Blogging about economic development in Wayne County

I'm excited to see that Valerie Shaffer, the new President of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County, has started a blog about her activities in that role.  The blog is complemented by a "frequently asked questions" section on the EDC website, which tries to address some of the common questions (and misperceptions) about the organization.

Whatever your take on the EDIT Tax, the EDC and their role in economic development efforts, this is a new and welcome level of transparency.

Shaffer's posts so far are authentic and to the point, bypassing some of the marketing spin that it might be tempting for an organization of the EDC's prominence to engage in when they know site selectors are looking.  She links to related resources, encourages questions and feedback, and makes repeated commitments to opening the lines of communication between her office and other voices in the community.

Having civic leaders, especially the ones responsible for significant decisions that shape how taxpayer dollars and other resources are used, sharing their thoughts about process, data, challenges and succeses can only be a good thing in the long run.  Imagine what it would look like for every government official and civic leader in our area to publicly share some insights now and then about how they do what they do?

Thanks to Valerie Shaffer and to the EDC  for making this kind of sharing a part of their communications plan.

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