s Catholic Church and work with La Posada Ministries. I also spoke with the brothers at Ascension Priory just outside of Jerome. They, too, have a perspective on the changes taking place in Jerome and are there to help people. I have participated in retreats at the priory several times in recent years. When someone I met in Montpelier mentioned they would like to look into developing a retreat program, I put them in touch with the brothers at Ascension Priory.
I ended the day in Jerome by walking in the parade kicking off the Jerome County Fair. My cousin’s husband, Marv Pierce, drove the truck with our banners while my brother John, my son Harrison and three of his buddies and several other volunteers handed out flyers. Many folks I met during the day were there and cheered us on. They no doubt noticed that the incumbent congressman was nowhere to be seen, even though Congress had adjourned for the August recess.
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