Priority One as Board President: Reviving Our Economy

Today, I am thrilled to have received the support of my colleagues Todd Portune and Greg Hartmann as the next President of the County Commission. It is both a great responsibility, and a great opportunity to lead and produce results at a challenging time.

In the coming two years, nothing is more important than leading a local and regional economic recovery. Not only will this address the top concern of citizens and families in our community—so many of whom are caught up in the economic crisis. But only such a recovery will allow us to generate the revenues to fund the public safety and other priority services that citizens expect and demand.

While we can’t control everything from a local level, there’s much we can do to spark immediate relief and recovery, and to assure that we are as competitive as possible when the national economy begins to turn around. So our priority will be to push in every responsible way to help spur that recovery locally.

The strategy has three straightforward goals.

First, we must provide immediate relief to working, middle class families caught up in the economic crisis. The true engine of any economic turnaround will be renewed financial stability and confidence among the working, middle class families of this community. If they are employed, securely in their home, making ends meet, spending as they did prior to last fall, and confident, we will ultimately recover. If they are not, the economy will struggle. Doing everything we can to renew the financial stability among the middle class, working families who make up the majority of this community is therefore critical.

Second, we must implement a job attraction and retention strategy, building on the strengths we already have, tapping into the opportunities of the future, and tying our residents and small businesses into every opportunity that comes our way through job training and effective workforce development.

Third, we must take advantage of the numerous opportunities and resources that will be coming our way to invest in infrastructure and economic growth. And we must invest these dollars strategically, supporting those projects and investments that will create long-term economic growth and competitiveness.

As a County, to do all this well, we must also coordinate our numerous community and private efforts so we are all rowing in the same direction. And we must measure our work rigorously so we know where we are going, what is working, and what is not.

There’s much to do in the next few years. It will all take hard work. But we’re well positioned as a community because we start off with so many strengths. With all hands on deck, and everyone working in the same direction, we will get the job done.

For the full Economic Recovery Strategy, click here, and here.

For an Enquirer overview of the plan, go here.

Other stories: here, here and here.