The power of public-private partnerships

Tucumcari for the first time. Other than a few lawyers’ offices, its lifeless main street was a canyon of vacant storefronts and hollow buildings.
A Kmart had opened on the outskirts of town, and one business after another abandoned downtown to be close to the action. The only retail was a place that sold Bully Bags, little bags made of bulls’ testicles, and business wasn’t exactly booming.
Other than the Bully Bags, Tucumcari’s scene was playing out in many small towns.
When the National Trust for Historic Preservation created the MainStreet program in 1980, its mission was to stem urban decay. The organization soon discovered that the nation’s small towns were losing the battle against another kind of blight.
The New Mexico Economic Development Department launched its MainStreet program
in 1985 to stimulate local economies and preserve historic buildings.
This week, I’d like to pause amidst the nastiness of the political campaigns and the vitriol aimed at “big government” and “big business” to celebrate the success of a partnership between government and business. New Mexico MainStreet is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

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