Reporter’s Notebook

KEEPING TALENT CLOSE TO HOME

For those of you who are parents, here’s a good selfish reason to keep Southwest Washington growing: The more developed your hometown is, the less likely your children will grow up and move away.

I haven’t read any studies on this, but the idea came up a few times at last week’s candidate forum with the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce. And it seemed to resonate with the audience.

“I find my family all over the country,” said Tom Mielke, a Board of Clark County Commissioners candidate. “They had to leave to find a good job and a good home. Quality of life starts with a job and economic development here starts with a business-friendly climate.”

Southwest Washington is growing rapidly, but many of the candidates said there’s a need for fewer regulations to help cultivate business development. If a local economy is not diversified with infrastructure to accommodate growth, it’s likely that much of its young workforce will leave to find career opportunities.

That was the case for Mielke’s family and my own family, and it’s the case for the vast majority of working adults I know.

Part of the reason young workers leave home is just to get out of Dodge. I know because I grew up in Dodge, and getting out seemed like an adventure. But looking back, it’s clear that I left when I decided to get serious about my career. If Dodge had more options for living wage jobs with promise of interesting and fulfilling careers, maybe I would have stayed.

Career opportunities are exciting, but driving six hours in the snow to get to Mom’s house is no way to spend the holidays.

Charity Thompson can be reached at cthompson@vbjusa.com