Chamber of Commerce Questionnaire

The Southern Indiana Chanmber of Commerce, One Southern Indiana, sent out a questionnaire to candidates. It consisted of two questions and asked that answers be kept to 300 words or less.

I am showing here my answers to the questions.

Question 1.
One Southern Indiana believes that regional partnerships and cooperation are key elements for a business-friendly environment and economic progress. How do you plan to work with county leadership, surrounding Indiana counties and cities, and with Louisville in achieving economic prosperity and strategic planning for your city?

Answer 1.
We need to have in place, at all levels of government, people who have the attitude that any good growth opportunities benefiting the entire region benefit all of the people of the region. Obviously, if we had our choice, economic progress would be tilted in favor of the nearby Indiana communities, but it is more likely that major economic events will occur in Louisville. We must keep open communication between all levels of government; one way to do this would be to have periodic gatherings or conferences for local governmental representatives to hear speakers address various topics on the theme of regional cooperation. It goes without saying that these meetings would include representatives of the local Indiana cities and counties and the Louisville Metro government. While these gatherings may not produce instant results they can only have positive results over time.

The City Council does not have much latitude in setting policies of regional scope, that power resides more with the Mayor, and I would work with any Mayor who pursues good cooperative relationships. I would do my best to stay abreast of the issues affecting regionalism and offer advice, and votes from that informed perspective.

Question 2.
One Southern Indiana focuses on economic development--either through attraction of new businesses or by helping our existing companies to expand. If elected, what would you do to increase economic development opportunities and improve the attractiveness of your city for investment and growth?

Answer 2.
As a Councilman, my ability to initiate such policies would be limited; the main force in economic development is the Mayor, and I would work to be an ally in pursuit of his efforts. I would not, however, be hesitant to present to the Mayor my ideas that promote that objective.

My view is that New Albany, and the other communities of southern Indiana, must acknowledge that the dominant economic force in our region is Louisville, and our interests are best served when we exploit our proximity to Louisville. This, by no means suggests that we should forego any opportunity we may have to compete for locating potential employers or investors on the Indiana side of the river but that, especially in the case of New Albany, our primary regional role is as a bedroom community for Louisville. Once people return from their jobs in Louisville, New Albany's best bet is to keep them here until they go back to work. Therefore, New Albany's vendors have a relatively well-paid pool of customers upon which to build business. In order to compete against Louisville's stores and restaurants, New Albany's retailers need to offer variety that compares favorably to Louisville's even though it can not match the number of choices available there. We could stress quality over quantity.

We should make sure that municipal purchasing decisions favor local, independent providers before we purchase from a non-local vendor. The order of priority should be: New Albany, Floyd County, Metro Louisville, Indiana, Kentucky, the U.S., and then anywhere else.

We should capitalize on our stock of decent affordable housing by taking every step possible to increase home ownership. We should also follow a course of rental inspections to insure that rental housing is above all safe, then we should insure that it is not detrimental to the efforts of conscientious home owners nearby. As a bedroom community of the Metro area we need to make sure that New Albany is seen as an attractive, safe place to live, and that it is a vibrant part of the larger regional scene.