WWCD

Just yesterday, in response to this brief article in The State, @RileyComm asked, "what would you say?" It got me thinking about the tape loop of thoughts I have about this city and what I would do to improve it. In the spirit of the upcoming mayoral elections, here's what I would do to improve Colatown.

- I would increase parking tickets from $7.00 to $14.00.
- I would hire someone for Main Street development with experience in retail recruitment and have that person recruit some worthwhile retailers to Main Street. I might then consider blocking off Main Street on the weekends to be pedestrian-only.
- I would curtail housing development until there was more of an infrastructure in place to support people living here.
- I would improve the city's bus system and build more sidewalks (not just road improvement).
- I would increase cigarette and alcohol tax.
- I would improve the city's website SEO so that a search for "city of columbia event calendar" would pull up Columbia, SC above Columbia, MO.
- I would make sure businesses like City Roots were rewarded for what they are doing...meaning I would be sure there aren't any chemicals leaking into the ground surrounding the farm.

There are things that are out of government control that really irk me, like certain restaurants not being open on the weekend, and local boutiques not staying open during "after work" hours, and customer service in general around town. But in my experience living here, I've come to realize that unless the local government improves the machinations of the city, demand will not rise to the point at which these businesses need to meet it.