http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100906/OPINION02/709069975
Published September 6, 2010 in the Rutland Herald
Time to reinvent Springfield
If you love history like I do, you most likely have transformed yourself into different times and places and tried to imagine what life was like. I have worked in Springfield for the past 30-plus years and often think about what it must have been like when the town was buzzing with new inventions, we had full employment and the highest standard of living in Vermont. Without romanticizing too much, it must have been a glorious time to live and work in the town — a time when, with a fertile imagination, dreams could become a reality.
The branding program that Springfield on the Move has embarked upon has stirred my imagination. It has created in me a sense that this is a time for great transformational change. A time when the young and old citizens, politicians, officials and civic leaders will look back with great pride at what we have accomplished, and simultaneously look forward to the great future we can create together.
“Springfield Reinvented,” the tag line for our new branding campaign, is not just about a new logo, it is about the way we think about ourselves. This new mindset has the ability to expand our thinking in everything we do. It challenges us to reinvent the way we think about education, government, economic development, downtown revitalization and our civic lives. It encourages us to break the shackles of discontent and negativity and choose our response to the world around us. It harkens back to the days when I imagine the great inventors, industrialists and machinists of Springfield had a “can do” attitude and felt that they were the masters of their destiny.
How can we make sure something really happens this time? The answer is in the question, “how can we.” How much more efficient and effective would we be if once a month all community leaders collectively prioritized the needs of the whole community and set aside special interests, creating defined objectives, measured results and held themselves accountable. What would happen if we countered every disparaging remark about the town with five positive comments? What would happen if we just pledged to increase our shopping in Springfield by 10 percent in a year rather than spending those dollars elsewhere? Can you imagine how much of a voice we would have if we attended select board, planning and school board meetings on a regular basis? Our transformation should not be about waiting for five big things to happen, it should be about making five thousand little things happen. As the saying goes, “Big shots are little shots that keep on shooting.”
If you love this town as much as I do, you will get involved, embrace positive and constructive change enthusiastically and invent our future. Get in touch with Springfield on the Move, the chamber, your churches, your schools, civic organizations, local, state politicians and youth groups — there is much to do and together we can make it happen.
@Normal:Stephen Plunkard
North Springfield
Time to reinvent Springfield
If you love history like I do, you most likely have transformed yourself into different times and places and tried to imagine what life was like. I have worked in Springfield for the past 30-plus years and often think about what it must have been like when the town was buzzing with new inventions, we had full employment and the highest standard of living in Vermont. Without romanticizing too much, it must have been a glorious time to live and work in the town — a time when, with a fertile imagination, dreams could become a reality.
The branding program that Springfield on the Move has embarked upon has stirred my imagination. It has created in me a sense that this is a time for great transformational change. A time when the young and old citizens, politicians, officials and civic leaders will look back with great pride at what we have accomplished, and simultaneously look forward to the great future we can create together.
“Springfield Reinvented,” the tag line for our new branding campaign, is not just about a new logo, it is about the way we think about ourselves. This new mindset has the ability to expand our thinking in everything we do. It challenges us to reinvent the way we think about education, government, economic development, downtown revitalization and our civic lives. It encourages us to break the shackles of discontent and negativity and choose our response to the world around us. It harkens back to the days when I imagine the great inventors, industrialists and machinists of Springfield had a “can do” attitude and felt that they were the masters of their destiny.
How can we make sure something really happens this time? The answer is in the question, “how can we.” How much more efficient and effective would we be if once a month all community leaders collectively prioritized the needs of the whole community and set aside special interests, creating defined objectives, measured results and held themselves accountable. What would happen if we countered every disparaging remark about the town with five positive comments? What would happen if we just pledged to increase our shopping in Springfield by 10 percent in a year rather than spending those dollars elsewhere? Can you imagine how much of a voice we would have if we attended select board, planning and school board meetings on a regular basis? Our transformation should not be about waiting for five big things to happen, it should be about making five thousand little things happen. As the saying goes, “Big shots are little shots that keep on shooting.”
If you love this town as much as I do, you will get involved, embrace positive and constructive change enthusiastically and invent our future. Get in touch with Springfield on the Move, the chamber, your churches, your schools, civic organizations, local, state politicians and youth groups — there is much to do and together we can make it happen.
@Normal:Stephen Plunkard
North Springfield
Springfield is a hotbed of malaise. Crime runs rampant, welfare recipients wander the streets. The only people making any money are the drug dealers, or the ones stealing everything that isn't bolted down and selling it for scrap, right down to cutting the catalytic converters off parked cars. Where are the articles about the 30+ cars that has happened to?
ReplyDeleteWant to start a business here? There's a lot of talk, but nobody puts their money where their mouth is. There is NO incentive to put a business here. For now, we'll just watch all the storefronts downtown change from one failed business to another, over and over.
Talking a big game doesn't do anything. Spending big bucks on an inspirational sales pitch that comes across as a bad high school project doesn't do anything.