Unfortunately, there is no one issue that, if corrected, will pull Warren out of the situation we find ourselves in. This is a systemic problem in how our town operates (not a shot at the administration). We have an opportunity to change this. As a small business owner, I am constantly challenged to adapt my company in the face of changing business and economic drivers. Its survival of the fittest and if we don't adapt and evolve, we run the risk of failure. Failure in the private sector means people lose jobs, income, benefits, companies close, all causing a variety of effects downstream. We need to look at the choices we have before us with the same business sensibilities that allow private enterprise to flourish. Warren is small enough to allow us a level of visibility into the operations of our municipal government and services that many municipalities would die for. With an operating budget of +/- $23Mil, our town is the size of a small to mid sized enterprise. Perhaps the time has come to take the opportunity we have to make the changes necessary for our town to prosper, and start running it like one.
The change I am suggesting is not simple, nor easy, but it is required if we want our town to remain viable. These changes also go beyond a single annual budget. These are changes that require hard decisions and some discomfort, if not pain, but this is the situation we find ourselves in. We have used all of our band-aids and its time to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty and make the changes required to sustain and grow.
Ultimately, this leaves us with two questions:
1. Are we ready, as residents of this town, to become more involved and push for the changes necessary?
2. Can we really afford to wait any longer?
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