In July, I was appointed by County Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz
to serve as Planning Commissioner for District 5. I am grateful to
have the opportunity to participate in the planning of our local
government, consideration of its zoning laws and to help chart the
course for the future well being of San Benito County.
In July, I was appointed by County Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz to serve as Planning Commissioner for District 5. I am grateful to have the opportunity to participate in the planning of our local government, consideration of its zoning laws and to help chart the course for the future well being of San Benito County.
As a former opinion columnist for the Free Lance newspaper, I had the opportunity to share my views on economic development for this county. Well, they haven’t changed. As a planning commissioner, I carefully examine and evaluate every proposed project brought before the commission, weigh the opinion of staff and my fellow commissioners and vote on the project based on what I feel is fair, equitable and in the best interest of the community.
But one of my guiding principles, and one element that is conspicuously absent from the county general plan, is my advocacy for economic development, job creation and the opportunity to generate revenue for county government with which to improve our quality of life, develop its infrastructure and provide services to citizens throughout San Benito County.
Though I do not speak for or represent the opinion of my fellow commissioners, I believe we are each committed to similar principles of positive economic development and job creation in San Benito County. I believe this is an important component of local and regional planning issues; that we must balance future growth opportunities with positive economic development, sensible infrastructure management and environmentally sensitive strategies while conserving open space consistent with local, state and federal guidelines. And to that end, I believe our planning commission functions effectively, though we are not always in uniform agreement on every project brought before us.
Under the umbrella of economic development, I believe the planning commission should review and recommend to county supervisors the adjustment, if necessary, of the county 1 percent growth cap pursuant to the language of that document. In my view, sound economic development strategies should be based on present needs and opportunities and not be impeded by artificial limitations imposed by the initiative of a bygone era.
As an individual, I look at the big picture of economic development in San Benito County and how it can be improved with the resources that are available to us and in light of the obvious limitations of our infrastructure; roads, water and wastewater treatment and distribution. In addition, I take into consideration the diversity of our community and the lack of cultural opportunities available for families and youth to express and celebrate art and music in an organized and coordinated manner.
Earlier this year, I joined a group of local artists committed to reviving an arts council for San Benito County. Supervisor De La Cruz and I traveled to Sacramento to visit the California Arts Council for their guidance and support. Very soon, this group will be forming a new private, nonprofit arts council for San Benito County based on the best management practices and business strategies available for the success of celebrating and promoting the arts in our community.
The objective of this new organization will be to produce local, regional, national and international arts events, promote the arts and improve its integration into local schools and promote economic development by increasing cultural tourism to San Benito County.
Yes, we plan to draw tourists here to spend their time and money enjoying our geographic landscape, weather, fine wines, restaurants, golf courses, fruits and vegetables, and attend concerts, art and wine festivals and a variety of theatrical performances on a regular basis and in a coordinated fashion. The group plans to become the primary arts advocacy organization for the county, which will facilitate future art and tourism grant opportunities to sustain programming for the arts in the community.
Why are the arts important? The arts have tremendous value – educational value, community value, economic value, and the uniquely American value of the pursuit of happiness. The arts are a key part of the economy of the state, an essential factor in a well-rounded education and the catalyst for healthy community development throughout California.
So it is my opinion that the best, most feasible opportunity for economic development that complements our agricultural based economy, has the least impact on our fragile infrastructure, provides positive community-based interaction for youth and families, celebrates the diversity of our population and promotes the positive attributes of our community is to improve and promote cultural tourism to San Benito County. Promoting tourism is also consistent with state guidelines to improving economic development and a key ingredient to sustaining the arts at the community level.
Finally, in order to accomplish and incorporate sound economic development into our government, we need to form strong, synergistic partnerships between local and state governments by way of developing complementary general plans. We need to craft strong partnerships with the local and regional business groups. We need to continue to build strong and effective partnerships between nonprofit organizations like the YMCA and our schools. Like many other successful communities, we need to provide both expectations and opportunities for job creation and future housing needs. And through demonstrated leadership, we need to develop positive moral and community-based citizens who, as a matter of principle, desire to give back to the community as a result of the benefits awarded to them from the resources and generosity of the community.
In many ways we are on track to achieve positive economic development through the hard work and leadership that has emerged in our community recently. But there is much work to be done under the umbrella of economic development. And I believe that we are poised to act appropriately and decisively toward that end as we consider the future challenges and opportunities that we face in the 21st century in San Benito County.
Mike Smith is a county planning commissioner interested in music, the arts and improving public policy and economic development in San Benito County.
