ARTICLE
The Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce is an organization of 1,200 businesses that want to stay and grow in our community. Our members are looking ahead to next November when we will elect a new mayor to lead our Capitol City. While no one knows who that will be, our membership knows what they are looking for in their next mayor. We need a mayor who believes businesses are vital to community growth, who understands that a robust commercial and light industrial tax base is paramount to a city’s finances and who puts a priority on jobs. We have compiled a list of priorities we would like to see our next mayor address. They support a theme that we consider to be imperative for the health and well-being of our city. That theme: jobs, jobs, jobs. The next mayor of Saint Paul needs to appreciate how much our city’s existing businesses contribute to our local economy. The private sector provides over 146,000 jobs in Saint Paul. The most economical way to grow our city’s tax base is to help our existing businesses grow and expand here. Our local businesses deserve to feel the love from city hall and be treated as full partners by our next mayor every time new mandates affecting their bottom line are considered. In addition to helping existing businesses grow, the mayor should work hard to attract new businesses to Saint Paul. We want to see the new mayor hire a business advocate who would concentrate on business retention and expansion, and new business recruitment. The Chamber wants to collaborate with the City on this initiative, and we are prepared to hire our own economic development staff to focus on the growing business community in the downtown core. The new mayor needs to recognize the importance of equity in courting new jobs to the city. All citizens of Saint Paul should have the opportunity to work in their chosen fields, and benefits of new jobs in the city need to be available to all. When low-income and minority communities can access more job options, the city as a whole does better. New jobs are only good if employees can get to them. A new mayor needs to see the importance of transit investments for businesses. Thirty percent of employees in Saint Paul regularly take a bus or train to get to work, and that number will grow as younger workers opt for transit. We need to get the workforce to the workplace. We need a mayor who understands the impact of public safety on business. Vibrant areas where all people feel safe attract employers, businesses, and their customers. The new mayor should be committed to finding unique ways to enhance the vitality of the whole city, especially areas where there are currently safety issues. In the past few years, Saint Paul has done a great job focusing on livability projects. Now it’s time for our new city leadership to actively improve the business climate to allow our existing businesses to grow and prosper, and to bring in new companies with new jobs so all our Saint Paul citizens have the opportunity to work and contribute to a bright future for our beloved city. Jeff Pellegrom is board chair and Mindee Kastelic interim president and CEO of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. See full article on Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/2017/05/21/pellegrom-kastelic-a-list-of-jobs-jobs-jobs-priorities-for-our-next-mayor
In the past few years, Saint Paul has done a great job focusing on livability projects. Now it’s time for our new city leadership to actively improve the business climate to allow our existing businesses to grow and prosper, and to bring in new companies with new jobs so all our Saint Paul citizens have the opportunity to work and contribute to a bright future for our beloved city. Jeff Pellegrom is board chair and Mindee Kastelic interim president and CEO of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. See full article on Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/2017/05/21/pellegrom-kastelic-a-list-of-jobs-jobs-jobs-priorities-for-our-next-mayor