Although we were happy for his opportunity, we were sad to lose Dan Johnson to a post in Dubai. The former UT president is a true visionary and coalition builder; as the architect of the Meta-Plan idea and a longtime proponent of alternative energy and next-generation transportation concepts, Johnson has always kept Toledo’s future in the forefront of his thoughts.

Even now, from the other side of the globe, Johnson keeps in touch with Toledo and writes a monthly Toledo Free Press column that shares his Dubai experiences and places them in a context Toledo can learn from. Many of those columns are available in his book, “Talking Points for Toledo: Strategies for Developing our City and Region.”

During a recent e-mail exchange, Johnson shared an intriguing idea: “I would like to see some of the leading Toledo businesses send Mike Bell on a world tour of four or five successful global cities so he can see for himself what it is like,” Johnson wrote. “You can’t describe it; you have to see it. He really needs to see what is going on in the world before he becomes mayor. He could visit one or two countries in the Middle East, one in Europe and a couple in Asia. These should be port cities or cities engaged in alternative energies.”

Bell knows how important the global stage is for competing and for re-igniting Toledo’s economic future. It would be a tremendous opportunity for him to meet international leaders and see first-hand how global port cities are successfully integrating technology and energy into their present and future.

We will lead the way in opening the conversation and helping coordinate such a world tour. If there are businesses in the region who are interested in helping to sponsor such an educational tour, please contact us and we will gauge Bell’s interest and start the planning process.

We know of at least one public official who was invited to Dubai by Johnson who failed to understand the import of the trip and never responded to the invitation, but we have faith Bell will at least consider and respect the idea.

This idea is ample evidence that the global market can directly impact what we do in Northwest Ohio; let’s join Dan Johnson in being proactive about our role on that stage.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press. He may be contacted at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 6:43 pm and is filed under Opinion, Publisher's Statement.
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