Your turn: Rockford must find a way to get to ‘yes'

A developer once said doing business with the city of Rockford is like doing brain surgery on an ant.

I never fully understood that comment until I started attending City Council meetings regularly.

This is not meant to be a criticism of the job members of City Council do, because individually and collectively they do the best they can with the tools provided.

However, those tools are insufficient. It's too difficult to get a deal done in a manner that doesn’t generate negative headlines.

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The counter argument is that most proposals recommended by staff are approved. Yet, those that aren’t overshadow those that went through without a hitch.

An alderman recently lamented that he felt Rockford was losing to surrounding cities and villages.

How much of that perceived loss was because of negative publicity? How many developers decided to call upon another community instead of Rockford because they thought they would be more welcome there? How many developers see a closed sign when it comes to dealing with the city?

The issue goes well beyond any particular proposal; it’s a matter of how the city does business.

There are areas all over town where empty buildings or empty lots dominate significant stretches. Main corridors into and out of the city are blighted and have been for years. Those areas need to be fixed — and soon — if Rockford is going to reach its potential.

Doing nothing, waiting for “better” is not a way forward. It’s a disservice to residents and those who visit here.

Other communities — Elgin, Aurora, Highland Park, Naperville, to name a few — manage to grow without creating drama for developers.

Those communities find a way to get to yes. Yes, we’re open for business. Yes, we want you to come here. Yes, we want what’s best for all our residents.

How can Rockford get to yes? Take a look at the hoops a developer has to go through to make a presentation to staff. Think of the thousands of dollars, more likely the hundreds of thousands,  a developer has to spend just to be able to present a project. How often is he or she asked to refine that proposal? When do members of City Council get involved?

What happens in those aforementioned communities that makes them more successful? What are the best practices Rockford should be emulating?

The need for an improved process is apparent as is the need for more help from economic development partners.

Those partners should be held accountable for progress of the lack thereof. Rockford has invested in those partners, or perhaps more accurately, outsourced economic development to them with little to show in return.

It wasn’t that long ago that Rockford was the second largest city in the state of Illinois. Now it’s fifth, falling behind cities that are more committed to growth.

The city of Rockford boasts it has a lean staff, but the question is whether staff is so skinny it lacks the muscle to do the heavy lifting needed when it comes to attracting new businesses. (Sorry if I’m getting carried away with analogies.)

Is economic development a priority? If so, how does the city become more competitive in attracting the kinds of businesses and jobs that lead toward a more vibrant community?

Yes, there are many questions, but the answers are within reach.

Thank you to Alderwoman Gina Meeks for her motion to reconsider the recent no vote on the development at East State and Mulford. She has created an opportunity to discuss how to improve city processes and how best to get to a culture of yes. It's up to her peers to take advantage of that opportunity.

Ultimately, Rockford should become a city with a growth agenda, a city that’s open for business and a city residents can be proud of.

Wally Haas is executive director of Transform Rockford. His email address is whaas@transformrockford.org .

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Your turn: Rockford must find a way to get to ‘yes'