Continued from front page

The dialogue represented a stew of diverse views, passionate beliefs, and deep understanding of both the economic challenges and opportunities facing Fall River and New Bedford.

Congressman Barney Frank, who represents 40 percent of the city of Fall River, thanks to a gerrymandered congressional district, provided a macro-economic view facing the region’s cities. “This region has been the involuntary victim of the nation’s economic policies,” he said, referring to the disappearance of manufacturing, particularly textiles.

In his rapid-fire delivery, he also praised the entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants, and supported the right of New Bedford to be home to a potential casino. He called for a new emphasis on training and educating nurses in the region. “Nursing, it’s not going to be out-sourced. You can’t put a needle in somebody’s rear end from Mumbai (India).”

Congressman Jim McGovern, who represents the other 60 percent of Fall River, praised the optimism of the session. “This has got to be more than a therapy session; it needs to be a call to action with concrete steps.” McGovern praised the leadership of Fall River Mayor Ed Lambert in fighting a proposed LNG facility in his city. “Real leadership knows such a facility is not in the best interest of the people of Fall River,” he said. McGovern suggested that the forum be used as a starting point, not a finish line.

Much of the dialogue focused on the need of the two cities to increase educational attainment in order to compete in the future knowledge economy. The census figures and the findings of the report, according to Dr. Dana Ansel of MassINC, demonstrated the direct connection between unemployment and the lack of a high school degree. “Fifty percent of unemployed males in the region lack a high school degree,” she said.

William Kennedy, a leader with the SouthCoast CEO Council said that companies today are looking for a highly educated and skilled workforce. There was a time, he added, that if you dropped out of high school in the region, you could find a relatively good-paying manufacturing job; now, you’re dropping out of life. And, the economic world has changed, and the mantra of “cheap land, cheap skilled labor, cheap water, cheap buildings” no longer attracts companies in today’s knowledge economy.

Ken Fiola, in charge of permitting at the Fall River Office of Economic Development, told a real life story about how Fall River, under consideration by a company interested in expanding its manufacturing base, fell off the list because of the lack of educated, skilled workers. In terms of permitting, he said that on the local level, delays were not a problem. “It took about 90 days from start to finish,” he said, to complete the permitting and official paper work for a new $45 million facility being built by Meditech, now under construction in Fall River next to the ATMC facility, which will create 600 new jobs.

Similarly, Tom Davis of the Greater New Bedford Industrial Foundation spoke about the success New Bedford has had in refurbishing and developing an industrial park, resulting in an overall gain in employment in New Bedford in the last few years. The problem, Davis continued, is not in local expertise; it is in finding the money to finance the necessary infrastructure to support regional economic development. “The last 14 years” before the Patrick Administration took office were lean times in terms of state investment, he said.

Sometimes, it just comes down to asking the right people the right question, according to Paul Vigeant, who works in economic development at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Vigeant told the story of asking Genzyme executive David Fleming if they had looked at the Southeastern region as a site for new expansion. According to Vigeant, Fleming was chagrined, turning red in the face, and admitting: “No one ever asked us.”

Surveying the crowded room, Fall River Mayor Ed Lambert said, “Yes, there is life outside of Route 128.” Lambert called upon Fall River and New Bedford to serve as the national model cities for the development of a new urban agenda for America. He cited the value of the creative economy and the arts in attracting young people to the city. In Fall River, the Narrows Center for the Arts has attracted more than 14,000 visitors, 80 percent of whom had traveled from beyond a 15-mile radius to attend performances there.

Greg Torres, the President of MassINC, spoke about the need for broader, structural changes in our economic and education system. “We have a school system designed for another era, for agriculture, when students could have summer and afternoons off to work in the fields.” It’s very important, he continued, “to get the policy sides and the requirements of the 21st century in sync with our educational system.”

Chancellor Jean MacCormack of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, who welcomed the participants to the forum, endorsed the concept of a collaborative effort to develop a new urban agenda, with the business and academic communities working together in order to invest in “brain power.”

In turn, Mayor Scott Lang of New Bedford praised the work of Chancellor MacCormack to bring the academic campus into the working lives of New Bedford. He cited the university’s research in analyzing the scallop catch and its importance to the city’s port.

“Education is very important, but so is public safety, Lang continued. “Unless we provide stability in the area of public safety, providing the best possibilities of life to our community’s families,” revitalization efforts will be threatened. Land cited the growing influx of organized crime run by national gangs as one of New Bedford’s biggest challenges. Lang also called for a modern version of the New Deal’s WPA to create jobs to help revitalize the Gateway cities.

Robert Culver, the head of MassDevelopment, spoke about the inefficiencies of trying to do things “351 times” to respond to the needs of individual towns throughout the Commonwealth. Instead, he argued, there needs to be a “regional” approach to economic development, as well as a need to extend the school year and the school day.

Patrick Larkin, the Director of MTC’s John Adams Innovation Institute, suggested that the future activities focus on forging a collaborative approach, creating a regional model for best practices. “In our work, we have found that it’s hard work, and sometimes very difficult, to sustain the regional dialogue over time.”

Larkin praised the Patrick Administration for its willingness to engage and invest, and to be a partner, in regional economic development opportunities. He cautioned that, in developing programs for an urban agenda, that communities “be careful to create manageable expectations.” Larkin also stressed the importance of bringing the voice of “community volunteers” to the table.

Link to editorial
by SouthCoast Today

John Schneider
MassInc Interim President and CEO

Mayor Scott W. Lang of New Bedford

Patrick Larkin, Innovation Institute Director; William Kennedy, Southcoast CEO Council and