Dear Friends,
We must come together as a region like never before -- citizens, labor, business, education and government -- to out-innovate, out-smart and out-produce our global economic competition.
Thousands of Portlanders are counting on us to succeed.
- Over 21% of working Portlanders struggle to make ends meet at near-poverty wages, while thousands more are unemployed.
- Many area businesses struggle with fewer customers, tougher global competition and anemic access to working capitol.
Increasing the number of living-wage jobs will most readily come from helping to improve the success of our area businesses.
To meet this challenge I will be joining with others to revamp our region's economic development and job creation efforts while furthering the specific priorities I laid out in the Job Plan [0].
In the short term, in the past three months, we've successfully adopted 13 of the 15 budget-related items as part of our Strategies to Keep Portland's Economy Working [0] through the uncertain times upon us, including:
- Expanding Small Business Loan and Technical Assistance Programs
- Promoting Local Retail Activity in the Downtown and Neighborhood Business Districts
- Establishing a Homeless Employment Program and a Rainy Day Fund
I welcome your comments on the Job Plan [0] and the Strategies to Keep Portland's Economy Working [0].
Over the next four years the Portland Development Commission [1] will play a critical role in making this transformation happen.
As Mayor-Elect, I am grateful that Mayor Tom Potter has invited me to consult with him in the nomination of appointees to the Portland Development Commission's Board of Commissioners as one of the first steps in our joint transition plan.
That's where I'd like your input. I am casting a wide net in looking for potential nominees to serve in a volunteer capacity on PDC's Board. For the full position announcement click here [1].
A note: Serving on the PDC Board carries with it significant time requirements in terms of meeting attendance, meeting preparation and public outreach responsibilities. It also requires extensive knowledge or experience in PDC's scope of mission.
If you are not interested or not able to apply for nomination to the PDC Board, please forward this email to others who might.
I look forward to your thoughts and your nominations.
Sincerely,
Sam