Words begged to be filled

Astronomers say that somewhere in the great beyond is a great void the breadth of which measures almost 1 billion light years and the existence of which scientific theory cannot explain. In another realm, in that strange place outside our door, there are voids which logic cannot explain. Politics, through which light seldom travels, perhaps provides answers, all of them cavernous and unsatisfying.

Waynesboro’s downtown is a black hole. Mirages form on the occasion of chili cook-offs and fall festivals, but on ordinary weekends the quietude is disquieting, maddening even. The desolation is almost metaphysical, as if driven by the kind of force that made Einstein’s hair stand on end.

This void is perpetuated by another, the one in that space once occupied by an economic development director. More than a year ago, news broke that Meghan Williamson had resigned from that position in the wake of former City Manager Doug Walker’s forced departure. The expectation was fueled by the City Council that she eventually would be replaced. Eventually, it turns out, is a relative term, meaning, it appears, maybe or maybe never.

Raising this subject stirs anew in some corners debate about Williamson’s effectiveness and her discomfort, real or perceived, over the rattling of city staff hierarchy initiated by the council’s conservative majority. This is piffle.

Infinitely more important is the business of replacing her. That the council so far has failed to do so is a testament to a sentiment. Economic development is viewed by some of the city’s elected officials as a thing to be done principally by others, chiefly the private sector, with government’s part being confined principally if not exclusively to restraining taxes.

The West End belies this. So, too, does nTelos’ corporate presence here. City officials played integral roles in engineering the retail boom and in enticing the telecommunications company to build its headquarters here.

That energy, dormant in recent years, needs to be revived and pumped into downtown revitalization. Complexities complicate that task but not to the point of rendering it futile. Having done little, the city has received an extraordinary gift in the form of Winchester developer Beverley Shoemaker’s $40 million plan to redevelop the former Compton Shenandoah plant on the South River. That project faces its share of challenges, namely in filling 500,000 square feet of space.

Shoemaker needs what the city needs: businesses to make their way here. To get them, the city needs an economic development champion. We have called repeatedly in this space for Mayor Tim Williams to seize that role. He has not. Perhaps he recognizes it as a better fit for the city’s economic development director.

But here a void remains.

Prudence in hiring for this position is warranted. Above all, Waynesboro needs a director who will act as a business recruiter and dealmaker for the city, someone who will play the lead in drumming up business interest and then working to help projects work efficiently through the bureaucratic maze to fruition.

More than a year is more than enough time for the City Council to have found someone who meets that description. The city needs to make this hire now. Both council factions can do their city a favor by sparing us more inane arguments over nickels and dimes. Getting an economic development director on the job is the council’s job.

So, too, is recognizing the value of development and a vibrant downtown not only in making Waynesboro an appealing place to live but in providing additional revenues. Low taxes are an enticement to business. But how will business leaders beyond our boundaries know of that lure and others unless the city tells them? An economic development director can sound this call. No one hears absent voices in the void.