When I returned to Marion a few years ago and really grasped what was missing on the business front, I drove to a location where I could see Marion at a distance and was so saddened, I wept. I have wondered for years why some towns grow and others die out. I believe I now have one or more main reasons.

A few weeks ago in the Wichita Eagle, there was a letter from Bill Warren, owner of the Warren Theaters in Wichita. He publicly thanked Frank Carney, who provided financing to start his business. Carney listened to Warren’s plans and became a partner for as long as was needed. Now the Warren Theaters are the finest in Kansas.

I have done photography for both of these men and it has been interesting to watch them grow.

Twelve or 14 years ago when I was doing photography for the man who started the entrepreneurial workshop at Wichita State University, I secured an invitation for myself and a city representative at the meeting. I don’t know if the Wichita people are being contacted by the city but I do know there are people looking for a place to do business and a percentage of them are looking for the right small town to start a business and raise a family.

In my humble opinion, what Marion needs is a city manager with qualifications and a few years under his belt in that job.

Our current city administrator discouraged a sale of the Stone City Café building by not following through with a potential buyer. The café would have been up and running by now if he was doing his job — a statement made by the potential buyer.

I asked the potential buyer why he didn’t go around the city administrator to buy the property. The potential buyer said, “With this experience, I have no desire to do business or pay taxes in Marion.”

We are taking one step forward and then taking two or three back.

In visiting with a family that has everything they need, I got around to asking how they are going to disperse their money — to a college endowment or scholarship? A trust fund for the community? No, they are going to give all of it to their children.

If people want Marion to grow, they need to contribute to further development efforts as Marion was where their wealth was made.

Les Broadstreet
Marion