By Michael Glenn
Teen-Age Dirtbag
My first column that ran in the Tribune was titled “Hutchinson: The Stagnant Town.”
It wasn’t meant to be nice, but I felt it was true. For so long, I’ve been told by family, neighbors and friends that Hutchinson was not the place to stay long-term. There were no more opportunities, especially for young people. The town had morphed from an up-and-coming town on the Kansas prairie in the early 20th century to fewer and fewer people by each decade.
Sometimes when reporting or being about in the community, I noticed a sense of defeat, that Hutch had long seen its days as a lively, booming city and is now subject to a slow death. Hutch’s demographics point toward a plateau starting in the 1970s and then slowly declining or staying the same ever since.
Community members had long accepted the terms of living in Hutchinson, and it meant seeing the town you called home slowly lose its charm to rapid urbanization and rural loss. Even elected officials who represent us acknowledge this.
I remember reading Jason Probst’s story titled “Is this as good as it’s ever gonna get?” with a thumbnail of the movie Cars. I watched that movie several times growing up, and its central theme of rural decline reflects Hutchinson’s mindset today.
Just like in the movie, Hutchinson has its own Tow Mater. His name is City Manager Enrico Villegas. He’s uplifting and optimistic, and doesn’t believe that the city’s best days are behind us.
When he asked residents if they thought the city’s best days were behind us, it sprang another mindset that I hadn’t considered previously. For the record, I live in South Hutch, so I didn’t have a vote in the special election, but after reading that column, I would’ve switched my vote from a “no” to a “yes.”
I’m generally skeptical of most sales taxes because they typically hurt poor people more than rich people. Rich people can buy products in bulk and pay less of their overall income toward sales taxes compared to poorer people, who often have to buy products and services in smaller quantities, and therefore, more frequently. I was concerned the new sales tax would hurt already struggling businesses and people who were struggling to get by in today’s cost-of-living crisis.
Reporting in The Hutchinson Tribune showed voters south of 17th Avenue favored denying the sales tax. Voters in the north, more affluent parts of Hutch carried the sales tax vote to approval. This shows the struggle poorer people are facing in handling today’s costs of living.
I’m excited our town decided to try something different rather than trying to just survive. What I hope this sales tax does is level the city budget to invest in areas south of 17th Avenue to serve those who need our help the most right now. Removing the stormwater fee from utility bills is a start, but it shouldn’t be the end.
Infrastructure needs, social services and community building are especially needed in the south side of Hutchinson. This sales tax needs to show voters on the south side who disapprove of the tax that the city is willing to invest in them. Programs have been underway for some time, and they do great work, but more is needed.
Why should someone have to consider why road work on 30th Avenue gets prompt attention while potholes on Avenue F expand year after year? Even if it’s just because of construction scheduling, that inherent doubt of prioritizing the north side isn’t without merit.
I’m glad our city won’t go underwater now that the sales tax passed, and that property owners get the relief they need. I also hope Enrico doesn’t take offense to me comparing him to Larry the Cable Guy’s quintessential movie character.
But to ensure that “the good ole’ days,” or whatever they may look like in someone’s head, aren’t behind us forever, we need to invest in the oldest, most diverse, and poorest parts of our cities.
Michael Glenn is the founding publisher of The Hutchinson Tribune and a current student at the University of Kansas. He can be reached at mglenn@hutchtribune.com.