Guest View: Collaboration is Key

Date Posted: February 9, 2015

Posted In: Ideas,

From Belleville News-Democrat: 

Guest View: Collaboration is Key to Tackling Region’s Toughest Issues
By Ellen Krohne and Joe Reagan

Without question, the latter part of 2014 proved to be a challenging time for the St. Louis region as events in and related to Ferguson unfolded. In the wake of the turmoil, however, regional leaders are more attuned to the problems that must be addressed, and to the need for a collaborative approach.

One only has to look to some of the region’s recent successes to understand just how much can be accomplished when passionate people work together toward a common goal, whether we’re joining forces to tackle challenges or to embrace new opportunities.

While examples abound across the metro area, the spirit of cooperation that exists both within Southwestern Illinois and between economic development and civic leaders in the metro-east and their counterparts in St. Louis is worthy of note.

One of the most visible examples is the new Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge. While the decades-long effort to create a new Mississippi River crossing had some bumps along the way, bi-state leaders ultimately found middle ground, paving the way for the magnificent new bridge that today facilitates easier traffic flow between Missouri and Illinois and will be a catalyst for future growth.