In December 2005, leaders from across the Midwest formally introduced a comprehensive plan to restore the health of the globally unique but distressed waterways of the Great Lakes Basin.
Since then, the $20 billion proposal has struggled to gain traction - particularly among Washington politicians - because it's viewed narrowly as a one-dimensional environmental cleanup program that will cost too much money and bust government budgets.
But Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell frames the proposal differently. He says the cleanup program is both a path to, and a requirement for, boosting the economic competitiveness of the American Midwest in the 21st century.
"Some call [the Great Lakes region] the Rust Belt because we're moving too slowly from the Industrial Era to the Digital Age," says Mayor Heartwell, who also serves as secretary of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.
"The federal Great Lakes Restoration Act would help accelerate this transition by launching a full-scale cleanup of our unique waterways and putting tens of thousands of people to work at jobs like fixing sewers, restoring wetlands, and building cities equipped to compete globally."Mayor Heartwell's spot, produced with assistance from Rapid Growth Managing Editor Andy Guy and vlogger Andy Dragt, was entry number 1,456 of more than 3,000 videos submitted last winter for the
CNN/You Tube Republican debate featuring the Republican candidates for President of the United States.
The video was not selected to air during the debate. But Mayor Heartwell's question remains relevant as the race for the presidency heats up. Neither candidate has yet to offer specific ideas for rehabiliting the nation's largest and, arguably, most important water resource.
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