Lawrence County and Bedford lack a strategic vision for the future and like many small towns in Indiana seems to have no real vision for the future and what they will become as a community and a small city. Instead, they wish to become a bedroom community for a larger city such as Bloomington where half its population will have to leave their home just to find a job in Bloomington or even Seymour, etc. All because the morons and incompetents that run Lawrence County have did little to nothing regarding economic development over the last 20 years or so.
Instead, they thought that they would keep Bedford the same forever with the same small town mentality and keeping the two main automotive plants running and that would fix the employment problem and find something for people to do in a productive manner.
Sadly, they have failed and most of them are failures because they have no vision of where Bedford can go as a community despite the fact that its only 20 miles to the Interstate system via I 69 now that it is going to be very easy to get to Bloomington via State Road 37.
Instead of capitalizing on such proximity to the Interstate Highway System, they've chosen to sit on their laurels for the past 10 years since I 69 was announced and do absolutely nothing. Other than the minor Mickey Mouse outfit that has opened up in Bedrock over the years there hasn't been much in the way of economic progress.
Despite the formation of Radius Indiana in 2009 to serve as a catalyst for economic development and economic growth in the eight county region surrounding Lawrence County, there has been little to no economic and productive development of any major sort in many years. Those counties are as follows Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange and Washington.
After nearly a decade of being involved in their so called economic development plans, there hasn't been much in the way of economic progress and economic development in those counties. If anything, its more low wage jobs and more low wage employers which they take great pride in. If it wasn't for outfits such as NSWC Crane and GM Powertrain as well as Jasper and its large employers, they haven't done much of anything in any of these counties. Only to keep certain people employed with government grants to justify their own jobs and keep the government sponsored gravy train coming. All the while the job and economic creation has been nil or even in many cases plants closing in this region and moving.
In the case of Bedford, they've had years to attract new factories and new manufacturing to take over existing manufacturing facilities and have failed at doing so. How about new plants and new growth industries in the pharma industry or technology. Nope, they haven't did much of anything there either.
Where this ties into Lawrence County is that Lawrence County and the cities of Bedford and Mitchell should be doing their job and finding ways to attract employers and help out homegrown companies in expanding their economic presence and value. Outside of a few low wage service industry jobs making fast food and low wage service jobs, they've did absolutely nothing except talk out of both sides of their mouth.
The Lawrence County Council and Commissioners should be held responsible as well for their lack of action except for turning Lawrence County and Bedford and Mitchell into retirement communities. While the young finally figure out such and they decide to haul ass to the next best location because they know there aren't many opportunities for them in South Central Indiana. The interesting thing is that while Bedford has stagnated over the last generation and 20 to 30 years, Bloomington increased its population from 52,000 in 1980 to over 81,000 today and its county has increased in population from 98,000 in 1980 to over 145,000 in 2016.
Wonder why the Lawrence County hayseeds in office can't do their job and create the type of decent community that everyone with any sense really wants? Is it because you have corrupt politicians who are more interested in polishing the seats of their office rather than getting up and do their job.
Oh and another great item is to hear incompetent public officials complain that they don't have enough money to repair roads and basic infrastructure nor to provide government services such as snow removal and brine/cinders for read clearance during the winter months. Yet, they've got plenty of money to give more money to the cops or the county sheriff while the roadways in the county are falling apart and basic infrastructure is being totally neglected.
Where's the right to know Bedford newspapers and Bedford media on these issues? Instead they're trying to cover for the corrupt politicians and good old boy network which relies on keeping the people ignorant of their poverty and ignorant of what is really going on behind the scenes in their community.
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