Economic Activity Report
November 2009
Greetings from sunny Florida where it may be warm, but the economic issues we face in New Hampshire can be found here as well. Some of the issues such as housing foreclosures are even more serious here. The state of the economy can also be observed on the highways, where the volume of traffic is significantly lower this year than in previous years.
Over the past few days I’ve been involved in several phone conversations pertaining to our local economy and industries. I have to keep reminding myself that so much of what is transpiring economically is completely out of our control, as it has been for most of Berlin’s history. Over the years decisions about the future of our local economy have been made in Portland Maine, Virginia, California and New York. Now the future of the Cascade Mill is being decided in Canada and again, by the courts as it did with American Tissue. I keep hoping for a more positive outcome.
Most recently I attended a meeting in Lancaster on the subject of the struggling economy in Coos County. A highly placed elected official kept making the statement “we need to create jobs” and each time I heard that phrase I wanted to raise my hand and ask; Who amongst us is the Creator? In the back of my mind I kept asking myself who around the table thought of himself as “The Creator”. I came to the conclusion that probably nobody did and, I wondered if at that moment, everybody had just disconnected intellectually from the conversation. What was the point of telling all of us to do something that none of us could do? Strange, everybody left the meeting without creating one job!
All too often we and elected officials would have us believe that the public sector has the power and the wisdom to “create” jobs, when in fact, it is companies and entrepreneurs that create jobs. Job creation is a complex subject with many component parts and the best we can hope for as public servants is to create the best conditions possible for a business to take root. Unless you’re the Federal or State Government with the resources to implement jobs/work programs, the public sector does not create jobs. All too often officials either promise or take the credit for job creation when in fact it would have happened with or without them.
This being the last Report I prepare before the Holidays and this year, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I believe that BIDPA awareness has grown dramatically during 2009. We all have to deal with some very challenging issues where the common wisdom of the past no longer addresses the fundamental issues of the new economy. Our most significant challenge will probably be to look at issues with fresh eyes and consider steps never before contemplated or considered. New beginnings present new opportunities and it may be good to remember the old saying; “It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
Norman Charest
Economic Development Director
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