Economic Development

(From this week’s campaign newsletter)

Much has been made about economic development in the recent mayoral debates, and for good reason. A viable economic development plan is critical—and yet we don’t have one. Mayor Coody has had eight years to bring us an economic development plan, and only now—in an election year—is he working to bring a plan to the table by paying a consultant in Virginia $75,000 to tell us what we need.

We know what we need. I’ve talked about several ideas in recent months, and they all focus on strengthening three key components of our community: our hospitality industry, our local businesses and proper tools to attract new businesses and new jobs.

I’ve talked at length about bolstering our hospitality industry in recent weeks. (Read examples here, here and here.) Today I want to return to my previous ideas about promoting our local businesses and equipping our community with the tools it needs to promote job growth.

(You can read the full newsletter here.)