Let's use their talents

The Franklin Economic Development Committee (EDC) met last night. The EDC consists of professional business people with a variety of talents that Mayor Olson isn't utilizing. The members spent the majority of time trying to define their roles and how they can help the city. This is all occurring while Franklin is facing stagnant development.

The city has a large problem with empty buildings. It would be nice if Olson would ask EDC to look into the problem by meeting with property managers and owners to determine what assistance the city could provide.

Olson's philosophy is that the empty buildings pay taxes. However, empty buildings create a negative image and bring down property values. Once that image is painted in a city, it's difficult to clean up. Maybe that's why Franklin is losing quality businesses to surrounding communities and new businesses don't want to invest in Franklin.