Mindy McCallum observed that, yes, a “strong, healthy educational system” is one of the keys to a vibrant community. But, as she noted, her native Cuba has a good educational system but little else. Education is not sufficient, she added, “without strong economic development.”
When asked to cite the area’s greatest assets, Mike VanBuskirk volunteered, “I have to start off with the school districts.” Pete Hall agreed that the county’s “best and biggest asset” was the quality of its educational system. Tom Cummings cited the private and faith-based schools as part of the larger educational package and Nettie Agnew saw added enhancement in the presence of Maple Woods Community College and William Jewell College, recently named by Time Magazine as America’s best small liberal arts college. Ron Dempsey of William Jewell “obviously” concurred on the latter point, but he too cited the quality of the public schools as a critical factor. “I will match our schools against Johnson County’s school system any day,” added Tom Brown, who believes that the quality of a county’s education “comes first” when assessing economic development attributes.
The people
“The great asset,” said Jerry Brant unabashedly of his county, “is the people.” Craig Porter agreed. “No doubt in my mind,” he said. “The biggest asset is the people.” “Wonderful people,” enthused Carolyn Vellar.
For Brant, “wonderful people” means not only a relatively stable community but an industrious one as well. “We have the folks who can work and will work,” said Brant. Tom Atkins added “high principles” to the work ethic. For Mayor Gene Bruns, it was as much a question of intimacy as it was of industriousness. “People know people here,” he said. Lynn McClure agreed. “Everyone knows everyone,” he noted approvingly. This spirit holds true even for Cerner Corporation. “Although we continue to grow,” observed Cerner’s Tricia Geris, “we still feel like a home town company.”
Tom Brandom commented that this “real sense of community” derives from the fact that Clay Countians are “thoughtful as a people.” Mindy McCallum argued that this spirit of community has, if anything, been enhanced by an influx of new and diverse people into the area, which she sees as an “opportunity and an asset.”
“The most important thing,” added Scott Wigerson, “is that people work together to solve problems.” Jason Archer had the same perspective from Jefferson City. He praised his fellow participants for their ability to “work together to solve problems and grow the county.” The Northland does have the “ability to work together to pass or defeat something,” noted John Dillingham. “We do have that strength.” “Everyone wants to cooperate,” affirmed Ashley Dillard. “For us to move ahead we all have to work together.”
In the past, this had not always been the case. “We grew up watching examples we didn’t like,” commented John Dillingham. “We grew up thinking there has to be a better way.” “Clay does have a history of difficult politics,” added Tom Brandom ruefully. But Brandom, like his colleagues, is almost awestruck by the change in attitude throughout the county. “Leadership has taken great steps in cooperating with other areas,” Brandom admitted. “We no longer really have people who would kill ideas that were not their own,” observed Tom Brown.
“There is a new generation of leadership,” said Dillingham. “I have never seen anything like it before.”
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Middle) NKC Mayor Gene Bruns discusses the strong continuity that Clay and Platte Counties share. Tammy Henderson and Patricia Gentrup are shown to his right.
Northland Ambassador John Dillingham discusses the impact of the area’s new generation of leadership taking shape. Commissioner Craig Porter (left) and Mike VanBuskirk look on.
