Sustainability

[Rick Rowlands]

If the definition of business was expanded to include illegal activities, you would find that there is a tremendous amount of budding entrepeneurs in the city.

[Towntalk]

Jay:

I wsn't trying to put you down, but apparently my memory goes back further than yours (no offense). Model Cities tried to establish inner-city owner businesses and none of them succeeded, and good money was wasted.

Why did they fail? One of the reasons was because the folks that tried to set up businesses did not have the experience needed to run a successful business. A second reason was because they targeted specific groups rather than the total population. A third reason was the failure of the banks to support these new business owners. A fourth reason was the basic corruption within the Model Cities program that ultamately led to its demise.

Certainly there are inner city folks who have started up businesses in the inner city and are succeeding, but for the record, I sincerely feel that YSU should set up a special program for inner city folks who want to start up a business which would at least give them a fighting chance for success.

[northside lurker]

What leads you to believe that mostly suburban residents own businesses in the city?  Do you have statistics to back this up, or is this based on "gut feeling?"  (I'm only questioning your observation based on my own "gut-feeling")

The company I work for is owned and operated by a Youngstown resident.  When it was a partnership, both partners were Youngstown residents.  One of the owners of the Rosetta Stone, while giving a construction tour, said he would like to move into the city if his business is successful.

[jay]

I think I was just stating the obvious.  Very few residents of Youngstown own businesses.

Another sustainability problem is that we have too many poor and elderly living in the city.  Neither pay income taxes for city services.

[Towntalk]

How many city dwellers could qualify for the financing to start up a business inside the city?

Would you tell suburbanites that they are not welcome in the city?

That the profits from the businesses go outside the city doesn't bother me. The fact that these folks are willing to risk their money on Youngstown is what is important. Youngstown needs more risk takers, not fewer.

What bothers me is that on the one hand we cry for more businesses coming into the city, yet on the other hand we complain about money leaving the city. Which is it ... more shopping and dining options or fewer with the suburbanites locating their businesses in the city?

Lets face it, we have precious few city dwellers who are qualified to start up a sustainable business, and we've already seen what happens when we throw money at pipe dreams. Remember Ron Daniels? Where are the businesses he started today?

[jay]

I think the city has a big problem when it comes to the ownership of businesses.  Most of the business within the city limits are owned by people from the suburbs.  Assuming that the business makes a profit, that profit leaves the city.  The city benefits only from the income tax on the employees and the business.  I bet that less than 5% of Youngstown businesses are owned by Youngstown residents.  The city is not sustainable when money keeps flowing out.

[jay]

What are some of the sustainable attributes of Youngstown?

Are there aspects of the community which are not sustainable?

[Towntalk]

To me it means the ability to thrive over an extended period of time ... as in 'Can we sustain this population decrease without cutting services?', or "Can we sustain this population growth without increasing our budget?' "Can we put up with this much shoplifting without going out of business?' The ability of a family, community or business to function at an acceptable level. It can also mean ... the ability to do something over an extended period of time without degrading the results as in: Can we keep planting the same crops here year after year and still get good quality produce without rotating the crops?'

[jay]

The word sustainability is often used when discussing the Youngstown 2010 Plan.

What does sustainability mean to you?