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Van Horn Advocate
The article, entitled "Glory Days Again," points out that the oil bust of the 80s hit those two cities hard but their economies have recently turned around, thanks to one thing, cooperation.
According to the article, the turn around began when the two cities campaigned for, and received designation as a single Metropolitan Statistical Area in 1994. When major companies began to realize that there are more than 234,000 people in one area instead of about 100,000 each in two different cities they began to realize the potential of the region.
Midland and Odessa city, business and community leaders followed up this first step with more cooperative efforts that have added up to big improvements for the area.
Some elements of Pecos have also started to realize the potential of cooperation. Members of the Pecos Chamber of Commerce, city government, school district and Reeves County government appear to realize the benefits of cooperating to fund an economic development director position to improve economic conditions in the city and county.
Not all elements of the area recognize the value of cooperation, however. The Pecos Head Start program has been all but destroyed by petty bickering, finger pointing, blame shifting and name calling. As it stands the Community Council of Reeves County has given up trying to ride heard over the unruly group, at the urging of the federal organization that oversees the Head Start program.
Other groups and organizations in the area also suffer from small mindedness.
Hiring or appointing friends or relatives into positions they are not qualified for and then covering for their ineptness seems to be a way of life out here. In the past, that may have served to protect family groups in tough times.
Times now demand a larger vision. The only way the economy is going to improve in Reeves County and the Town of Pecos is if more people develop a vision for the whole area instead of just what is good for them individually.
More groups in Pecos and Reeves County need to join together and see what they can accomplish. When an economic development director is hired for the area he needs to concentrate on bringing the many groups that comprise this area together with a unified vision.
Much is said about the benefits of teamwork nowadays. When it comes to economic development, nothing works better than teamwork. If this area is going to improve economically the "me and mine first" attitude of the past must be put aside. A new attitude of cooperation must be put in place.
Editor's Note: Rick Smith is the City Editor and Enterprise writer whose column appears each Monday.
It seems the entire world had followed her marriage, the birth of two sons to her and Prince Charles and then the break-up of her marriage. We had all hoped, it seemed, that this would be a storybook life for the Prince and Princess but that was not to be.
The thirst for information on these two larger than life figures led to their pursuit by the news media and it is said by some that is what caused her death as she and her date were being pursued by the paparazzi - photographers who seek elusive pictures so as to sell them to the media.
Since those accusations, we have learned that the driver of the car in which the princess was riding was intoxicated past the point legally allowed.
We do not support the invasion of privacy by the paparazzi but that is also part of being in public life although Diana did not relish that role and sought to avoid being public.
Our hearts go out to her family, particularly her two sons who have lost a mother who from all appearances was very devoted to their lives.
The world has also lost a person who sought to help those who have not had good fortune in life, children suffering from ailments, the homeless and drug addicts.
Even though we didn't know her personally, it seems we have all lost a friend.
Mac McKinnon
Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail: news@pecos.net
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Copyright 1997 by Pecos Enterprise
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