County Commissioners are responsible for setting policy and ensuring it is implemented effectively. Historically, county government has abdicated responsibility for economic development to other organizations such as the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County. Because the CBICC is a private entity and responsible first to its members, the broader interests of the residents of Centre County may not always be in the forefront. As I have pledged since the beginning of my campaign, I will work to sharpen the focus of county government on economic development. Our citizens need jobs.
We must adopt a more sophisticated, comprehensive process in our economic development activities. In today’s environment, economic development is highly competitive. In other states, there is active government participation at state, county and local levels to encourage job creation and bring new businesses to communities. Lacking a coherent strategy for packaging a comprehensive set of such economic incentives puts Centre County at a disadvantage. Centre County government is the logical entity to provide this focus in our area; serving as a contact with state economic development agencies and as a resource for local governments and private organizations pursuing such opportunities. Economic development will be one of my priorities as County Commissioner.
