Editorial
It’s vital to sell our region in D.C.
POSTED: March 8, 2008
Visiting our nation’s capital is always an adventure.
Walking the hallways where history was made and continues to unfold is seductive for even the most jaded among us. One cannot help but be impressed — and maybe made a bit uneasy — by the massive bureaucracy at the governmental heart of the world’s most powerful nation.
Whether we like it our not, what happens in Washington, D.C., has ramifications right here in Fort Dodge and north central Iowa.
That’s why a 15-member delegation of government and business leaders from the Fort Dodge area journeyed to Washington this past week to make certain that lawmakers and bureaucrats understand how the actions they take will affect the region.
Fort Dodge leaders have been making such visits to Washington for nearly a decade. For the third consecutive year, however, the group had a regional flavor. The Mid Iowa Growth Partnership, Hamilton County S.E.E.D. and a contingent from Humboldt also took part.
The goal of the trip was quite simply to educate legislators and others about projects important to our area and solicit their help in making certain that the region’s needs are considered by the federal government.
This year’s delegation included:
- Lorie Bennett, Humboldt city administrator;
? Catherine Bergman, Hamilton County S.E.E.D.;
- Rhonda Chambers, director of aviation, Fort Dodge Regional Airport;
-Gloria Christensen, Humboldt city clerk;
- Chris Clarken, Humboldt parks superintendent;
- Deborah Crosser, president of Mid Iowa Growth Partnership and executive director of Eldora Economic Development;
- Richard Inman, Fort Dodge city councilman;
? Katie Kahler, Fort Dodge grant writer and government liaison;
- Jim Kersten, associate vice president, Iowa Central Community College;
- John Kramer, president, Development Corporation of Fort Dodge and Webster County;
- Terry Lutz, Fort Dodge mayor;
- Kim Motl, Webster County supervisor;
- Dennis Plautz, Fort Dodge director of business affairs and community growth;
- Bob Singer, interim director, Fort Dodge Area Chamber of Commerce; and
- Cliff Weldon, executive director, Mid-Iowa Development Association.
The Messenger thanks these community leaders for the time and resources they devoted to this undertaking. Championing our region’s many important projects is vital work that benefits us all.
Walking the hallways where history was made and continues to unfold is seductive for even the most jaded among us. One cannot help but be impressed — and maybe made a bit uneasy — by the massive bureaucracy at the governmental heart of the world’s most powerful nation.
Whether we like it our not, what happens in Washington, D.C., has ramifications right here in Fort Dodge and north central Iowa.
That’s why a 15-member delegation of government and business leaders from the Fort Dodge area journeyed to Washington this past week to make certain that lawmakers and bureaucrats understand how the actions they take will affect the region.
Fort Dodge leaders have been making such visits to Washington for nearly a decade. For the third consecutive year, however, the group had a regional flavor. The Mid Iowa Growth Partnership, Hamilton County S.E.E.D. and a contingent from Humboldt also took part.
The goal of the trip was quite simply to educate legislators and others about projects important to our area and solicit their help in making certain that the region’s needs are considered by the federal government.
This year’s delegation included:
- Lorie Bennett, Humboldt city administrator;
? Catherine Bergman, Hamilton County S.E.E.D.;
- Rhonda Chambers, director of aviation, Fort Dodge Regional Airport;
-Gloria Christensen, Humboldt city clerk;
- Chris Clarken, Humboldt parks superintendent;
- Deborah Crosser, president of Mid Iowa Growth Partnership and executive director of Eldora Economic Development;
- Richard Inman, Fort Dodge city councilman;
? Katie Kahler, Fort Dodge grant writer and government liaison;
- Jim Kersten, associate vice president, Iowa Central Community College;
- John Kramer, president, Development Corporation of Fort Dodge and Webster County;
- Terry Lutz, Fort Dodge mayor;
- Kim Motl, Webster County supervisor;
- Dennis Plautz, Fort Dodge director of business affairs and community growth;
- Bob Singer, interim director, Fort Dodge Area Chamber of Commerce; and
- Cliff Weldon, executive director, Mid-Iowa Development Association.
The Messenger thanks these community leaders for the time and resources they devoted to this undertaking. Championing our region’s many important projects is vital work that benefits us all.
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View Comments: | 1-2 | Post a comment
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Brotherbag
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03-14-08 12:04 AM
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Well this proves it. If the taxpayers in this region can't support this town, maybe taxpayers nation wide can chip in.
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oildaddy
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03-10-08 2:01 AM
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It is vital to sell our region to ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN! I'd like to think that the "machine" in DC took notes and put together a plan that had Fort Dodge somewhere in the text. I hope that was the case. I am concerned though that, if "Fort Dodge leaders have been making such visits to Washington for nearly a decade" how much listening have the reps been doing ? I hope it dosen't sound synical but, by now, we should have seen a measurable return on our investment.Ethanol,farming and a handful of loyal retail outlets alone can't be expected to support the local economy into the next generations. We need the government to stop looking outside the country for ways to spend $$ and invest in the very people (right here) that put them in power.
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