I was very distressed to learn that the Monroe Chamber of Commerce had reluctantly decided to cancel the annual Balloon Rally this year. For the past two decades or so, the Rally has had a significantly positive impact on both Monroe and Green County, bringing in thousands of visitors. Those people eat, drink, buy gas, sleep in motels and shop. They spend money that is extremely important to the local economy, and that, in turn, strongly affects local taxes and spending.
Add to that the inestimable value of people leaving Monroe with that "good feeling" about the community such events engender, and you begin to understand their importance. John Q. Public often tends to forget these things when he thinks about events such as Cheese Days, Berghoff & Blues or the Balloon Rally.
Nonetheless, looking at a very significant Rally loss last year of more than $13,000, the Chamber made the right choice when it decided to step back for at least a year, regroup, and try to figure out a way to hold the Rally, despite the fact that it had been losing between $5,000 and $10,000 per year for the past several years. No group can sustain such losses and continue to exist.
Now we learn that former Chamber Executive Director Matt Urban has decided to form a group and rally people to rescue the Rally! At first blush, the idea seems great.
But has anyone asked the most obvious question?
All of the Chamber's losses, including last year's, were sustained under the leadership and direction of Mr. Urban.
So what magic secret does Mr. Urban now have that makes him believe he can pull off a successful Rally this year? And, if he has such a solution, why didn't he apply it when he was in a position to do so as Chamber director? If it's simply getting more money from sponsors, maybe those sponsors should take a second look. It doesn't make much sense to throw good money after bad, and common sense tells us, if the Rally continues as is, costs are going to continue to increase, not decrease.
And who is going to foot the bill if a new Rally loses money? Up until now, the losses have been absorbed by the Chamber, but are the individuals in a new Rally group willing to step up and fund such losses? In addition, I understand the idea now is to move Taste of Monroe and the Car Show to the fairgrounds, thus presenting an almost devastating negative impact on the burgeoning and very successful Main Street program that already has gone a long way toward revitalizing Monroe's downtown - another plan that is extremely important to the well-being of Monroe and its citizens.
What I don't understand is why the Chamber board, the Main Street board, city officials, the mayor, and numerous concerned citizens aren't speaking out about this. If we aren't willing to stand up and be counted now, the Rally is likely to die out completely by this time next year. And that final accounting will hurt everyone.
Lest anyone think otherwise, I should point out that this letter is not an indictment of Matt Urban. I have known the man for many years and like, even admire and respect, him. He has an immense amount of knowledge, talent and expertise.
However, his past record clearly indicates Mr. Urban is absolutely not the right person to run a Balloon Rally. Perhaps if he offered his knowledge, talent and expertise to the Chamber folks, that information, along with new ideas, might produce a successful Rally next year that is financially sound and the viable annual Chamber event it should be.
- Judie Hintzman is former editor of The Monroe Times.
Add to that the inestimable value of people leaving Monroe with that "good feeling" about the community such events engender, and you begin to understand their importance. John Q. Public often tends to forget these things when he thinks about events such as Cheese Days, Berghoff & Blues or the Balloon Rally.
Nonetheless, looking at a very significant Rally loss last year of more than $13,000, the Chamber made the right choice when it decided to step back for at least a year, regroup, and try to figure out a way to hold the Rally, despite the fact that it had been losing between $5,000 and $10,000 per year for the past several years. No group can sustain such losses and continue to exist.
Now we learn that former Chamber Executive Director Matt Urban has decided to form a group and rally people to rescue the Rally! At first blush, the idea seems great.
But has anyone asked the most obvious question?
All of the Chamber's losses, including last year's, were sustained under the leadership and direction of Mr. Urban.
So what magic secret does Mr. Urban now have that makes him believe he can pull off a successful Rally this year? And, if he has such a solution, why didn't he apply it when he was in a position to do so as Chamber director? If it's simply getting more money from sponsors, maybe those sponsors should take a second look. It doesn't make much sense to throw good money after bad, and common sense tells us, if the Rally continues as is, costs are going to continue to increase, not decrease.
And who is going to foot the bill if a new Rally loses money? Up until now, the losses have been absorbed by the Chamber, but are the individuals in a new Rally group willing to step up and fund such losses? In addition, I understand the idea now is to move Taste of Monroe and the Car Show to the fairgrounds, thus presenting an almost devastating negative impact on the burgeoning and very successful Main Street program that already has gone a long way toward revitalizing Monroe's downtown - another plan that is extremely important to the well-being of Monroe and its citizens.
What I don't understand is why the Chamber board, the Main Street board, city officials, the mayor, and numerous concerned citizens aren't speaking out about this. If we aren't willing to stand up and be counted now, the Rally is likely to die out completely by this time next year. And that final accounting will hurt everyone.
Lest anyone think otherwise, I should point out that this letter is not an indictment of Matt Urban. I have known the man for many years and like, even admire and respect, him. He has an immense amount of knowledge, talent and expertise.
However, his past record clearly indicates Mr. Urban is absolutely not the right person to run a Balloon Rally. Perhaps if he offered his knowledge, talent and expertise to the Chamber folks, that information, along with new ideas, might produce a successful Rally next year that is financially sound and the viable annual Chamber event it should be.
- Judie Hintzman is former editor of The Monroe Times.
