2/23:According to an L.A. Times story released today, Bremerton-Silverdale
moved from 122nd in 2004 to 18th in 2005 in the Milken Institute’s
Best Performing Cities index.
(This is the point where if I could I would insert a little
emoticon, also known as a smiley face, only this one would have a
look of surprise.)
The index has a lot to do with job creation, and methinks the local
ranking may have something to do with the influx of
submariners.
Whatever the cause, I plan to spend all day Thursday figuring out
exactly what the index actually means and how we made Bremerton and
Silverdale look so jobs-creative.
So, uh, how’d we do it?
UPDATE 2/24: Today’s story clarifies that much of what’s
driving the entire county’s job growth is the influx of wealthy
people from the other side of Puget Sound. They, in turn, are
spawning the demand for jobs in the service sector and in
construction. 
On Bainbridge Island much of the
discussion in City Hall is that it gets worked more than other
cities because wealthy people demand better service.
What may be the best piece of news in the Milken index is the 3
percent job growth between July 2004 and July 2005, because it
means the most recent numbers show the momentum is continuing.
It’s worth noting that indexes come and go and show different
things. Surely another one could come out that could paint a
depressing picture of what’s happening here. I’m guessing
first-time homebuyers aren’t thrilled with the rising median home
prices.
What do you think? Is your own job picture improving? Is the
economy here improving? I was listening to NPR the other day and an
economist was saying often what matters more than the raw data is
how people feel about the economy. So, how do you feel about the
local, state, national, or world economy?
And why should we have a NASCAR Raceway to interfere with our economic success while it destroys our environment and severely limits our personal mobility?
Steve, good story on the Milken report. The demographics of this are relatively simple: mountains and water create natural boundaries to growth in the Everett-Tacoman corridor; as home prices rise due to the supply-demand inbalance, people look west to Kitsap; good ferry service allows people to work east of the Sound and live a good life in Kitsapland; small companies see this dynamic, recognize the lower cost of doing business in Kitsap, and begin to set up shop here. Job growth results from both the population movement AND the entrepeneurial spirit which our country is endowed with. At least that is my view of it.
I feel good about the economy now, but I think we need more. I would love to see Olympic College become a 4 year institution, more ferry service and a dynamic downtown in Bremerton. I love that I can go to the Admiral Theartre and see a great show without having to go to Seattle. I moved here from Walnut Creek, California. That little city was known as the “San Fransico of Contra Costa County” because of the arts, entertainment and shopping. I would like to see Bremerton become the “Seattle of Kitsap County.” I would like to see Nordstrom take the place of the closing Mervyn’s at the Kitsap Mall. And I think Bremerton needs a giant cineplex. Concord, CA built one that achitectually looked great. It blended nicely with the cities buildings and is absolutely beautiful and smartly designed with garage parking and exits that let out in the parking garage. We are slowly moving that way–we have a collegiate baseball team (the Blue Jackets), more hotels are beginning to be built, bigger companies are moving to Kitsap County, and downtown Bremerton is on the right path. And if people don’t want NASCAR here, I think we should build a music venue out there, like the Whitewater Ampitheatre.