Chip Minemyer

By Chip Minemyer
The Tribune-Democrat

JOHNSTOWN, Pa.

As local business leaders and those who think big economic thoughts sit
down for dinner on Thursday, some will utter a word or two of thanks that a
certain local congressman retained his seat in Washington.
The name "William Russell" may be fading from their collective consciousness
by the time the turkey is carved and the yams are glazed.
But something Russell said repeatedly while attempting to dethrone Democrat
John Murtha should not be quickly forgotten:
"If your job is dependent upon a single congressman going back to
Washington, then there's something wrong with that."
Russell said many things that made little sense during the campaign for the
12th Congressional District seat.
But this statement was right on the money (so to speak), and one of which we
should all take heed.
The Republican challenger pointed to what he believed was a "cycle of
dependence" ­ -- the local economy relying on Murtha's re-election
every two years.
Russell offered almost nothing in the way of a plan for making our region
stronger. His campaign was based on one idea: He wasn't John Murtha.
Ultimately, that wasn't nearly enough.
But his campaign did shed light on an ugly secret in these parts ­ a truth
we've kept hidden away like a sick relative in an upstairs room.
We're way too dependent on one person.
For more than a decade, anytime there's been a gathering of area business
owners and marketing and development professionals, the elephant in the room
has been this huge unanswered question: What happens when Murtha is gone?
Murtha himself has even asked the question of people who turn to government
projects ­ and even (gasp!) earmarks ­ to create jobs.
Outwardly, people say the right things ­ telling the congressman what he
wants to hear. "Yes, we see the problem. Yes, we're doing something about
it."
Still, major local employers and key players in our dominant market sectors
are very reliant on federal dollars -- ­ some almost exclusively.
That includes important companies in our health-care industry, in
manufacturing, in information technology and -- ­ without a doubt --­ in our
defense sector.
For every JWF Defense ­ which took Murtha's influence and developed a
self-reliant business plan ­ there is a Windber Research Institute or
MountainTop Technologies Inc. ­ each supported entirely or nearly so by
money from the federal government.
In the days leading up to the election, Murtha boasted that his influence
has been responsible for 20,000 jobs across the district.
An exaggeration? Perhaps, though few would disagree with the assertion that
the congressman has had an enormous positive impact on our economic base.
Yet, there is disagreement over how much more stable our local economy is
now versus 20 or 30 years ago, when the steel mills were vanishing and we
were recovering from a flood.
And folks often wonder aloud how many of those 20,000 jobs would disappear
like a puff of smoke with a new congressman heading off to the nation's
Capitol.
Is the emerging local economy, built on high-tech and defense, merely a
house of cards that will collapse when Murtha retires or fails to win
re-election?
Let's hope not.
But, if that's the case, it is our fault, not his.
He helped set the foundation and put this plan in motion.
We are now tasked with growing a shared vision for our future that is
attainable and ­ most important ­ sustainable.
That would be something to be thankful for indeed.

Chip Minemyer writes for The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown, Pa.