Jobs and our Regional Economy
(NEW! 4-14-08)
We CAN help local firms create local jobs. The general approach to do so will require us to take a regional view to planning, work openly with our local government partners, and create a local jobs environment that encourages rather than discourages employers from locating here. Details on my position appear below.
A. Participating in a Regional Strategy.
Eugene must stop its recent elitist behavior with our traditional intergovernmental partners. It is critically important for the livability of our region to develop an economic development strategy that creates quality livable wage jobs. Our community benefits when jobs are created anywhere within Lane County—whether in Springfield or one of the smaller communities. One of my top priorities will be to work with regional partners to create a balanced plan to develop regional job strength.
B. Leveraging our Educational Strengths.
Eugene has an exceptional educational system. This is a strength of our community and we must use it. The opportunity is to leverage our community’s educational strengths at all educational levels—from pre-K through higher education. Building on our fundamentally sound base, we should push for work force readiness at the high school, community college and four-year college levels.
C. Leveraging our Medical Strengths.
Medical training is a special strength in the area’s educational matrix. We can create a highly skilled work force, integrating medical field skills that involve River Bend and Hilyard, McKenzie-Willamette, the University of Oregon / OHSU relationship, the Lane Community College medical training resources, and other medically related vocational training in our area.
D. Sustainability without Stagnation.
It is easy to use slogans describing an environmentally sustainable lifestyle and the livability of our future. To me, an absolute essential part of livability is a future where our children have adequate wage opportunities—where they can afford to live and raise their families. There is no question that our resource base must be sustained and kept healthy. But moderate growth that will create a sound future economy, social health and, therefore, livability, is just as important.
It is all about BALANCE. We need to take a long-term view about how to insure livability, and work out a balanced approach to environmental, social AND economic health.
E. Planning for Sustainable Growth.
In 1998, we adopted 19 Growth Management Policies that were designed to foster compact, efficient, moderate economic growth for future livability. Now, 10 years later, it is past time to examine how well they are working. Politically, our current administration seems to ignore or resist any initiative that attempts to plan for growth. This philosophy is incompatible with a truly sustainable future.
F. Land Use Planning.
Burying our heads in the sand and isolating ourselves from traditional government partners ignores the important need for future planning. The Metro Partnership has called for a full survey of industrial and commercial lands situated in Eugene and Springfield. The wise course of action is to create and adjust a balanced land use plan going forward. Much in the manner of an annual physical check-up, I believe we should review and update our Land Use Code on an annual basis to accommodate changes in needs and circumstances that invariably occur.
G. Building Codes.
It is important to ensure safety and quality with building codes. Unfortunately, it is also possible to use the building code process to burden and restrict builders—which creates another impediment to attracting employers. Again, I believe balance is the key. Safety and quality should be maintained without unreasonable restrictions. Codes should not be used as a substitute for policy that does not reflect how the community feels.
H. The Transportation Factor.
Transportation policy also affects our local economy. Commercially, manufacturers and suppliers need to be able to move products by road, rail and air. Citizens must be able to get to where they are going in our community or they will be encouraged to use their home computers to purchase products and have them shipped from outside our area—with the impact that local merchants will be left out of the loop.