Forbes.com rankings
Most vulnerable
♦1. Lancaster, S.C.
♦2. Palatka, Fla.
♦3. Shelby, N.C.
♦4. Mount Airy, N.C.
♦5. Roanoke Rapids, N.C.
♦6. Lumberton, N.C.
♦7. Zanesville, Ohio
♦8. Marion, Ind.
♦8. Portsmouth, Ohio
♦10. Meridian, Miss.
Least vulnerable
♦1. Lebanon, N.H.-Vt.
♦2. Key West, Fla.
♦3. Keene, N.H.
♦4. Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, Ala.
♦5. Kahului-Wailuku, Hawaii
♦6. Seaford, Del.
♦7. Concord, N.H.
♦8. Helena, Mont.
♦9. Lexington Park, Md.
♦9. Southern Pines-Pinehurst, N.C.
Source: Forbes.com
There is a lot more to Marion than economic figures and Mayor Wayne Seybold wants Forbes.com to know it.
The Web site of the national business magazine listed Marion as the eighth most vulnerable community in the nation in a recent article, "America's Most and Least Vulnerable Towns."
The city, which recruited a major new factory just this past week, has been fighting an image of being the home of economic trouble for some time as it works to attract new business.
Seybold took exception with the article, calling it "irresponsible journalism."The article, published online Oct. 9 at Forbes.com, evaluated 141 U.S. towns with urban cores between 10,000 and 50,000 people based on a number of statistics.
The ranking were based on August 2008 unemployment figures as well as 2000 census data measuring median income, poverty, education and outstanding mortgage debt.
Cities in the article weren't chosen arbitrarily, Forbes writer Rebecca Ruiz argued.
"This was based on census data," Ruiz said.
Ruiz describes the term vulnerable, in this case, to mean whether the local economy has the elasticity and flexibility to adjust to the crisis the nation is currently going through.
She said her goal wasn't to make 10 cities look bad but to generate discussion.
"Whether a town ended up on the bottom, middle or top of the list, I hope it sparks a local discussion about the state of the local economy," she said.
Seybold argues that the publication never took the time to talk to a single person in Grant County before printing the report.
"My opinion is that people should quit buying Forbes magazine," Seybold said. "If a reporter can't do due diligence, they shouldn't be a reporter."
The report doesn't reflect the facts on the ground in the county, he said.
"It's based on someone sitting behind a computer," he said. "It's based on someone twisting numbers. They should be ashamed."
Seybold said it is highly unlikely Marion would have been on the list's top 10 if the city hadn't suffered an August unemployment spike.
The city's unemployment rate has hovered around 7 to 8.5 percent for most of the year before jumping to 9.8 percent in August, the month by which the Forbes.com article measured the 141 communities.
Several factors could have contributed to the August spike, including permanent layoffs at Dana Corp., seasonal shutdowns at the General Motors plant and the short-term closing at the call center of the failed Titan Recovery Group.
The city's unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent in September, closer to Marion's 2008 average.
Ruiz also clarified in an e-mail that the data used for the study includes the entire Marion micropolitan statistical area - an area with a population of 68,847, which includes most of Grant County.
"What may be confusing is that the Marion, Ind., micropolitan statistical area includes not only Marion proper but also some surrounding towns," Ruiz wrote.
Tim Eckerle, executive director of the Grant County Economic Growth Council, said Marion still has 25 percent of its income in the manufacturing sector.
"Any community that has that concentrated income - how are you going to adjust to that?" he said. "You are at risk. But lots of communities are at risk. I don't see how we're different than anyone else. There's no magic bullet out there."
Marcele Rickner, a Sweetser resident with rental properties in Marion, expressed concern that the articles will portray the area in a negative light.
"Marion is not necessarily more vulnerable," she said. "I do know we've lost a lot of jobs, but I think others have also."
She commends local leaders and citizens for not "laying down."
"People are trying, still putting forth an effort," she said.
Ruiz said it's important for people in communities on the most vulnerable list to remember that hope remains. She said the article has sparked a season of dialogue in places like Lancaster, N.C., which topped the list.
"People don't want to read that their town is vulnerable during hard economic times," she said. "But if people are talking, then something positive can happen."
Copyright © 2024 Chronicle-Tribune