City Boosters Losing Spirit--1 of 5 Says Times Are Bad

While federal officials are just beginning to acknowledge that the economy is in a recession, a national survey conducted by the National League of Cities showed today that it has been common knowledge among city officials.

The league’s annual survey of 269 elected municipal officials found that 22% of those polled said their local economic outlook for young people seeking jobs is “poor” and that 59% said it is only “fair.” Just 19% said opportunities are “great.”

“Local elected officials are, on the whole, perpetual boosters of their home towns, so when more than one in five is worried enough to say things are bad, you know that there are some real problems facing both our cities and our nation,” said Donald Borut, executive director of the League.

“The statistical indicators may say we are heading into a recession, but in a large number of places, that’s not news, it’s current events,” Borut said.

Led by the surge in energy prices, economic issues have become a major concern of city leaders, threatening to overshadow the drug problem and undermine efforts to combat it.

In their assessment of conditions in their communities, the municipal leaders reported substantial deterioration in all areas related to economic factors.

Areas of worsening economic conditions and the percentage of cities reporting them included energy costs, 70%; overall cost of living, 60%; housing affordability, 42%; rental housing affordability, 40%; unemployment, 37%; homelessness, 36%; overall economic conditions, 36%; poverty, 36%; availability of low-income housing, 31%, and general city fiscal conditions, 30%.

Borut said city officials were getting precious little help from the federal government where a “stubborn ‘go-it-alone’ attitude has come to dominate much of our national domestic policy, and it shows signs of trickling down into state policy as well.”