Change comes hard — and not without a fight.
Most people would like to be able to invite change without the pressure of having to change to survive, but that rarely happens. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just change because we wanted to? New Year’s resolutions would be a snap. Change often comes because there’s no other choice but to change.
Listening to the radio on my commute downtown (along beautiful Lake Michigan) this morning, I listened with disbelief at the Alabama’s judges who are choosing to break the law to prevent same-sex marriage in the state. Which made me think… if Alabama is the most recent state to allow same-sex marriages, which states still don’t allow gay marriage? Alabama doesn’t spring to my mind first as a place that is breaking any records for “new thinking”. States that don’t permit same-sex marriages: AR, GA, KY, LA, MI, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD and — you guessed it! TX! Oh, Texas. Cities other than Austin may want to consider getting a little weird to stay relevant in 2015. Relevance means attracting a talented workforce (yes, I’m talking about those damn millennials!) that every city is fighting for. Phew! At least, Wisconsin was ahead of Alabama — but then again, is that saying much?
Progress is a battle. Many people want things to remain the same… Ultimately, change is risky. I’m very proud of my risk-taking hometown, Milwaukee. Yesterday, The Milwaukee City Council approved a streetcar to connect downtown and the lower east side (and beyond). Our city, like all cities, has its share of challenges. Our citizens were divided on this issue. In light of so many backwards ideas by our current governor, we are fighting hard to keep our great state great, it’s encouraging to see the city of Milwaukee embrace the future and forge a new path.
It means a lot to me to live in a city that invests in staying relevant and current. Millennials want more than beer and brats… ok, bad example. But in this case, we need to anticipate our future needs, like great public transportation. Making our city easy to navigate helps Milwaukee to attract tourists, retain current workforce and attract workforce from other cities. Talented people who may not have seen Milwaukee as “forward-thinking”… until now.
betsyrowbottom 