That bit of nose-on-your-face wisdom comes from veteran Montana
economic analyst Larry Swanson of the Center for the Rocky Mountain
West in Missoula.
In a way it seems obvious, but for folks who plan and implement
state policy, from the governor's office to the Legislature to the
university system, it's easy to forget.
For proof look no further than the one-size-fits-all policies and
development strategies we implement in this state.
Montana is one state, but it's at least three economies --
western, eastern and central (ours) -- and maybe more, depending on
how you analyze it.
That's one of the basic tenets of the "Montana on the Move"
project, a joint effort of the CRMW and several other organizations.
It's a message Swanson brought to Great Falls Friday for the
third in a series of community forums planned around the state.
One of Swanson's points is that those three regional economies
are vastly different, and that lumping them together statistically
gives the wrong picture of both the state and the regions.
People are moving to the western region, and its economy is
growing rapidly; the central area also is growing, but slowly; and
people are leaving the east, so its economy is shrinking.
Further, he notes that the seven biggest cities in Montana --
which along with their counties comprise about 60 percent of the
state's population -- are the repositories of 80 to 90 percent of
the economic growth the state has seen in the past decade.
It makes sense, then, to suggest -- as Swanson does -- that the
cities and regions need to become masters of their own destinies.
The state can help, but it probably can't lead.
Montana on the Move aims to support regional and community
development efforts by providing accurate information and analysis,
and by helping the regions and population centers communicate to
solve common problems.
That's a mouthful; in other words, MOM is a resource that local
officials and developers would do well to use.
Swanson's economic perspective also would benefit state
politicians.
Among other things, he says Montana's economy isn't nearly as
bleak as we've been led to believe.
For example, Swanson picked 29 other cities in America with
demographic profiles similar to Montana's cities, then added the
Montana cities to the list. He discovered that per capita income in
Billings ranked fifth, Great Falls 13th and Missoula 16th -- far
different from the statewide figure of 47th among the 50 states so
often referenced by political candidates and, of course, newspaper
commentators.
Happily, Swanson told his Great Falls audience Friday that the
city is "moving in the right direction."
"You have your eye on the ball," he said. "In the state of
Montana, there's times we don't even know what the ball is."
