Serving as an additional indication of our ongoing recovery is the number of projects that will be recognized next month in the Vancouver Business Journal’s annual Top Projects & Building Excellence Awards event. After a few years with just a couple dozen projects submitted for the year, we will celebrate more than three dozen projects – the strongest showing since 2008. Pre-recovery, many developers were among those sitting on the sideline waiting for the market to recover and for that elusive “screamin’ deal.” Locally, that waiting period has ended. And based on what we know is about to break ground, construction activity will continue into 2014.
According to Scott Bailey, regional economist for the Employment Security Department’s Market & Economic Analysis Branch for Southwest Washington, the local unemployment rate is improving, but challenges remain. While Bailey reported the official rate of unemployed in the county is an improved 9.7 percent, he remained concerned about those who’ve been out of work the longest and have either run out of benefits or dropped out of the job hunt altogether. Bailey also indicated that young workers continue to be boxed out of the workforce at a disproportionate rate in large part due to the boomers who continue to work well past expected retirement.
Finally, there is the issue of the state budget. Some of our state’s elected representatives have seemingly deemed the funding of education at the expense of infrastructure and social service funding that serves the most vulnerable of our society as an acceptable trade. Don’t misunderstand our position. We are in favor of full funding of education. Business success, and thus our community’s prosperity, depends on a strong education system, and we support the state fully funding it.
That said, we have yet to see the House or the Senate demonstrate leadership in getting all of the state’s priorities funded in a timely manner. When priorities compete in the private sector, most successful businesses plan for a method that enables them to move forward without having to forego competing priorities. A business plan ensures that in time, each of those important components of the business are funded and that the overall goals are achieved.
At some point we need to recognize that we can’t afford sending representatives to Olympia who are only interested in doing enough to get re-elected and in toeing the party line. We need representatives for whom addressing the problems facing our state (not to mention our region) collaboratively is the highest priority.
If state government shuts down July 1, maybe it will be enough to wake the rest of us up to the need for a change in tactics. Clearly, no one group has the answer. Let’s quit this zero sum game so we can get back to business and continue the long awaited recovery.
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