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Let’s approach it as: ‘Every community is our community’

3 min read

We are all pretty much running on empty these days. It is hard to think of anything or anyone outside of yourself when you have hit a place where you are simply tapped out financially, emotionally, and physically. Imagine the difficulty our communities are facing in these chaotic times.

Elected officials have been navigating uncertain and, at times, confusing waters throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the social unrest. Chaos, confusion, fear and anger have become the rule of the day.

For many, the past few weeks have been a wake-up call, our community leaders included. Communities are divided. Home lives are disrupted. Our leaders are being pulled in conflicting directions, trying to remain in compliance with state guidelines, provide services to their residents and support the small business owners who call their community home.

In Southwestern Pennsylvania, we have hundreds of small communities, which build and maintain our life-sustaining infrastructure. They drive our regional economy. We have big problems to solve. We need all communities in the region to work together if we are to survive and thrive. We can no longer afford to trip over lines drawn on a map.

We must approach our problems with the mind-set that we truly are all in this together. To find sustainable solutions, we must work together in a meaningful way. What if we looked at every community as our community? We can make a real difference, build a strong foundation for a resilient and sustainable future. Every community is our community.

In today’s fast-paced world, change is inevitable. Municipalities and counties must be prepared with a strategic vision that protects and enhances assets and plants seeds for positive growth. Communities with a vision that combines forward-thinking planning strategies with innovative public participation techniques, and proven marketing strategies, will be far ahead of the economic growth curve.

Are we prepared for the opportunity for change that this moment represents? This country, and our small towns, have arrived at a critical crossroads. The higher path demands we accept responsibility for our actions as we move forward. This wake-up call requires us to examine history from a different perspective.

It demands that we define our personal accountability and rethink what patriotism truly means. We must act accordingly to align those values with action, to reexamine what is broken so we may rebuild our communities. We must reframe our relationships and ourselves.

It is our collective responsibility to act. We must now focus on being part of the solution. We must have difficult conversations if we want to finally transcend our past, learn, grow and lead by example.

Jamie Protin is founder and principal of The Protin Group in Belle Vernon.

To submit business-related columns, email Rick Shrum at rshrum@observer-reporter.com.

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