the big picture

At the broadest scale, the collected discussions of the five Community Summits are about the desire of citizens to create greater economic prosperity for the sake of a stronger and more secure community. In the effort to achieve this, the work of private individuals and firms will be important, but change in the public sector is seen as vital. The education and security of the young people of Chautauqua County is seen both as input to this effort, and one of its chief outcomes. Likewise, the quality of the natural and built environment is understood as something to be used, protected, and improved through this process.

The interpretation offered here depends on a simple and straightforward grouping of discussion topics for the purpose of ranking and analysis. The details of the rankings are contained in the tables which follow, but the outlines of the “big picture” are relatively simple.

• It’s the economy. Roughly one third of all the dot-votes cast in the ranking exercises were placed on what we can consider conventional economic issues – efforts to attract and develop jobs and businesses, investment in basic physical infrastructure, support for small and locally-based businesses, and concerns for key local economic sectors, tourism and agriculture. The discussions in these categories reflects the overwhelming call across the board at the Summits for more and better jobs. 

• Government needs to be part of the solution. Nearly one fifth of all the emphasis in the ranking exercises was placed on issues which involve the role of the public in sector in improving regional economic performance. These included a clear call to reduce the tax burden on firms and individuals as an essential first step to renewed growth; a demand for more efficient and effective government, partly as a way to achieve lower taxes; and a strong sense that some of the solutions to current problems may be found in some combination of consolidation, cooperation, and participation at the regional level.

• Protecting the environment is an end but also a means. Also nearly a fifth of all the emphasis in ranking was placed on environmental concerns. The discussions in these areas – more than the rankings – showed a sophisticated understanding of the relationship between environment and economy. While in some cases participants spoke of the need to protect the environment from damage by economic activities, in others environmental values were seen as economic assets, drawing people to the region and serving as the basis for growth, especially in tourism. Others spoke of “environmentally-friendl­y” or “sustainable” business as a way to secure the economic future of the county. 

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