Job woes take toll on confidence; But Valley upbeat on quality of life
Source: Avi Stern, The Post-Crescent

APPLETON CLAIRE, WI — August 31, 2003 — In most categories–public safety, schools and home ownership–Fox Valley residents remain generally optimistic about their quality of life.

However, after three years burdened by a stagnant economy, manufacturing woes and employment volatility, the issue of job security sticks like a thorn in their sides, according to the first “Wisconsin Quality of Life Index” released last week by the Wisconsin Realtors Association.

In one of the survey’s starkest contrasts, far more residents (52 percent) are dissatisfied with the availability of jobs in the area than are satisfied (35 percent). That fear persists into the future: More people (46 percent) expressed doubts about the availability of career opportunities for young people in the area than optimism (40 percent).

Equally noteworthy: More than twice as many people (47 percent) say things have gotten worse for their employers during the past six months than those who say things improved (20 percent).
“Hands down, the number one issue confronting residents is the demand for good jobs–for themselves, their friends and their kids,” said Jim Wood, president of Madison-based Wood Communications Group, which conducted the phone research.

“There’s this sense that we’re whistling past the graveyard,” said Kitty Jedwabny, a real estate consultant with Appleton-based Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group as well as the chairwoman-elect of the 13,000-member trade association.

“We know there’s a problem in the paper industry. You can tell by just looking at the headlines; it’s been years since we’ve seen an article about a new paper machine being built,” Jedwabny said.
As a result, she said, the region may have more success attracting new employers by emphasizing its current strengths rather than dwelling on its historic roots. “Instead of marketing ourselves as the ‘Paper Valley,’ perhaps we need to reposition ourselves as the ‘Safe Valley,’” she said.
The survey, which boasts a 4 percentage point margin of error, will be released each quarter during the next three years. The local sampling focuses on Winnebago, Outagamie, Calumet, Brown, Door, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kewanee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Shawano, Waupaca and Washara counties.

The effort represents the trade group’s effort “to get a seat at the table” as policymakers weigh the state’s future, said William E. Malkasian, president of the Madison-based Realtors association.
“People in the ‘in’ in Madison will be making fundamental decisions about Wisconsin over the next five years,” he said. “The international economy has arrived. The family farm is gone. If you want to have your life here, changes are going to need to be made.”
Outside of the employment realm, northeast Wisconsin residents generally sounded more positive tones in other categories:

Direction: 79 percent perceive their home communities are “on the right track” compared with 44 percent who say that about the state and 46 percent who say that about the country in general.
Education: 70 percent indicated satisfaction with the quality of the local public schools; however, 56 percent expressed satisfaction with the number of students per classroom.

Health care: While there’s a near split on attitudes regarding how much people pay for medical services (49 percent satisfied vs. 44 percent dissatisfied), a clear majority (76 percent) expressed satisfaction with the services they receive for those dollars. “Quality-of-life issues play a larger and larger role in whether someone is staying in Wisconsin, leaving it or moving here; whether someone will keep a business here or move out,” Malkasian said.

“Every single issue in the state–crime, schools, taxes, health care–touches the home owner’s front door,” Wood said. “Those issues aren’t decided in Madison, but one kitchen table at a time, all 3 million of them.”