During a campaign candidates are asked to briefly share their thoughts with a number of organizations. The Tacoma Pierce County Chamber of Commerce posed an important question, and Chris would like to share how he answered.
Q: How would you define economic development? What are your top three objectives for economic development?
A: The meaning of economic development varies depending on one’s perspective. For businesses, customers, employees and residents, it means creating an environment in which each has the maximum opportunity to thrive. For a government, it means creating a tax base to pay for core services. The key is to have those goals in alignment. I think city government needs to (1) clearly understand UP’s value proposition to new and existing businesses; (2) clearly understand the value proposition of nearby municipalities (our competitors); and (3) go out and sell UP as an attractive place to do business.
