OPINION: Grassroots effort needed for regional growth along I-95

A $300,000 study to assess needs along the Interstate 95 corridor in South Carolina was more than worth the investment because it should open the eyes of political leaders in the region and move them to change.

Six priorities were among the findings and recommendations of the report, compiled by RTI International of Research Triangle, N.C., most notably the need to develop a shared sense of purpose instead of an intensely parochial one. A lack of regional institutions makes it impossible to speak with one voice on matters of regional importance.

The 16 counties along I-95 must act as a unified political bloc for them to overcome issues of poverty and lack of economic development. Median incomes in some counties are less than one-third the state average. And unemployment is often twice the state average.

When state Sens. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, and John W. Matthews Jr., D-Orangeburg, helped convince the legislature to appropriate money for the study, it signaled a political collaboration on the state level to tackle problems along the least-developed section of the north-south interstate, which extends from Maine to Florida.

When Florence’s Francis Marion University and Orangeburg’s South Carolina State University agreed to commit resources and some of their best and brightest staff to the project, it was an endorsement and a commitment on a high level to facilitate change along a 200-mile stretch from Dillon County in the north to Jasper County in the south. FMU and S.C. State are rivals in some ways, competing for students in the same area, but they’re committed to making the region stronger.

Now local political leaders, mayors, county administrators, school superintendents and business professionals need to read the report and show the

same spirit of cooperation. It’s available by going to www.fmarion.edu/news and clicking on “Creating Greater Opportunity in South Carolina’s I-95 Corridor: A Human Needs Assessment.”

“Too many corridor counties are divided, whether by local rivalries, classes lines or race,” said the report, which was written by RTI staffers Toby Moore and Sara Lawrence, who spent more than a year on the project.

The divisions locally make it impossible to tackle the other five priorities identified by the research:
-- Develop a regional economic perspective;
-- Improve and extend the education system;
-- Close the infrastructure gap;
-- Modernize state and local finance structures; and
-- Target disparities in health and social services.

FMU President Dr. Fred Carter and S.C. State President George E. Cooper are creating task forces to act on the study’s findings. FMU’s group will be led by retired Progress Energy executive Emerson F. Gower, whose leadership style is known for generating results. Gower was the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce’s 2009 Business Leader of the Year.

The task of rallying regional support will be monumental. Local leaders are used to taking care of their own, not worrying about the region as a whole.

“What is needed is almost the creation of grassroots politics to generate the creative friction that comes with a thriving and engaged citizenry,” the report said. “Even skilled and energetic local economic coordinators will find their efforts thwarted without the support of private, public and community leaders who will do the grunt work to see initiatives through to successful completion.”

The expectations fall on FMU’s and S.C. State’s shoulders to bring the stakeholders together and broker a relationship. No two institutions in the region have enough resources or clout to broker the relationships necessary to create networks of trust.

“Rising unemployment, the state budget crisis and a weakening economy only highlight the need for the region to take a more cohesive and active role in pushing for balanced economic development,” the report said. “The corridor is justified in feeling it has been neglected by the state, but the chances of a fundamental shift in state attitudes toward high-poverty counties seem slight.”

No one is suggesting problems will be solved overnight. But the I-95 corridor has great potential because of the region’s assets, most notably a mild climate.

The development of a shared vision and purpose, as the report pointed out, has the potential to bring substantial, welcomed change. Let’s hope local leaders take the next steps and create some momentum.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).