editorial

Many voices best for development

Over the past months two Village Council members have offered very different proposals regarding the appropriate body to advise Council on economic development, a critical topic that could impact the future of Yellow Springs. Council will continue the discussion in upcoming meetings.

According to Kathryn Van der Heiden, Community Resources is the best group to act as the advisory body. As the creator of the Center for Business and Education and a force behind the new Antioch University McGregor building, this 10-year-old group has already proven itself and is the obvious choice, Van der Heiden said.

In contrast, Judith Hempfling suggested that Council create a new economic sustainability committee to act as advisors. This group would not only provide a diversity of perspectives on business initiatives, but would harness the considerable energy around localization. Important aspects of this group would be its transparency and its inclusiveness, Hempfling has said.

Hempfling and other Council members have cited the distrust some villagers feel toward Community Resources as one reason that group is not the appropriate advisory body. Some have suggested that Council and Community Resources meet to discuss the reasons for this distrust, which is linked to some villagers’ perception that Community Resources is a self-selected, closed group that’s had an outsized impact on the town in a way that does not always reflect village values. Some also connect McGregor’s move away from campus with the closing of Antioch College.

Such a discussion usually seems a good idea, but in this case it does not. Community Resources this year has a largely new board of people who seem committed to the village. It’s likely any link between the McGregor move and the college’s closing will remain unclear, but the Community Resources board at the time surely intended to benefit Yellow Springs. What we know for sure is that Antioch College is back, and that’s extremely good news. It will also be good for the village to have a thriving McGregor and Antioch University. It’s time to move on and put old resentments behind us.

Community Resources can go a long way toward building community trust by changing its practices. To become a designated community improvement corporation, the group must allow a portion of its board to be appointed by local municipalities and hold open meetings, except when members discuss proprietary business information. If it wants to work closely with the Village, Community Resources must be transparent.

The best idea so far came from Hempfling at a recent meeting. With so much going on in Yellow Springs, including the rebirth of Antioch College, Hempfling said, there’s surely room for both groups to play an significant role in new economic initiatives. The more voices, the more energy, the more transparency around this important topic, the better for everyone.

—Diane Chiddister