Cleveland Heights and University Heights Observatory

you mean like "uncivil?"



You mean like THIS?



I never said anything of the kind. Most astute readers not looking to grind a personal axe with me would see that I was speaking of the entire concept of buy local, and that the preference alone, independent of the actual value proposition of a transaction, is problematic. The point is that CH is EXTREMELY dependent upon the openness of the outside world to intercity and interstate economic exchange, and that the reciprocation of such a local bias would hurt CH badly. Local businesses that can't compete without a local bias are of no benefit to anyone.

There's no getting around that a local economic bias sets up an us vs. them dichotomy that is incompatible with the cries of tolerance so common from CH.

Instead of talking about how a local currency can be used to lure residents into an economic trap of having to buy local, maybe it might be more useful to discuss how local businesses could better compete by offering superior value - maybe by easing the parking situation. The local currency angle is like cell phone carriers that lure you into a long term contract with discounted hardware, so for the next two years, they are relieved of the need to retain your business by offering value and service.

I love the local currency concept, but in practice, the development and administration costs, risks and downside seldom gets a mention. If you go the the site mentioned above, which I have, and try to find a major US community that is succeeding with one you'll find effort but little supportive, statistically valid presented evidence, which we do see from buy local campaigns. As I recall, it was on this site where I began to notice that little commentary about local currency was other than promotional, though I personally liked this list - http://www.mainstreetcash.org/?p=1042 and would love an opportunity to put such a "wish" list together that is comprehensive and focused on our community, for greater discussion.

When I started talking to business owners about their needs, it became clear pretty quickly that the one thing they have little time for is talking. With local currency you have to not only prove your case to get them to participate (tough enough with buy local), but then talk them into revamping everything they do, including retraining employees, changing the cash drawer, negotiating monetary differentials....enough of the negatives.

However, if you take the "best of" list of documented deliverables of buy local campaigns vs. local currency projects in communities the size of the heights area, the buy local results seem to produce the strongest case. So why create a currency? I'm all ears, but I've also come to believe if there are issues worth considering, the most important one would be how to get consumers and merchants to substantively participate.

By being inclusive of the places, methods and pre-existing habits in the way money is already transferred, transacted and exchanged - via banks & credit unions - we can capture immediate purchasing groups of bank customers. By capturing purchasing groups, we capture immediate attention from merchants, who ultimate pay the bill and need the help the most. By reducing the cost and complexity of engagement and administration, and providing the simplest platform, we remove the hurdles for every level of participation. But as I said I'm all ears...and I feel less and less alone in the effort.

The problem I personally have is that I went through a lot of this research and review in the last couple years, at my own cost, and with few local proponents (I thought) and then found a way to do this, and then convinced a Visa platform out of Iowa, with solid credentials and history, to redesign their entire program to be generic (Visa, M/C, all brands) and usable for this concept, which took some doing. They have already spent 7 figures on the concept and have also put together a merchant registry that took them months, so that merchants can use the site for advertising, 3G phone look up for consumers, integration with any existing back list, back end reporting and movement of $, etc., etc.

In fact, the platform we put together went through the vetting of NOACC (N. Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce), the largest association of chambers in the US, and won endorsement just a couple of months ago. With no history, only a concept, and considerable push back from some of their own members, they saw the purpose and benefit for their 34,000 merchant members and the communities that agree to adopt such a program. They look at a whole lot of opportunities every year and rejection is common, but they made us the 12th benefit they offer.

So I've done homework that well positions credible acceptance by the participants prior to introducing myself to Future Heights, and I hope and pray to be able to further this work right here in the community where I live and where I raised my children.

I forgot to mention that there is difficulty in a community as integrated into a large city and its suburbs as CH that would seek to set itself apart with a "buy local" campaign, that was a key issue for me as we developed the platform we have.

Inclusivity would not only be available to economic districts of CH but other communities as well, with no pre-judgement or burdens for other suburbs to participate. For example, "Future Heights" is a great name for this initiative, which Buy Local Cleveland Heights, in my opinion, is not for the vision I believe we all share. The heights is descriptively accurate, metaphorically appropriate, inclusive of other communities all the way out to I-271 and without doubt the best name I've seen yet for a large community buy local campaign.

However, what excites me about CH leading the effort is the foundational work already completed in Cleveland Heights to identify shopping districts, organize merchants into groups, and the fantastic Heights Observer, the Future Heights organization, etc. I don't believe any other community would have the inertia and we NEED a community based organization to get this done effectively and efficiently...sorry....just had to add this.

To those who would consider community currency and buy local or local first somewhat similarly motivated, there is a great response to those negative of the buy local initiatives at http://www.urbanconservancy.org/news/roundup/archive/558.

Because CH is so well prepared, compared to other NE Ohio communities, with focus, established commercial economic districts, and organizational leadership CH should be the centerpoint of an east side local campaign. Further, because CH is at the top of the hill that separates the main city of Cleveland from the Eastern bedroom communities, CH is in the best geographical location to take a successful leadership role above those other communities.

A shame hearing this attitude from a moderator. I disagree with Brian far more often than I agree with him, but the fear of ruffling feathers is what has kept this message board from acheiving anywhere near the critical mass it requires ot be a useful tool. If the moderators' position is that it is uncivil to call people economic xenophobes, then there will be no constructive discussion on the board. I own a couple message boards. I also monitor a couple dozen as part of my job. The idea of using real names on this one is something I have watched closely-- I understand the desire for it. But if we are going take an attempt to build an on-line community and quash any discussion that takes a negative tact, why bother talking about it.

Brian, I for one, appreciate your opinions, agree or disagree, and hope that we will se more contrarian posts with a sense of humor (like the one above).

I won't even begin on how user-unfriendly this software tends to be.

Keith,
You are not alone in your feelings about the software. Because the forum platform is part of a larger software package that is used to manage content coming in from volunteers to the Observer website and newspaper, we have not had success in getting it upgraded to any of several products that are more enjoyable to use. But it is something we continue to push with the software developer.

_________________
Lifetime resident
FutureHeights Board Member (speaking on my own behalf)
Site Moderator

It has been something of an echo chamber. What's far more troubling is that others have made posts that exceed mine in the factors being condemned, but they've been overlooked because they toed the leftist party line that dominates here. It's downright scary how I can end a post with "where's the tolerance" and immediately get scolded by a moderator who's view of civility is colored by the ideological lens through which he sees it.



Which I didn't actually do - I said "[it] seems like you are" which, given that their postings are my only source of perception, roughly means "it sounds like you are" which is not strictly an assertion about them but rather about their message. I mean, come on, when a knuckle dragging, WalMart shopping redneck like me has to explain nuanced language to a bunch of enlightened progressives, down what sort of rabbit hole have we fallen?



Don't worry, shy, I'm not, and where we disagree, one thing of which you may be certain is that I'll be the last one shouting for some sort of law or regulation to force you to do things my way, unlike most of CH's supposedly tolerant residents.

Bob, as a former contributor to the paperI understand that and I will say that part of the software is easy to use. But there are so many cheap (or free) solutions available, it
A simple pass-through link to a proboards or other site would be one easy way to remedy that. I am aware of another organization that did someting similar- rather than using off hte shelf software or providers, they built their forums network from scratch. It is impossible to use.
I just do not understand the constant desire to reinvent the wheel. Thanks for responding. We now take you back to the Shop Local thread.

As of next week, I'm going into merchants, restaurants, service providers, grocery, etc., with a concept that we've spent the last year developing that utilizes debit cards as a "community currency" to build a buy local campaign. We have re-purposed a debit platform that is usable by any bank or credit union, built a dynamic website merchant registry, created the reporting and administration back-end and this week we're printing literature to introduce the program. I have also begun the process of introducing our program to banks and credit unions, that are going to watch to see how we do recruiting local merchants.

The cost for the merchants that register will be low, below $100., and will allow them to determine for themselves what the offer as a "give back" to the community, though we will push for 3%, which is well below the 10% of other local currency "bites".

Debit cardholders will receive the majority of the give back, with a portion going to the financial institutions that work with us, and another portion going into the admin costs. If Future Heights or any other local, community based, non-profit merchant association wants to discuss participating the opportunity is available. We have a pre-existing relationship with North Ohio Area Chamber of Commerce, with 120+ chambers and 34K merchants, but we're going into the heights area without local endorsement, so a position for FH would be available.

I'm not in love with the name the company secured "DebitDeals", but it was available, and also, it is what it is and is what it does...provides incentive to shop locally with a debit card that consumers already have in their wallet.

Jim Simpson