by Sherry Conway Appel
Local elected officials see competition for economic growth among jurisdictions as one of the biggest challenges facing cities.
A new study released last week as part of the National League of Cities Forum on Economic Vitality in Denver found that unfunded mandates and funding cutbacks at the federal and state levels also will affect the future economic vitality of cities. More than 150 local elected officials met in Denver last week to participate in a national effort led by NLC to bolster local economic vitality.
The NLC Forum on Local Economic Vitality was designed to bring together experts from the business, financial, academic and government arenas to gain insight into the changing global marketplace. The meeting is the first step toward the development of a blueprint and action plan that cities and towns can use to spur economic growth in the future.
?In assessing local economic vitality, it?s important to step back and look at the overall economic climate facing U.S. cities today,? said Karen Anderson, NLC Past President and mayor of Minnetonka, Minn., at a news conference opening the forum. ?We have boom towns and we have cities just barely managing to get by. No geographic area is exempt, and size does not matter. Because one thing is clear: broad economic forces are at work ? forces that are dramatically changing the face both of the national and local economies, for good ? and bad.?
The data released by NLC finds that the shift from a manufacturing to a services economy has created significant challenges for cities. More than 2 million manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2000, while the number of temporary and contract work doubled. More people are now working for multinational companies, whose number has grown from 7,300 in 1969 to more than 60,000 today.
?The old adage of ?think globally, act locally? has been turned on its head,? said Anderson. ?The new mantra is ?Think locally, then act globally.??
Anderson said that immigration, the skills levels of new workers, lack of health insurance and continuing poverty are also critical challenges for the nation?s future economic growth.
?Denver is thrilled to host this forum because economic vitality is inherently tied to every issue that our local communities face,? said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who was a restaurant and real estate entrepreneur prior to his election.
?We can have the best of intentions, but without the resources that strong economies generate, our hands are tied. Here in the Denver metro area, regional investments and approaches to transit, business attraction and retention, cultural vibrancy and civic engagement have played crucial roles in local economic development efforts. We look forward to sharing our experiences with the other cities participating in this NLC forum and learning from their successes as well.? Hickenlooper said.
Lakewood, Colo., Mayor Steve Burkholder, who chairs NLC?s Advisory Council, said the forum will enable local officials to ?address the impact of these forces and focus on where we as municipal officials have the capacity to influence the economic outcomes in our communities. For example, we need to be working more regionally, forming relationships with private companies, nonprofit and community organizations, and targeting workforce development and education.?