March 19, 2011

1986-2011

I graduated from college in 1986 and began my work career in Worcester in 1986.   25 years later, I would like to pose the question "Is Worcester better off or worse off today then in 1986."

Personally, overall I have to say we are worse off today. 

9 comments:

Brendan Melican said...

Better/worse off how?

Weather? General fashion sense of locals? Architecture?

The year you started working downtown, is the year I started using the bus to explore the city as a kid. Can't think of anything I saw then, that's worse off now.

Bill Randell said...

Overall- I guess

Business-schools, etc. Everything.

Again personally I think Worcester is in worse overall condition today then in 1986.

Brendan Melican said...

Seems like too broad of a statement to qualify fairly.
today we have...

Less crime

Way better restaurants (eating in Worcester in the 80's/90's made Ireland look like high cuisine.

Schools are a crapshoot, my son goes to the same elementary school I did (I think the same one you did as well), I'd keep him there over anything in the region.

The types of businesses that I'd like to see as a resident (mostly creative and service industries), are not absent due to taxes, but the customer base. Make of that what you will.

Whenever my family that left the area (mostly in the '80's) come back to visit, they're amazed at how much better it looks today. Worcester in the '80's was a first class shit hole.

Jahn said...

Hey Bill, you cant see the hand in front of your face. Dont you get it? It's all your fault. You arrived and the city and downtown started downhill :)

Brendan, Brendan, Brendan.....MMMMMMM .... Less crime....the only time we read of less crime is when the Washington DC crime fighting grant money runs out and the police are touting how more money will result in even less crime b/c police need another crime fighting grant. Also Can you say Gangland and I am not talking the Gangland of Boston in the 1950's & 60's

Brendan I know you're younger than me, how much younger I do not know. However, were you even old enough to recall Worc of the 1980's. IMHO, your recollection may be off a littel re Worc's 1980's. The most popular terms about Worcester were not Wormtown nor The Utility Closet of N.E, but Worc, the Paris of the 90's and Worcester, part of the Massachusetts Miracle.

Worcesters school a crapshoot?? I'd suggest even worse odds than Tonights huge Megabux jackpot. That said, more than anything, I fault the "products" that the school dept have to work with. The talent is there to teach, altho it is waaaayyyy over compensated. Vouchers will eventually solve what ails urban public school systems

Brendan I do agree with you about teh customer base that Worc's service industries have to work off of......thats why I said in a post last night Worc's fastest growing service industries include but are not limted to Se Cabien Cheques Outlets, Daisy Maid Cleaning franchises, nail saloons, non profit health clinics ( physical & mental), Chinese take out, low income housing builders, school lunch providers, and the like.

Jahn said...

What's a person to do when his current career work/project(s) have been dumped on figuratively and literally? Call your libel & slander attorney? Call Expert Excavators?

What's a person to do when they are a player in the The Utility Closet of New England, yet utilities are backing up on them? Call in your political capital/connections to unplug the feces?

Whats a person to do when the financial umbilical cord that keeps their paycheck coming may get Tea-boned by the Tea Party republicans? Call The Who Wants to be a Millionaire Help Line?

Nope, that aint what ya do !!!!!

Whatcha do is call in the local media for a puff piece.

Brendan Melican said...

I guess the DoJ is just lying to us about our local crime rates then.
http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/Search/Crime/Local/JurisbyJuris.cfm?CFID=15629203&CFTOKEN=62784041

And schools? Seriously? There's not a single public/private system I'd rather have my kid in for elementary school. http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/mcas/performance_level.aspx?linkid=32&orgcode=03480260&orgtypecode=6&

Steve Foley said...

More talk of rearranging seats on the Titanic by Nick K. Residents are being offered window seats.

Why is it never referred to as the highest possible commercial tax rate?


Tax-rate chatter a fact of city life

Jahn said...

One more comment on this Magmotor TIF issue and I pointed this out when the news broke on this a few weeks ago.

MAgmotors currently has 11 'ees and they planned to add 55 more under the terms of the TIF. That's 500% increase in 'eeees.

These kinda projections make me raise my eyebrows. Even if they are buying out another company, these numbers represent huge increase in employment and I assume that on average this would represent a 500% increase in other company attributes. THESE ARE HUGE NUMBERS....WHICH RAISES MY SKEPICISM EVEN MORE. I suppose Business growth on his scale and during this timeframe is possible.......but I tell you it is very, very unusual

Anonymous said...

I will just keep this focused on the 01608 area code... corporate headquarters all gone, downtown Worcester is now a 'branch office' to some other metropolitan. Back in 1986 Worcester had the following corporate headquarters based in downtown Worcester: WCIS Bank, People's Bank, Home Federal Savings, Mechanic's Bank, Paul Revere Insurance, Morgan Construction, etc, etc. They are all gone along with the management positions (and paychecks), IT, HR, Accounting and finance jobs etc that entailed supporting a corporate headquarters... all that were left were entry level clerical positions once all the headquarters were absorbed into bigger fish that bought/merged/consolidated them. But that was the business cycle at the time, no fault of Worcester's other than greedy CEOs who demutualized the banks/insurance companies and took them public only to sell out later and leave the employees of those companies, and Worcester's downtown holding the bag...

Harry T
Worcester,Ma