On the 7th of July, Governor Evers declared a proclamation announcing July 7-11 as Main Street Days across the state. It stated (in part) that on this occasion the state of Wisconsin joins the Wisconsin Main Street Program in reaffirming its commitment to working with communities throughout our state to preserve and revitalize our downtown. During Main Street Days, we were recognized specifically for our efforts in 2019.
Normally such efforts would be recognized during a state awards reception. However, because of the pandemic, the event has been canceled. We were recognized for our 2019 summer theme: Musical Chairs on the Square as best image campaign, along with me receiving recognition for five years of dedicated service to downtown revitalization, economic development and historic preservation. Last but not least, a long-term volunteer, Mrs. Jean Tullett, was recognized by the state as a volunteer of the year. Jean has been with our Design Committee since it formed in 2005 and from 1988 until 2018, she also served on the Business Improvement District Board. And she continues to be part of GFWC Monroe Woman’s Club. There are few who can match Jean’s dedication, productivity and longevity.
All of these could be their own columns, but what is the common theme is collective action. Collective action is a core aspect of community development. Actions taken together by a group of people whose goal is to enhance their community and achieve a common objective are what the state recognized.
When theories were first presented on collective action, some argued that even if the goals were the same, it could be hard to efficiently meet them. Oftentimes, this gets discussed as there being too many “silos.” And there’s a lot going on, just within Main Street, that may lead itself to people not knowing what others are working on. We make a concerted effort that all of our committees and volunteers know what others are doing.
The collective action was also strongly evident with Musical Chairs on the Square. Main Street brought together 16 local artists, 20 sponsors, and approximately another dozen volunteers. All of whom took on different tasks and roles but created something wonderful. Reading all of this, you may be wondering what exactly I, as the executive director, do. During my first state training, the metaphor used is that a Main Street director is the conductor, bringing together and harmonizing people based on their own interests. Our recognition by the state shows that, when people come together, wonderful things can happen.
And this goes beyond just Main Street. Main Street works with dozens of community partners. Like Jean’s involvement shows, there may be similar goals but the overlap is often minimal since there is so much work to do. A recent example that comes to mind is the city’s Visitor and Promotion Committee approving Main Street, the Chamber, and Green County Tourism for amounts to help address the city’s response to COVID-19. Such discussions first started with the city’s ad hoc committee on the pandemic that is chaired by council president Brooke Bauman. For more than six years, these three organizations have submitted joint proposals on how to best effectively spend the city’s room tax funds. The chamber focuses largely on infrastructure and how to draw and retain large scale employers to our community, Green County Tourism markets the entire county and the many wonderful things to do while acting as a resource for municipalities within the county, and Main Street acts as the tourism arm of the city itself. Together we cover the many different facets.
The music we’re conducting this year may be a bit different, but inside and out of the organization, we continue to bring together as many as possible for collective action.
— Jordan Nordby is the executive director for Main Street Monroe. He can be reached at MonroeMainStreet@tds.net.