Want to change things in Zanesville?

The other day an acquaintance commented on social media that I was a wonderful father. To the contrary, I commented to a good friend that I thought his post was in error. I cited the many times I have not been a part of my daughter's life because I had a meeting, event, volunteer activity, etc. I know that while the people involved with the many organizations that are near and dear to me may appreciate my involvement with a hug or kind word, a young lady for whom I am very much responsible is missing the same from me every once in a while. And whether I like it or not, I know that has failure written all over it.

I share this with you because I would never want anyone to think that I don't understand the demands of daily life or appreciate their commitment to their family. I know there are people who have very little free time to give. But if there is one thing I hope my daughter gleans from my lifetime, it is the importance of being an active part of the community in which she lives, no matter to what degree. All other things will come to fruition for her over time and through hard work. A life of servitude, however, requires the strength of character that can only be found in the determination to make the world a better place. It involves a regular routine of repeated failure and ridicule to build the muscle that is the tenacity to go forth every day and try again. As a community, I fear that we fail to build that muscle in our future leaders because we fail to recognize that they may actually stay here in our community and assume such a role. We equate success with getting out of this town and that causes the lethargy and indifference that weakens our will to succeed.

When businesses in our community can't secure a skilled workforce, it is not just the fault of our schools. Every time we portray our own community as inferior or dysfunctional, we send a message of hopelessness to our youth. The world beyond our city limits will give us all a million reasons each day to feel this way, but it is up to us to show them evidence why this community has a million reasons to smile. I personally witness the vital work of numerous faith-based organizations in this community every day. The only problem I actually point to is that many well-intended individuals are working to their fullest capacity on the exact same work. And as I have said over and over, the "fix" is not simple because everyone involved is too busy to take the time to figure out how they can do things any differently. More hands on deck would right the ship and allow for greater time for thought about efficiency. Our need is great, and streamlining the work is the key to helping people to aspire to greater things, work hard, and take advantage of the educational opportunities that already exist.

When businesses in our community can't secure a drug-free workforce, it is not just the fault of our law enforcement. From a very young age, we need to work together to create opportunities for involvement in sporting programs, civic activities, job-readiness education, and the arts. School-aged children simply have too much time after school and in the summer months to do absolutely nothing. This is the only catalyst needed by drug dealers to find their ideal niche and move into action. Conversations about drugs among our youth often take precedent over those regarding their individual interests and talents… and eventually become the norm. Fast forward to area job fairs where more than half of those in attendance leave when they learn that drug tests will be administered. Often, leaving a less educated and overall viable pool of potential candidates. Intelligent, educated drug users equate to nothing more than unintelligent, uneducated employees who serve as a liability to employers.

When businesses in our community can't offer opportunity, it is not just the fault of the business community itself. Leaders are not just born. They are created here. Their skills are honed and interests are peaked. But it is up to all of us to utilize these young people early in their lives so the vision that they have of their future includes this community. Without that, opportunity is only seen as something that quite literally exists "down the road." I hold firm to the belief that it is incredibly difficult to draw people back to any community that they have already left. Therefore, it seems to me that retaining them is the best approach. We all want to be a part of a success story, and I believe we need to focus on our accomplishments as a community before we even begin telling our story. While it also contributes to some of our problems, our proximity to Interstate 70 lends itself to a lifeline for economic stability whose absence has crippled cities like us over the years. And to those who choose to believe we are an anomaly poised here at our lowest point, I quote the words of George S. Patton: "Success is how high you bounce when you hit rock bottom." We can't afford to take a languid approach to our future because it is something that we have the ability to change.

I was honored to participate in the initial community talk hosted by the Times Recorder. It served as a springboard for a series of articles that will feature stories designed to ignite a passion within us all for this wonderful city. Finger pointing will not match residents with employment opportunities and training. Complaining about law enforcement will not create the drug-free workforce we need to meet the demand of companies. Discussions of what "could have been" or "should have been" won't create leaders or streamline our use of resources. And finally, we stand to serve as our own worst enemy through continued negativity that does nothing more than to eradicate the hard work of many organizations and erode the existing population. I am proud to have had the opportunity to sit with area residents and discuss the future, and I hope the articles in this series will serve as a testament not only to the struggles that lie ahead, but the successes that have traversed us thus far. I have personally witnessed many changes in our community in the past 47 years. I stand steadfast in my belief that we should be thankful and proud to live here. I challenge you to rethink Zanesville and I hope this series of articles enables you to do just that.

Steven Foreman is Zanesville councilman-at-large and director of Title 1 and Special Programs for Zanesville City Schools.