I am looking at this article today with interest. Leaders see varied implications in Readings high poverty ranking By Garry Lenton and Mike Urban Thursday September 18, 2014 Community leaders see both sides. Mayor Vaughn D. said Though being tagged with having the seventh-highest percentage of residents living at or below the federal poverty line among U.S. cities with 65,000 or more people isnt a source of pride for Reading, it is a motivator that puts pressure on civic leaders to work harder, The city needs to revitalize its downtown and attract good-paying jobs, he said, and that wont happen without major economic development. Gregory Acs, director of the Urban Institutes Income and Benefits Policy Center in Washington, D.C., said Readings poverty rate could have negative and positive impacts. Ellen Horan, president and CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce & Industry said Readings annual ranking as one of the nations poorest cities makes it harder for local companies to draw top-level talent here John Kramer, board president of New Journey Community Outreach Center, which operates a food pantry and soup kitchen at 138 S. Sixth St., said it doesnt make a difference whether Reading ranks first in the poverty ranking or much lower. What does matter is its poverty rate, which the census set at 39.6 percent for 2013, which is clearly too high, he said. Jon Scott, president and CEO of Greater Reading Economic Partnership, said he hasnt heard any developers say theyre less likely to start projects in the city because of its ranking. Jon Buccino, certified commercial investment manager and associate broker for NAI Keystone in Exeter Township, does think the stigma that comes with being among Americas poorest cities makes some less willing to invest in Reading. The census data should also make it easier for the city to get the grants and guidance it needs to improve things, he said. Michael Toledo, executive director of the Daniel Torres Hispanic Center in Reading, said it saddens him to see the city listed so high in the poverty rankings each year, but he doesnt doubt the accuracy of the census numbers. One sentence in the article sticks out to me... And when potential hires who are unfamiliar with Reading do a Google search, they quickly find information on the citys high poverty ranking One thing always comes up when we talk about Economic Development. We have developers who most often have to secure grants which brings strings attached to it in the form of low income housing. The term ‘Poor door’ debate can be used most times.Every time a development come along that debate heats up. Lets say, there is a revelation that a new luxury apartment building on Penn st. was approved last month {it hasnt} to include separate doors for its market-rate residents and affordable housing tenants that would touch a nerve in a city squeezed by higher and higher rents. But we dont even have the condition higher and higher rents in fact We dont have a luxury apartment building be developed on Penn st. in fact We dont have developers who can develop with out subsides they currently can use in the form of grants with attachments. But what we do have is the ability to pick some positives and market them and that will come up on Google also. Its ok for a community leaders to sound off but pick something and build on it!
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 11:17:02 +0000
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