Several priorities should be high on the list for incoming city manager.
The first thing to say to Beloit’s newly appointed City Manager Jerry Gabrielatos is, welcome. You have been granted the privilege of serving a great small Wisconsin city and its residents wish you every possible success because, of course, your success will be their success.
It’s also good that Gabrielatos is familiar with the upper Midwest, having served previously in Albert Lea, Minnesota, among other places. So winters shouldn’t come as a total surprise to him.
Beloit is a city on the rise, a good place to build upon past successes. Even so, the community faces continuing challenges. Here’s a short list of issues the new administrator should assign top priorities as he takes the helm.
First, and perhaps foremost, street crime and violence have taken a toll on public safety in recent years. Beloit is hardly unique in that respect. Urban landscapes across the country have been beset by human scum who prey on others and settle disputes with gunfire. There is no comfort in knowing the problem is common elsewhere. Driving down violence and removing thugs from the streets is a necessity for keeping Beloit on its upward arc. Like everywhere else, drugs and parental shortcomings and failure to acquire adult skill sets surely contribute. While there’s no substitute for arresting and jailing knuckleheads, the broader approach that recognizes and addresses human needs also is essential.
Next, Beloit has serious housing issues. There’s a shortage of middle- and higher-end residential properties. And there’s a surplus of rundown neighborhoods. Growing the population — stuck around 36,000 for decades — requires attention to desirable living accommodations. The current housing base is insufficient and needs to be improved, for both existing and new properties.
This one is touchy, because a city manager lacks a direct role in Beloit’s educational system. Yet there’s no delicate way to state it. Beloit’s poor ranking compared to schools around Wisconsin is like lugging a ball and chain around and impacts many other priorities, such as population growth and housing. In a proper community the school system should be an asset, a positive sales point. This one is not. The manager will be intricately involved in community development issues and programs. Engaging with school leaders to promote progress is not window dressing. It’s crucial.
Money is tight everywhere, and likely to get tighter if predictions of a recession this year prove accurate. It’s tough for most communities to find funds to pay for services, and that’s true in Beloit. In recent years the community has made strides in some budget areas to increase regional cooperation. Clearly, that’s the future of government services. Finding efficiencies of scale and diminishing duplication can become a financial lifeline not only for Beloit, but for its neighbors as well. Continuing to look for opportunities is essential.
A final word should be said on the topic of curb appeal. Beloit has worked wonders in its City Center, largely because of private investment, most notably by the Hendricks organization. The city shows well at most entrances and in its prime commercial districts and business parks. But a few turns onto side streets reveal how much work is yet to be done. The West Side, in particular, largely has been neglected. More attention is required to enforce codes and provide incentives for improvements and commercial growth in aging neighborhoods.
Plenty of other issues and situations await the new manager’s attention. There’s no intent here to minimize those concerns. Rather, the purpose is to highlight those areas where strong community consensus exists.
The community should expect, and support, strong initiatives.
