Article published June 20, 2009
Region must be open to new ideas to benefit all
By BEN KONOP
WHEN I think about the local politicians who refuse to consider my college scholarships program, I am reminded of a metaphor I once heard used to describe a sinking business lacking in forward-thinking leadership. It went like this: "We're speeding in a car toward the edge of a cliff, and all anyone cares to do is argue over which radio station we're listening to."
My plan to create a $70 million fund to send thousands of laid-off workers and high school graduates from Lucas County to the University of Toledo on scholarship will lead to better, higher-paying jobs, encourage our young college graduates to remain in the community, and set us on the path to economic viability.
For a region that has been in a perpetual economic slump - undoubtedly exacerbated by crises in the nation's automotive and financial sectors - we should be searching for ways to not only slam on the brakes but get our car headed in a different direction.
The money to pay for my plan is to come from an endowed fund at UT established with the savings generated from changes in how the county delivers services. The funds are generated without any tax increases whatsoever. The scholarship recipient must apply for other grants and scholarships and remain on track to graduate in his or her major of choice.
One of my favorite components of this proposal - the repayment method - challenges students to complete volunteer community service hours within Lucas County equal to the amount of scholarship money they received. One volunteer hour is worth $20 in scholarships funds and cannot be accrued until after graduation, which encourages our talented graduates to remain in northwest Ohio and give back to the community through service. If they must leave after they graduate, they owe the money with interest.
According to government statistics, 80 percent of new jobs created will require a higher-education degree. We know that college graduates make on average $26,000 more per year than a worker with only a high school diploma, and we also know Lucas County residents are making on average $3,000 less than the rest of the country.Considering Lucas County's unemployment rate (12 percent), college entrance for high school students (45 percent), and the role a major institution like UT could play in the area's resurgence, we would be foolish not to be searching for ways to send more county residents there at a time when fewer people can afford a college education.
The plan laid out here falls in line with the directive of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, to enroll 230,000 more college students in a 10-year span and create more jobs through a better-educated work force.
President Obama has continually focused on the need for more Americans to attend college, citing the importance of higher education in building a new economy. I share his vision and have found a way for county government to help provide a better future for all its citizens.
So, what's the rub?
The opposition to my plan seems to have been raised largely over the method I've identified to pay for it. I believe the county can save $4 million a year by cancelling its public Advanced Life Support service and contracting with a private company for the same function at a better price.
Opponents of my plan, mainly Oregon Mayor Marge Brown and Maumee Mayor Tim Wagener, are playing the politics of the past by appealing to people's fears about safety.
What they have not produced are any statistics to back up their fear mongering. They don't reveal to their constituents that private companies are subject to at least one yearly inspection by the Ohio Medical Transportation Board (public ALS units are not), private paramedics are trained by the same educators as public paramedics, and private ambulance services handle about 2.3 million runs per year in Ohio.
What they also fail to mention is that included in my proposal are checks to ensure safety concerns are met and that public paramedics are hired by the incoming private company. Essentially, if Commissioners Pete Gerken, Tina Skeldon Wozniak, and I decide no proposal from the private sector satisfies safety requirements, or it appears too many paramedics will be left with nowhere to go, the county would cease to move forward with privatization.
I am open to sitting down and discussing alternative methods of funding my plan, but it is a discussion that must take place. To reject out of hand the exploration of cost-cutting measures as a method for funding a progressive, job-creating program is shortsighted and indicative of why our local economy continues to struggle.
Doing things the way they've always been done will not bring jobs to Lucas County. It will not improve the quality of life for our citizens, and it will not widen our tax base or broaden our economy.
Privatizing ambulance services is by no means a decision to be taken lightly, but it is one to seriously consider - especially considering the payoff.
We have the opportunity, through higher education for more of our residents, to turn this car around before it's too late. Let's forget about that radio dial for a while and look for the steering wheel.
Ben Konop is a Lucas County commissioner and a candidate for mayor of Toledo.
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