To concerned community residents:

The purpose of this letter is to inform and share with you Forging the Freedom Trail Project Foundation, Inc. and the Market Research Initiative's thoughts on the Broome County Economic Plan that is being engineered by the consulting firm of economist Angelos Angelou, a plan that is being considered to be initiated in Broome County.

The proposed plan is very interesting. Interesting, in terms of in our reviewing Mr. Angelou's plan, we founded that we shared several mutual thoughts as outlined in his plan particularly with respect to the marketing strategy. A strategy, which the Foundation and the Market Research Initiative has been employing in our community through our "Comprehensive Economic Agenda Vision of Great Stuff Is Made Locally" for the empowerment of our local community through the identification and promotion of our unique marketing slogan:

"Great Stuff Is Made Locally"

Understanding the appearance of our Economic Agenda Vision being compatible and comparable to Mr. Angelou's plan, that we have been promoting as Great Stuff Is Made Locally. We regard Mr. Angelou's economic plan as an excellent vehicle to organize any community. We are seeking to have a dialogue to introduce his plan and with your participation to plan how to form a catalyst of community people to generate the "Great Stuff Is Made Locally Conference" as a economic agenda for change in Chenango County.

Mr. Angelou appeal for an open dialogue, in the form of a public community forum for local residents input, analysis and seeking collaboration with his plan is an excellent idea. His approach is very refreshing and practical. It is essentially, the first corrective step for the organizing and the development of any community for its economic empowerment must come from a "Grassroots" community level.

Any request that allows community individuals to be given the opportunity to express their concerns towards the development of an economic plan as it relates to the problems that exist within the region makes a lot of sense. Identifying those problems that's causing the frustration that affects community individuals in their daily lives and that deteriorates the economic quality of life in the community is critically needed.

All of our local communities within the region suffers from numerous problems that is facing the business environment, the educational system and the local (municipal) government. Let's consider a few of the following problems that needs to be addressed.

• Underemployment and structural unemployment.
• Exodus of young adults, college graduates, high school dropouts from the region. The flight of brainpower and potential entrepreneurs from the region is running at an estimated ( www.thedailystar.com, May 23rd, 2001) critical average rate of 16% of the county's population, ( quickfacts.census.gov) In other words, in the last decade, an average of at least 22,424 young adults have headed towards "safe havens" in other cities, states and countries with sizable "fast growing" companies offering higher wages, luring benefits, power images and "room for advancement, www.pressconnects.com, September 10th. 2000 )" This is due, among other reasons, to the lack of successful prospects for employment, and (effective ) youth entrepreneurship programs giving real opportunities to invest in human and physical capital.
• To comprehensively develop agriculture and tourism initiatives like "Agri-Heritage Tourism Initiatives" working together geared to expand the economics of tourism. Which can have a positive monetary multiplier effect for tourism and on other sectors of the economy. All of which can be promoted and be developed to become a powerful engine for local economic growth.
• An "image and identity problem" regarding our local communities that hinders the return of local residents and that stymies our economic growth Lack of identification and marketing of available local/regional products and individual local community entrepreneurs, initiation of a "Buy locally campaign" and marketing "Great Stuff Is Made Locally."
• High level of taxes.
• Day Care and Head Start.
• Expensive medical and drug prescriptions indebtedness.
• The high cost of purchasing consumer goods that is heavily hitting the fixed income of senior citizens and the received low wages of the average hard working individuals living within the region.

We need to address and solve efficiently those above stated problems that are critically effecting our community. In this regard, there is a serious need for the initiation of ideas on how to permanently motivate the residents of the community, including diverse businesses and cultural entities, to participate actively in the process of economic development and to remain in our communities.

• What has happening now is not working to stop of the stated problems from continuing to happen. We have a plan that thinks outside of the box which will bring people to the area. This plan requires thinking in a backwards process of economic development to bring new business to the area, to keep business in our area and to stop the brain drain of our youth.

Clearly with this kind of received identification on some of the region problems and responding successfully with solutions to these problems, is key for successfully gaining the support and community participation in Mr. Angelou economic plan. Also, with the introduction of an idea with a strong sense of direction like Mr. Angelou economic plan, which importantly includes the important task of marketing the region is critical. In that light, essentially, Forging the Freedom Trail Project Foundation, Inc. and Market Research Initiatives is suggesting that now is the time to unify our efforts, to bring about the pooling of our resources in a comprehensive framework like Great Stuff Is Made Locally. To formulate and implement a plan of involvement on a community level to energize our potential economic development for growth in the community.

It is very encouraging to see Mr. Angelous economic plan being initiated and being promoted in this kind of atmosphere in Broome County.

Forging the Freedom Trail Project Foundation, Inc. and Market Research Initiative, our organizational Think Tank, strongly believe and endorses that a solid economic development process requires "Net-working" to become the catalysis as a necessary key ingredient for its success and for it to be sustainable in achieving the objective of any program.

We respectfully request the opportunity to have a meeting with you for the purpose of a dialogue to discuss and share strategies for the initiation of an economic agenda in,

A spirit of unity, community identification and with such a clear economic vision as proposed like Mr. Angelous in his economic plan.

We look forward to your response and to the establishment of a collective working coalition.

Respectfully,

George M. Sands, Chair
Forging the Freedom Trail Project Foundation
Regional Coordinator, Forging the Freedom Trail Project Foundation
Friends of Harriet Tubman Committee
Great Stuff is Made Locally
Market Research Initiative
E-mail address: fofht@yahoo.com