What's needed to bring more jobs to Lodi: Political will

It has been several years since the city has had anyone working full-time on Economic Development (or ED), which is "business-speak" for bringing jobs to town. Tony Goehring was the last ED director we had in leaving the position in 2003. The ED position has yet to be filled, some 5 years later. The reason: lack of funding.

The ED position meant a great deal to Lodi businesses. The position also works on expansion projects of existing businesses as well, not just new-to-town businesses. The ED director was sort of an advocate, or a "harbor pilot," who would metaphorically come on board and help a business negotiate through the unfamiliar waters of the Planning Department, permitting, coordinating Fire Department inspections, and Public Works Department requirements and regulations.

Such a position saves the business community time and money wasted on costly missteps. These days, construction delays can easily mean thousands of dollars. In most cities, 75 percent of new jobs come from existing businesses expanding. Lodi needs this position filled.

Vacant, "industrial zoned property" east of Highway 99 is rare. Certainly not what a commercial broker considers a salable inventory. So says one Chamber member broker: "I get calls of inquiry about Lodi, but I have no land to show interested parties." If we have no inventory of industrial land and "ready to go" land for development, Lodi is out of business before we can even start something. The result is lost opportunity and lost jobs.

In another editorial, I took the General Plan consultants to task for showing little or no expansion of industrial-zoned land on their three-sketch plans circulating through the community. This community needs to shout a wake-up call this election year, and the message is: We need JOBS IN LODI!

Getting more jobs in Lodi begins with demonstrated "political will." Ladies and gentlemen of the City Council, muster the political will to find some "investment money" for new jobs. Come up with the political will to call for the inclusion of substantial industrial zoning in this new General Plan. Find the political will to provide incentives for expansion of jobs within our current industrial-business base. Find the political will to advocate for a "jobs are a good thing" mentality in Lodi. Please show some creative thinking to get things in Economic Development moving. JOBS ARE A GOOD THING!

Sidebar here: City Manager Blair King spends a lot of time working with local developers to get job-creating projects to come to fruition. But even the city manager works under the same clouds of no money, no land, no real competitive incentives and no full-time ED director. "Political will" can make those clouds dissipate, untying his hands.

New jobs have gotten sucked into the "no slow growth" mentality or sentiment politically influencing Lodi. In this paper you can read the result of that thinking and governing. You'll find we are short on funds in the city. Property taxes and sales taxes are down, feared to be even worse than budgeted due to the state's deficit. Utility fund reserves are low, so rates and fees increase. There is a water plant to build, water meters to buy, Eastside sewer lines to fix and city parks we can not afford to repair.

The Chamber of Commerce believes this scenario will only get worse in the foreseeable future. Why? No real growth, no real job growth, no new dollars coming into the community. When you meet a candidate at your front door, ask them what they doing NEW to bring jobs to Lodi.

Incentives for jobs are an investment we make in the future. To his credit, Councilman Johnson has asked for the council to study getting the Economic Development effort back on track. Councilman Hansen has been a proponent in the past, as well. The council has had its share of serious distractions, no doubt about it. Putting off the important due to the distractions of the urgent is a trap we all fall into. Planning for new jobs must now become URGENT. The jobs discussion has been too long in mothballs.

It's TIME to put JOBS at the center of the 2008 City Council election. A new jobs effort is the best strategy for a stronger local economy.

City Council candidate filings have closed and the five runners are just coming out of their starting blocks. The Chamber is looking for candidates who can demonstrate some fortitude and resolve, and show some creative, actionable, political will. We will put our support behind leaders and decision-makers who take a stand and vote for opportunities to create jobs.

Pat Patrick is the president and CEO of the Lodi Chamber of Commerce.