The read

From my Sunday column in the Athens Banner-Herald ...

Whether purposeful or not, there appears to be some sort of mental disconnect between the rationales given for not landing certain projects and the actual reasons for why they don't wind up in the area.

Conservatives and various business leaders like to say Athens-Clarke just isn't "business-friendly." And, weirdly enough, they seem to relish voluntarily spreading this perception by telling potential employers considering the community just how unfriendly it is, thus perpetuating the very perception they should be aiming to put to rest.

Likewise, many progressives complain their elected leaders in Atlanta, who tend to come from the other side of the ideological aisle, simply don't go to bat for Athens - a little blue dot lost in a sea of red.

Still, employer after employer, including major pharmaceutical firms Novartis and Solvay, seemed to pass over the community, and their explanations for doing so kept coming back to the work force problem.

Which is why the Athens-Clarke County Commission's recent decision to allocate $100,000 for a green-jobs training program is more than welcome news, it's something a community starving for economic opportunity should be rejoicing about.