Bosetti defends Redding’s public image in wake of survey’s low ranking

March 28--Mayor Rick Bosetti said he was only standing up for his hometown when he invited the heads of Gallup and Healthways to come to Redding and check out the city for themselves.

The invitation came in the wake of a survey ranking Redding as one of the worst cities in America for well-being. Based on a composite score, the community was ranked 187th of 189.

The report, released Tuesday, touched off a social media firestorm in the community, with some deriding the survey and others sharing their concerns about the quality of life and lack of opportunities in Redding.

"It was just kind of a jab back to defend our city," said Bosetti, who called into question the methodology while placing the blame for the negativity on new transplants seeking big city thrills in a small community. "What would have happened if they had contacted people who were born and raised here?"

The Well-Being survey, now in its sixth year, asks respondents about their individual sense of purpose, social relationships, financial security, connection to the community and physical health. It polled 484 local respondents, a number Bosetti thinks is hardly scientific for the size of Redding.

Redding's overall score was 62 after Gallup averaged its scores for obesity, frequency of exercise, access to fresh produce, smoking, daily stress and insurance coverage. Provo, Utah's score of 71.4 earned first place in the rankings.

Neither Gallup or Healthways were immediately available for comment this afternoon.

In a letter to Ben Leedle, chief executive officer for Healthways, Bosetti belittled the survey, equating it to a trendy "Top 10" list, and slammed local media for publishing the results without questioning the science behind them.

Reached at his home today, Bosetti acknowledged the need to bring more jobs, which would solve many of Redding's woes and help retain its young people.

"The types of jobs young people are doing aren't in Redding," he lamented.

But he noted some issues the city has no control over, such as the state's prison realignment diverting some inmates from state to county jails.

Local authorities have blamed realignment for driving up property crime and creating a revolving door at Shasta County Jail.

"So, are there parts (of the survey) that are true? Yeah. I'll be one of the first to admit," he said. "But to say we are 187? I mean, really? We are 187 out of 189? Really?"

Bosetti said he could have chosen to live in Toronto, Canada or some other place after ending his career as a professional baseball player but he chose to return to Redding.

He said he would take the heads of the Washington D.C.-based Gallup and Nashville area-based Healthways to some of Redding's rough areas. At the top of his list were South City Park and the block around City Hall, where displaced folks sometimes congregate, and parts of the Sacramento River Trail so they can compare to their respective metro areas.

He named the hotel strip on Hilltop Drive, the two hospitals, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, the Sundial Bridge, two of the largest employers, new development on Airport Road, Shasta College and Simpson University as community assets he would put on the itinerary. He also spoke of the proximity to national forests. "I know that is not the answer for everybody, but you cannot take it away from us either," he said.

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