DDTT - News & Debate

Previous strategies and countless consultancies' reports and publications failed to address and tackle the essence of bringing tangible solutions to the equation of economics/growth and expansion for the city of Dover and the whole of Delaware. The lack of that cohesive and inclusive strategy, a united front with a "hands on approach" and not a fragmented strategy should be the trigger for an action plan that sets in motion a long-awaited transformational change, one that has been needed since for three decades. This transformation should trigger economic growth and economic expansion and compel the political leadership to face a historical responsibility and moral obligation to set the process of positive change.

The strategy of the DDTT is constantly to adopt what P. Skat-Rordam, a Danish economist (1999:31), calls strategies to opportunities and learning. As Skat-Rordam observes, "In a changing world, formulating a successful strategy depends to a significant degree on learning by experimenting with new directions, and on recognizing opportunities that suddenly crystallize during that process."

In other words, his view resonates the "glass mold story": A strategy is like a glass mold. It can be shaped, reshaped, breathed life into, broken, if necessary, melted, and started all over again. This process requires bravery, wisdom, and the courage to admit mistakes when they happen. The theory behind DDTT is the necessity to create the correct data that can help in identifying problems of economic dimension that can be measured and serviced through related projects, which can themselves be estimated, budgeted, and later executed.

Our philosophy of economic expansion is based on our primary premise about economic regeneration and development:

"Cities alone can build economies; Dover is no exception and does not have to attach itself to a satellite economy in order to survive. Mistakes in the past are that long term planning has been ignored for the sake of quick return on investment for the short term, creating a negative domino effect of job loss and lack of new and serious business and industry opportunities."

The think tank is not the personal property of any one individual. It is an umbrella to unite economic, academic, business, industry, environmental, and societal forces that can bring tangible solutions to acute problems of an economic development nature. The DDTT aims at galvanizing all the enthusiastic and positive forces in Dover in particular and the rest of Delaware in general. The DDTT message is inclusive and not exclusive. The vehicle here is to achieve economic solutions through invention, innovation, and technology in accordance with the environment and ecology and by highlighting the implications of global warming, pollution, and earth and water contamination.

DDTT is the voice of economic Dover for economic solutions, growth, and expansion. It is the inclusive voice of ordinary citizens of all walks of life who desire and inspire prosperity and happiness, the epitome of the American dream.

We have been working behind the scenes for the last five years, painting a picture from a distance, collecting data and information which can be transformed into real projects based on the real needs of the city of Dover and with the full understanding that Downtown development, tourism, agriculture, industry, environment, and infrastructure correlate with each other and affect Dover to lesser or greater degrees. These sectors of the economy of Dover in particular and Delaware in general are misunderstood by all consultants who have reported their findings on Dover and yet failed to spot their enormous impact.

It is time to take action instead of waiting for things to happen, before the Asian economies devour us. It is estimated that the Chinese economy alone will overtake Western economies in the next 7 to 10 years. We must adopt the "hands on" approach and engage all citizens in what can be qualified as a re-birth and renaissance for the City of Dover. In the short term, small projects can be triggered by simple means and at little or no cost but which will bring a positive domino effect by engaging all citizens in the renaissance of their city and environment.

Strategic alliances and partnerships are most needed in these days, in opposition to fragmented efforts and the multitude of organizations under the banner of economic development. Dover and Delaware are small places, but your ideas and ours can make them big enough for the global scene. Have you had a good idea to improve Dover?

Forward Strategic Thinking

What's the next step for our economy to regenerate, grow, and expand? Do you have the answer? Have you looked at our proposals? Can you comment, elaborate, and participate in the debate? Do you want to be part of the effort? Then join us and make your voice heard.

The DDTT is currently collaborating with several partners in the field on several projects for:

Dover, Downtown Vocational Training Academy.
Dover, Downtown "Green Village."
Conducting a feasibility study and collecting data and information about the "Passenger Train" linking Dover to Wilmington and the rest of Delaware.

The greatness of America stems from the greatness of its people, with their enormous diversity, big hearts and minds, generosity, entrepreneurship and creativity. Working together, we can even make it greater and greater.

Economic Sectors Correlation & Relatedness

You may have received in the past countless proposals and projects, but this one is different because it is the result of wider consultations than most and expertise based on different sampling and analysis through numerous surveys. It thus should be taken seriously. Economic development is floundering in Dover because we are not able to work together for different reasons, and our foundation seeks to rise above political bickering and jockeying for the front seat. The foundation deplores the “quick buck” mentality and the spirit of elitism that is widening the social divide and economic inequality. Tackling poverty and environmental issues must be at the top of the agenda along with these strategic projects.

As an environmental and economic organization, we believe in the scientific approach to solving problems of economic order. We are putting forward these strategic projects to be adopted rapidly and not to be shelved to collect dust. As a matter of fact, we do not like lengthy proposals like previous consultants, who were paid handsomely and left us with nothing.

These proposals are a final wake up call. Never mind the costs because opportunity costs if we do not act upon them immediately.

There will be an opportunity for everyone, and it will bring badly-needed employment, sustained and better than the level we have, because its source is multi-national. New Economics and Eco-Economics are the way to fight poverty and the widening gap between the rich and the poor by stimulating investment for short-term opportunities, creating jobs, enhancing employment, and developing new skills for the medium term and strategic projects for the long term for a full swing economy that thinks globally and acts locally. New Economics is the process of transforming the economy through fundamental changes that respect the environment and ecology, which in turn leads to economic growth and expansion.

Failure requires strategic management with a strategic approach, strategic marketing, and strategic planning with the appropriate and adequate mechanism of finance and investment. These steps require courage and bravery to act upon and seize the moment for global opportunities. The choice is whether to hang Dover’s and Delaware’s future in the balance or move on to a brilliant future by a swift shift from an outdated paradigm to a new and daring one that taps into the spirit of the century, innovation, inventions, entrepreneurship, and unbelieveable projects, all of which promise strategic and vital change for economic survival and revival instead of stagnation and the maintenance of the status quo.

Delaware risks slipping into a second or third class economy if we do not adopt a new way of thinking and a philosophy that embraces innovation, invention, new technologies, and enhanced creativity. Chinese and other Asian economies are expected to over take Western economies within a period of 7 to 10 years, and for this, we need preparation, preparation, and more preparation.

Dover and Kent County are suffering from skills migration resulting from lack of adequate wages. Relatively cheaper commodities do not compensate for lesser pay. In Indianapolis (Marion County), Indiana, which has sales taxes as well as a city tax, wages are above the average of those in Kent County, and when we pay $2.12 a gallon for gas, the price there is $1.79 per gallon (comparison 15-21 January 2007). Delaware boasts the second highest concentration of PhDs based on the national average, but in Kent County, annual income lags behind, with a difference of $15,000 to $25,000, which makes it difficult to retain high caliber academics.

Cities naturally expand, and when they expand, they need strategic projects and strategic infrastructures to develop and sustain their economies. Dover is now suffering because the landscape is tipping in favor of greedy property developers rather than economic developers with sound ecological interests. For example, taking one acre of good agricultural land, say for $30,000, $40,000, or $50,000, might seem a good fiscal opportunity, but it is a permanent solution for a temporary problem.

Have we asked ourselves what are the opportunity costs for this act? How many people are going to eat from this single acre of land? Has anybody imagined the consequence of repeating this act again and again? This is an ecological and environmental disaster, and it is only recently that the political leadership saw the sense in this action. For this we are grateful and thankful. Finally moral and social responsibilities overcame the greed of developers. We need more responsible actions to protect our agricultural lands, which provide us with our daily food. Farmers, too, should be protected and increase their profile in the community as invisible heroes.

Dover and Kent County need light and environmentally friendly industries. Instead, developers are turning Dover and Kent County into a huge dormitory for other cities and counties, and their actions will create a struggle for economic survival since we do not have sufficient manufacturing output. This situation, in fact, leads to a less competitive place and environment that are not conducive to economic growth and economic expansion. These factors lead to skills migration to higher paying economic regions and areas.

Greedy developers led to an error of urban design, building fragmented developments and communities without adequate infrastructure, such as roads, public transportation, and potential risks of water and soil contamination. These acts are the negative face of capitalism, which President Roosevelt rejected in the past and resented. Developers should be held accountable for corporate governance, behavior, and moral and social responsibilities towards their respective communities. Are they concerned with the environment? And to what extent?

Developers are synonymous with the “quick buck mentality.” They act without thinking about the impact and consequences of their pursuits on the society and community at large. Kent County Levy Court’s recent decision to limit residential development and the city of Dover’s efforts to rein in residential development deserve applause for making common sense of community needs for new jobs and new employment and for stimulating entrepreneurial drive and investment. If these trends continue with at an accelerated pace by cutting through red tape, a breakthrough can be possible, if not imminent, within five years.

The desire and need for economic survival must be the catalyst for a broad strategy that triggers positive change and a dynamic process of transformation from a state of decline and stagnation to a state of economic growth, economic expansion, and general prosperity. We simply need to raise Dover’s and Kent County’s profile and elevate it to the national and global scene.

Strategic alliances and partnerships are most needed in these days, in opposition to fragmented efforts and the multitude of organizations under the banner of economic development. We have worked and are still working tirelessly to unite economic, academic, business, industry, environmental, and societal forces that can bring tangible solutions to acute problems of an economic development nature. The DDTT New Economics Foundation aims at galvanizing all the enthusiastic and positive forces in Dover in particular and the rest of Delaware in general. The DDTT’s message is inclusive and not exclusive. The vehicle here is to achieve economic solutions through invention, innovation, and technology in accordance with the environment and ecology and by highlighting the implications of global warming, pollution, and earth and water contamination.

We have produced these strategic projects in collaboration with several academic and professional organizations both in the US and Europe along with benchmarking and feedback from people of all walks of life, surveys and quantitative analysis.

Our next step is to prepare models, drawings, plans and photos for an exhibition for the anticipated and long-awaited projects that reflect all economic sectors, a large segment of which will be clear on our official website. The website is playing a role as a site of permanent brain storming among all constituencies. We are anticipating the launch of our newspaper on-line by spring or the beginning of summer, and all are invited to contribute.

Finally, a forum on the future of the city of Dover and Kent County can be put to arbitration and approval by all stakeholders, including ordinary citizens, and, if necessary, a referendum on the discussed issues can be prepared by the fall of 2007. The strategy of the DDTT is constantly to adopt what Skat-Rørdam, P. (1999: 31) calls strategies to opportunities and learning. As Skat-Rørdam observes, “In a changing world, formulating a successful strategy depends to a significant degree on learning by experimenting with new directions, and on recognizing opportunities that suddenly crystallize during that process.”

As a politically-neutral organization, we are able to conduct honest arbitration because our language is technical and economic. We are not pointing blame for any failure at any person or organization. Our strategic thinking allows us to think critically and analytically. The actual data being used by many is outdated, and we are determined to move from measuring nothing to measuring everything, including failures and success. You are personally invited to work with our organization, and this invitation for cooperation and collaboration is open to all organizations and individuals at any level. It is a common sense revolution, a last wake up call for our renaissance, economic survival, and revival.

In a real democracy, stakeholders inform, instruct, dialogue, tell, and sell in the process of typical human resource management. This scenario is lacking some application in Dover and the rest of Delaware and has been replaced by a spirit of negative competition instead of cooperation and collaboration for the common goals and objectives. The benefits will be enormous if we fully cooperate and collaborate. It will be definitely a win/win situation for everyone and prosperity to enjoy and share.