In our newest feature, ‘Venango County Speaks Out,’ we ask our users to voice their opinion on pressing issues.

On Monday, we asked our readers on the exploreVenango.com Facebook page what they think they think is the biggest issue facing Venango County right now.

Here are some of the most popular responses:

Tom Vandermark — “Lack of economic development”

Matt Lindsay — “The economy and the drug problem are symptoms of a bigger problem: Too many people who would rather get high all day than find employment.”

Justin Burris — “How about worrying more about “beautification” than bringing jobs to the area. What good are landscaping and “pedestrian parks” when nobody is around to use them and the streets are falling apart?”

Patrick Craig — “Wasteful government spending, lack of decent jobs, lack of willing workers, shrinking tax base. Should I keep going? You should have asked for the positives of Venango County.”

Nick McBride – “Lack of thinking outside the box. We need to utilize what we have instead of talking about what we don’t have. It’s only gonna take one major change to start a domino effect. We are placed between Erie and Pittsburgh almost strategically. Can you imagine a splash lagoon in place of the battered Arlington?? With the Brody block down and replaced with small shops and a hotel entrance, that contains an elevator that takes you to the glass skywalk that takes you across the block to the splash lagoon/hotel? That is of course an example! It would create jobs, tourism, property value increase, revenue. There might even be families walking around downtown checking out a studio or lunch somewhere!! It’s too bad that we are struggling with simple issues. Decisions need to be made in the interest of the future, not in the interest of making a few people happy. (We) need a shot caller that doesn’t mind stepping on a few toes for the better of many.

To join the conversation, visit https://www.facebook.com/exploreVenango