Economic Development

Everyone in Carbondale has a stake in economic development. The health of our community is dependant on a continuing variety of jobs and opportunity. Our two largest employers, SIU and Southern Illinois Healthcare, can attract more people to live, learn and work in Carbondale if there are a wide variety of jobs available in the community. Retail and service businesses depend on having a base of customers with money to spend.

I'm familiar with the risks that business owners take. As a young lawyer in practice with Treva O'Neill, I enjoyed the process of meeting and representing clients. My income was a percentage of the business that I generated. I had a keen understanding that a day off, while pleasant, meant that I was not earning any money. My biggest investment was my time. Most business owners, like Katrina Phillips of Rag Wear, have to invest even more in terms of both time and money. I want to promote that spirit of investment in Carbondale.

My goals are to promote the best of Carbondale businesses, take advantage of our existing strengths, and promote a better balance among public and private sector jobs. In order to promote the best in Carbondale businesses, I would like to work with the business community to recognize businesses that stay in Carbondale for the long haul. There are many programs that offer incentives to new and expanding businesses, but we should not ignore the many businesses that have been the backbone of our local economy for many years. In terms of new and expanding businesses, we need to focus first on taking advantage of the areas where we are currently strong. We can identify and recruit businesses that can complement our strengths in the areas of education and health care. And where we can, we need to promote a spirit of entrepreneurship – that willingness to invest.

Action:

1. Budget for a full time city employee who has the sole mission of business development and advocacy.
2. Establish a program of recognition and appreciation of businesses that have stayed in Carbondale and helped build our community.
3. In cooperation with organizations that recruit and support businesses, establish a program of regular assessment of the needs of local businesses.
4. Work with major employers to encourage their employees to live in Carbondale.
5. Establish a pilot program of microcredit, very small loans, for area youth who have a desire to build their own small businesses.

Please click on any topic above for more information and specific actions I plan to take. You may also download A Working Plan for Carbondale in PDF format.