When Pageland grows, where will you be?

With Pageland’s proximity to Charlotte the growth is coming. It doesn’t really matter what you want. Pageland is going to grow.
Pageland and Chesterfield do have some say. The town and county get to either facilitate the growth or stand in the way of it.

Scenario One
Pageland elects responsible leaders that are pro smart growth. These leaders anticipate problems and look for opportunities. In the short term, leaders aggressively facilitate workforce development via resources that are already in the county while simultaneously pursuing new sustainable industry. Our leaders also up-grade our infrastructure so capital is not wasted on fines and inefficiency.
For the long term, our leaders recognize that manufacturing jobs will not sustain our communities and that agriculture, while important, can’t expand enough to cover the burden of fewer and fewer manufacturing jobs. These leaders then expand workforce development which translates into skilled labor and think outside the box for alternative industry. Pageland is no longer reliant on companies that want cheap land and cheap labor that is strategically placed near Charlotte. Industry like this will always be a percentage point on the bottom line away from moving operations overseas. Companies and industry instead are attracted to Pageland and the county because its citizens are able to perform a service or task that other communities can not do at all or do as well. Now Pageland and the county have properly invested in all of its assets not just its proximity.

Scenario Two
Pageland and the county continues its current pattern of being reactionary and under pressure to change, or else. Northeastern Technical College is not recognized as potentially the county’s most precious stepping stone. Infrastructure struggles and fails leading to fines and costly inefficiency. A continued lack of opportunity leads to more disenfranchised youth who without other opportunities turn to lifestyles that are disruptive to the community and in turn cost even more money to keep under “control.” Most distressingly Pageland and the county will experience growth by attrition; a McDonald’s here and a grocery store there, not really the kind of community investment that trickles down. The kind that is already down. Again, relying on cheap labor and location. Faced with similar jobs that pay traditional rates county citizens have no opportunity to invest and profit from county growth. Outside investors will reap the lion’s share of the rewards.
The growth is coming. It is up to the community to decide how it will work with the growth. Will you fight it? Stand in the way of the inevitable? Or will you be proactive? Electing appropriate leadership is key. But in the mean time you can let those that stand in the way of growth know your displeasure. You can call for them to step down. You can let them know you have no confidence in their ability to conduct the people’s business. Those with the loudest voice have the largest responsibility to do this. That means the town’s business owners and employers, those that stand to benefit the quickest from controlled smart growth.
It is my sincere hope Pageland and the County takes full advantage of the opportunities and responsibilities coming up in the next few months and years. I hope the community knows that it is its responsibility to provide for itself and when those that are elected to give professional public service fail to do so it is the community’s responsibility to remove them from these public offices through elections when possible and the courts if necessary. Mistakes now will reverberate for years to come and become exponentially more expensive to correct.

Benjamin Cook is a recent graduate of Dublin City University in Ireland where he received his masters in International Security and Conflict Studies. He is a graduate of Central High.