Commentary by Eugene Paslov: City Center backers praised for vision

I was proud of the men, women and children who spoke in support of the City Center Project on Aug. 8. They spoke with courage and conviction. They had a vision for Carson City in which we could all take pride.

People desperately want Carson City to thrive, to attract new jobs and industry, to be a vital, dynamic capital city. The City Center Project will lead to that outcome. The critics were mostly concerned about "timing" (bad economy) and or "taxes" - the very modest increase in sales tax (one-eighth of a cent) would be "too much." One critic even went so far as to suggest recalling supervisors who voted in support. How sad.

Another critic (Guy Farmer, Aug. 14 column) declared his love of libraries but appeared to be baffled by a Knowledge and Discovery Center's role in stimulating economic growth. I strongly suggest that Guy talk with those who do know: Sara Jones, libray director extraordinaire; and Steve Neighbors, trustee for the Carson Nugget's owner, Mae B. Adams. They will help him understand.

I believe in this project.

We are experiencing difficult times - job loss, home foreclosures, population decline. But in difficult times, one need not put his or her head in the sand. Smart businesses and thoughtful government turn to innovation, investment and research - building a new knowledge base. Businesses and governments that experience economic downturns know that these three elements are the pillars of successful recovery.

Public-private partnerships hold the promise for the future. Business and government work best when they work together. There has been much effort put into the City Center's public-private partnership plan. Carson City's businesses and residents prosper as a result.

Finally, it is imperative that in the midst of economic decline, we take dramatic, thoughtful action to stimulate growth and capture the imagination and creative inclinations of businesses - big and small, new and old - to see Carson City as the place to be and to grow. We need to move off the bottom rung of the economic development and "quality-of-life" ladder and start the climb upward.

Library chief Jones shared her vision of a new Knowledge and Discovery Center that will make a substantive difference in the future of our city's economic development, as well as helping parents and students . Worrying about a sales tax that will cost the average Carson City household approximately $26 per year and will be shared by visitors (the cost of taking my grandchildren to one movie) does not serve the community well.

The time is now. The City Center Project is much more than a library. Our heads must be out of the sand, our eyes looking up to the future. It takes courage to act.

• Eugene T. Paslov is a board member of the Davidson Academy at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the former Nevada state superintendent of schools.