Let me
tell you about an old teeter-totter adage believed by a great many Wyoming
leaders. In this theory, it’s believed
the Wyoming economy operates in the opposite way of the national USA economy.
It goes like this: When the country is
struggling, Wyoming is thriving. When Wyoming struggles, the country thrives.
It is like opposite sides of a coin. Right now, we are in a “tails” phase.
Today while the USA economy is as hot
as it has ever been, Wyoming is trudging along. A few years ago, it was worse.
Most of the marginal businesses in the
state are gone or acquired by hard working folks turning them around. It is hard
to find runaway success stories.
Another old saw about our state’s
economy refers to Wyoming as “the hole in the donut.”
States around us like Colorado, Idaho,
and Montana are doing well while that state stuck in the middle of that circle
struggles.
So why is that?
The obvious answer is our reliance on
energy. The easy answer is that when
national energy prices are high, Wyoming booms, and the country struggles. When
prices are low, the country booms and Wyoming struggles.
Is there more to it than this simple
formula?
Wyoming reportedly has more government
workers per-capita that any state, even more than Alaska. Those jobs usually
are bulletproof. When one in ten of your employees works for government, does
this indicate a lack of economic viability?
Is it easier to be economically successful in states where most folks work
for private companies?
This column is full of questions. Hopefully
future columns offer a few answers. Some
of our comments sound like clichés and long-time assumptions.
A few years ago I wrote a column about
how odd it was that Wyoming was the only state in the country without a major
city. Even Montana, Idaho, and Alaska
have larger metro hubs that spawn innovations, create jobs, and keep young
people in their home states.
We pointed out that 40 years ago,
Casper and Cheyenne were on par with Boise, Fort Collins, Billings, Anchorage,
and Sioux Falls. Today, our two leading cities do not reflect the growth of those
other regional centers.
So why did this happen?
Most often given, as a reason, is the
lack of a major university in either Casper or Cheyenne compared to those other
cities. Apparently a major college is a
huge economic driver.
Cold, windy weather was also given as a
reason, which I tend to discount.
But perhaps it is not as depressing as
I am assuming. Douglas is booming with oil and gas development. Cheyenne and Laramie are doing just fine,
thank-you, thanks to huge numbers of state workers and aggressive job
development.
Jackson is in a league of its own as
the most expensive place to live in the USA. Cody, Sheridan, and Lander are
holding up fine with a combination of tourism, outdoor recreation, and lots of
retirees moving in.
Gillette and Rock Springs have been two
of our most vibrant small cities over the past three decades. Leaders there are working hard to keep things
going up.
Earlier this month, a panel was held in
Cheyenne to talk about Wyoming’s endless boom-and-bust cycle. It made me recall that former University of
Wyoming Professor Phil Roberts has documented 13 of these busts since 1890
statehood over 129 years. This is a bust every decade. That many busts could
make a state and its citizens somewhat gun-shy, I would think.
That Cheyenne program was based around
a quote from UW Professor Anne Alexander, where she said the state’s economic
situation was “not going to get better unless we make it better. There’s no
cavalry on the way. We’re the cavalry.”
As a local businessman for almost 50
years, it seemed like we were always working on economic development. People in all cities and towns in Wyoming
work their tails off.
The Wyoming Business Council has done
well in my opinion. Gov. Matt Mead’s legacy program ENDOW shows promise in many
peoples’ eyes.
And yet, here we are in 2019 asking the
same questions that I recall being asked at the Wyoming Futures Project 34
years ago during its organizational meeting in Ucross. NBC commentator Pete Williams was our
moderator, as I recall.
Discussing and “cussing” economic
development is one of my favorite topics. Sometimes it feels like we are
chasing our tails. Creating jobs and keeping your town viable is not getting
any easier.
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