Orange County Economic Development Director Resigns

Well, I don't know the circumstances of his resignation, but I can't think of a thing more depressing than being a economic development director in Orange County.I've just returned from the new Outlet Mall at our western border and it's a definite WOW. Swore I'd never go, but there I was in the mid-afternoon with thousands of other people. Easy in, easy spend, easy out.So, why didn't that outlet mall locate in Orange County? And a one, and a two........

I've never even met Brad, but from the statements I had read in the media I felt he was kind of out of step with Orange County values. I think just getting him out of the way is probably an opportunity so that the Commissioners don't have to wrangle with the staff just to implement their vision (weak as it may be).I have heard some ideas about moving the County's economic development work from the staff to an outside organization, but I don't really see the advantage of that. A county-wide coalition that could work together on these issues is great, but I want to have the accountability of at least being able to hire and fire the bosses (electeds) that manage this for the County.

We've seen a lot of solid economic development in the County over the last 10-15 years. This gets lost in the repeated mantra of the development community that you just can't do business in Orange County. We need to see a comprehensive report on the progress made in economic development before we buy into the assumption (that is presented with slim data) that the County is anti-business. I'd also love to see a success story of a county similar to Orange that decided that any business was good business, opened up their doors to any and all ventures, and achieved their goal of lower taxes and better lifestyles for its citizens.

The term "economic development" is used as if we all agree on what it means. Somebody says we need more economic development and you can see heads nodding knowingly around the room. Somebody says that Orange County is notoriously anti-business and heads nod knowingly around the room. Somebody says that if we increase commercial devlopment, our taxes will not need to increase and heads nod knowingly around the room. Yet all these concepts mean different things to different people and part of our problem in dealing with these issues is that we've never set up a process for citizens to agree on what we mean when we use these words and what the assumptions are when these blanket statements are made.

As an example, I don't consider retail development as real economic development. Although it may offset some residential property tax, it also encourages a model of constant acquisition that I feel is unsustainable.  

The fact that neighboring counties continually permit the opening of businesses barely on the other side of the county border from us and subsequently those businesses prove popular tells me that the development policy of OC is hostile to people that live in in OC.

Focusing on jobs seems like a good place to start.  That's something this county has never really considered a priority  because  our unemployment rate has been so low.  However,  our community has relied for years on its  neighbors to provide jobs for our own residents.   Retail has a place in the mix, both for entry level/flexible employment  and for providing goods for sale.  But it is only one piece of the pie.     Look at RTP--not much emphasis on retail development in the Park itself, but plenty of economic strength.      It's very eye opening to Look on the Orange County's ED website at the top 25 employers in the county--who they are and how many people they employ.   I find it very disappointing.   Once you get past UNC and government employment,  there is not much in the way of high paying jobs  or companies with very many employees.    Then go look at Durham and Alamance counties economic development websites and compare. 

As a small businessman, I've always shaken my head at the "high-level" economic discussions that involve trying to land big companies. So much energy is expended trying to land companies employing a hundred+ people. My construction company (similar to many others in the area) has employed anywhere from four to ten people over the years. A crude calculation would show that 10-15 small companies would equal that 100 employee company. Going beyond that, these small operations are almost always locally rooted in the community with all the benefits that that brings - keeps local money circulating, employers usually know the emplyees and their families better, and those companies that provide services have to deal fairly and competently with the local community or they don't survive. Yet the economic development people from Planning Central seem oriented to landing the big sexy fish. For example, Broadwell came to Orange County and got excited about locating an airport in the county as a economic development strategy. Obviously, only a pinhead would rule out larger companies that would fit into our community, but it often seems that the power of  local businesses which are the strength of our business economy is not fully appreciated.

From the studies I've read, local businesses generate 3-5 times more
revenue for the community than do non-local businesses.  But the economy
isn't one-dimensional. We only benefit from the local multiplier effect
if there are businesses/services in the local community that support
each other and the local residents. Do we have accountants and lawyers,
etc? And if so, are they cost competitive with those in Chapel Hill,
Pittsboro, Durham? If the cost of doing business in the local
community is higher than it is in a physically close neighboring
community, why would anyone want to start their business here? We have a
systems problem and we need someone in the economic development
position that is really smart and really committed to building a local
business environment. But that means we also need community leaders who
will listen to that person and be willing to make changes in other
aspects of the community to achieve a long-term goal of economic
sustainability. I suspect that will require a good bit of short-term
pain for all of us.

I didn't hear any mention of propagating & supporting small local businesses, cultivating our growing local food economy, issues of energy & water - all the foundational components of a strong local economy. The Economy is not going to return to what it was - no matter how many pundits and Wall Street anointed experts say it is. Of course, we should welcome an ethical corporate partner who will make an ethical commitment to Orange County. We also need to seriously consider an eco-industrial park in Orange County. Hopefully we'll hear that Shope brings more perspectives and expertise than basic corporate recruiting. 

Given that the root causes of the Great Recession have not been addressed, the most outlandish prediction is the one we've seen & heard in the media several times a week over the last year or so. We are continually told that the recession is over, the economy is on the upswing, etc. This is usually next to an article about massive lay-offs in state government somewhere, rising unemployment, or record corporate profits. I think it was after Obama's State of the Union message that the economy was back on the right track that a poll was taken in NC in which about 80% said they didn't think the recession was over.Our leadership from local to federal is ignoring the massive hemmorhaging of our financial and social systems caused by the Afghan & Iraq Wars expenditures, plus the handful of other conflicts that the U.S. is burning money in.  The Republican/Democrat duopoly is clueless about how to meet our energy needs as oil becomes more scarce & expensive and global climate change manifests in more destructive ways.The corporations that control the government are like the frat boys that just want to get to the next party, bully whoever they need to in order to score the booze they want, and try to get laid with or without consent. The major media are owned by these corporations and usually act as little more than propaganda machines to distract and confuse the citizenry so that the corporations can continue their colonization of us. We are facing a juggernaut of ignorance and the best we can do at this point is become stronger locally in our communities and weather the storm that is already forming.