If elected mayor, I will make economic development my number one priority. While everyone talks about economic development, I will pursue specific, real projects and policies.
In terms of policy, I will first establish a special economic development fund. The city recently sold a piece of property and will realize a gain of some $900,000. The $900,000 is unrestricted and would normally be placed in the general fund, but I propose that it be set aside in a new fund to be used for economic development only. I do not support taking current general fund revenues and using them for economic development because doing so would require reducing the level of service, including public safety, to residents. The fund could be used to incentivize commercial and industrial developers and businesses, but I would not support a blanket policy of reducing or deferring impact fees. Rather, I would work to tailor special incentives that meet the needs of the prospective developer or business. Walgreens will be under construction soon, and my understanding is that they really were not concerned with the impact fees.
In conjunction with the economic development fund, the city currently has approximately $650,000 in old CDBG money that must be used for economic development by way of low-interest loans. The downside is that there are a number of restrictions on these loans which make it difficult to market them. If elected, I will use my connections with the CDBG staff in Sacramento to try to ease these restrictions and make the funds more accessible.
If elected, I will devote all my efforts and energies to three specific projects which have the potential of generating thousands of local jobs and significant revenue for the city. For the past years, I have been closely involved with the vision for our airport. I worked with Congressman Farr’s office to formally establish a “through the fence” agreement between the FAA and the city. The next stage in this process is the construction of taxiways which will cost about three million dollars. A number of options for this funding have been explored, but with the loss of Nancy Martin, the process has stalled. CDBG and Federal ED grants are possibilities. I have personally written successful grants exceeding one million dollars in the non-profit sector, and will use my grant writing skills if the decision is made to go the grant route for the airport project. In projects such as the airport project, the mayor becomes unifier and political force to work with federal and state agencies to gain their support. The airport project is predicted to create 4,000 new jobs. That means employment for San Benito County and it means fewer commuters to the Bay Area. Fewer commuters means more residents spending money locally.
The second project on my list is the Westside Beautification project. Originally, this two million dollar project was to be funded by the RDA. The design is near completion, but there remain little funding for environmental work or construction. As with the airport project, we will need to identify alternative funding for Westside. However, there are safety grants that could very well fit with the Westside if the idea is approached in the correct manner. Again, I will rely on my skills as a grant writer and developer to come up with a viable alternative financing for the Westside. The Westside Beautification project will enhance property values on the west side of town and make it more attractive for commercial development. Much of the property along Fourth Street is zoned mixed use, meaning combination of residential and commercial. The mayor’s job is work with potential commercial developers to help them see the vision and potential of the westside.
The third project on my list is to revitalize the downtown strategic plan. The next stage in the development is for Caltrans to relinquish the old highway to the city. It appears that we now have a “sort of” agreement on how that will occur. The current option does not please me, but it probably is our best choice. Under the current option, the City will have control of San Benito Street/Nash Road sometime in the spring. Again the challenge is to identify and secure funding. It may be grants, private investment, public investment or some combination. Again, it is the job of the mayor to champion the idea, process and project.
