February 9, 2020
Dear editor;
I was thinking about all the times I have approached Aurora City Council. They are bent on developing a “Something’s Happening Downtown” and making Aurora famous. It is their methodology that bothers me. Going deep in debt, embellishing crowd sizes and successes, producing bogus statistics and ratings, and playing on emotions will not produce fame.
What does a happening downtown have to do with those who are marginalized? How will it help solve the predominance of mental disease and crime? How will it help the many in Aurora who have low opportunity for success?
What I see in the Country in advertising and economic development is that life is an experience, a happening which, the older I get, the more I understand it not to be true. It is a part of life, but only a small portion. Debt is not wealth. Happiness is not a drink and a show. That is momentary.
We are not looking to what may be unexpected down the road. Not to fear it, but to prepare. We have a City debt that will end up being a burden to next generations. In the now, we are not looking at the flight from Illinois, the unhappiness of our youth, and the stress individuals are under just making it week to week.
A sense of well being, good health, enduring friendships, a future and a hope are what we need and should embrace with a few dinners out and a concert and a show. With prosperity as the only goal without quality of life, no matter how loud one shouts, Aurora has changed. If it continues to be an experience and a happening, nothing essentially will change. When the experience is over the problems and debt will face us still.
Marjorie Logman, Aurora