State addresses and annual reports should highlight the good and bad of any community. But all too often, the bad is buried underneath the good.

Like Gov. John Engler’s State of the State address and Lansing Mayor David Hollister’s State of the City, the East Lansing City Councils annual report focuses too much on deserved pats on the back and too little on serious issues facing the community.

East Lansing’s 2001 annual report centers around neighborhood, economic and local issues, and also includes wrap-ups on the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival, The National Folk Festival and the East Lansing Arts Festival.

While the report focuses on the many developments and additions to the city it fails to discuss some of the more serious issues taking place in the city, such as budget cuts totaling more than $600,000.

True, the city of East Lansing has made tremendous steps as far as expansion and development. Last year’s downtown opening of Barnes & Noble Booksellers and the new 708-space parking ramp at 121 Charles St. are proof of this. But while development is an important aspect of any annual report, it is not the only part worth focusing on.

There needs to be more of a balance between the positive and negative.

Annual reports should serve the purpose of not only giving the city a pat on the back, but also addressing some of the concerns of East Lansing residents.

Residents may like to know how the city is dealing with noisy college students, the rules of leasing houses or even questions on garbage pick-up.

Ultimately, the annual report should show how the government is doing, whether the job has been good or bad. There needs to be positive promotion, attention to strides and an even greater emphasis on the problems and ways to combat them.