Following a May jump in home sales and the creation of an economic recovery zone in Howard County, Kokomo's Mayor says he sees his city at an economic crossroads.
Speaking on WFIU's "Ask the Mayor," Greg Goodnight said he can see his city at a tipping point of sorts -- either ready to sustain a recovery and leave the days of 20% unemployment in the dust of a nationwide recession or atop just one of a series of small peaks separated by economic valleys.
"I feel like we've been playing defense for the most part; trying to stop the bleeding on some of the big challenges we were faced with," Goodnight said. "And now I feel like we are going on the offensive. So yeah, I do feel like this is an important time for us. I feel like the possibility of the downsizing we've had to do to refocus our limited amount of tax dollars -- this is a chance for it to pay off."
The mayor has been buoyed by the findings of a citizen-led committee seeking options for government consolidation. That committee has recommended combining city and county emergency dispatch services -- an idea Goodnight has championed in his 30 months in office.