A story crossed the AP Wire today that talks about a small Pennsylvania city that is trying to remake itself.

The city has "found it difficult to replace thousands of factory jobs lost to globalization."

It boasts a vibrant arts community and is home to a controversial downtown minor league baseball stadium.

There's a huge controversy simmering over a convention center and hotel project.

The story, however, isn't about Erie.

It's about Lancaster, our neighbor on the other side of the state that shares many of the same struggles -- and is pursuing many of the same strategies -- that we're seeing here in the Gem City.

Why am I bringing this up?

Because I'm of the opinion that we're following a strategy similar to many other struggling cities. The good news is that Erie is finally trying to keep up with the Joneses. The bad news is that we shouldn't be content to follow the same strategies followed by cities like Lancaster.

We should be doing something different and unique -- something that will make us stand out, not follow the crowd. Bland simply won't help us turn things around.

I'll have more thoughts on this topic in my next e-letter, which will be hitting e-mail boxes Thursday.

Until then, I'd love to hear your thoughts.