Elorza Unveils Economic Plan
GoLocalProv Business Team
Elorza Unveils Economic Plan
“Generating the broad-based economic growth that Providence needs requires expanding economic opportunity to all of our residents and neighborhoods. We are One Providence and we will rise or fall together,” Elorza said.
Elorza's plan includes creating an Office of Economic Opportunity, upgrading the skills of the city’s workforce, fostering neighborhood-based economic development, and growing new business.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTPlan Highlights
·Create a new Office of Economic Opportunity that will work with each City agency, state and federal government, community organizations and non-profit groups to boost employment opportunities.
·Upgrade the skills and competencies of our workforce through better coordination of workforce development programs to ensure they are in line with current employer needs and the provision of other worker supports.
·Expand the First Source Office to better coordinate with large Providence employers and match skills needed with unemployed Providence residents.
·Expand the City’s job fair program and provide useful hands-on assistance at the fairs, including assistance in drafting resumes.
·Build neighborhood specific economic development strategies capitalizing on local strengths and assets, including existing small businesses.
·Build on existing strengths such as design services, and meds & eds to create new businesses and attract new entrepreneurs.
·Partner with Rhode Island Manufacturer’s Association (RIMA) to identify opportunities for new manufacturing businesses in Providence.
·Increase City contracting with minority-owned firms and facilitate greater use of minority-owned firms by city-based institutions included our universities and hospitals.
Questions Jorge Elorza Must Answer to be Providence's Next Mayor
Experience Necessary?
Elorza's the quintessential Providence kid-made-good -- and clearly has the education success story of CCRI to Harvard Law going for him. He's toiled in the legal trenches, and risen through academic ranks.
But does that translate to a business acumen and know-how to turn the city around? Brett Smiley counts starting a successful consulting company. Although a double-edged sword, Michael Solomon's got the city council experience.
Elorza's managed cases, and students. Can he oversee a staff of hundreds -- go toe to toe with the unions?
Money for Plans?
Opponent Brett Smiley might have dubbed himself the man with the plan, but Elorza's right up there with a litany of proposals for the capital city. Schools, jobs, public safety, neighborhoods, transportation, diversity, arts and culture, ethics -- Elorza's got plans for it all.
And like Smiley's grand amibtions, the burning question is how will these be funded? Elorza has a plan to double the city's exports in the next five years, with mentoring opportunities and trade missions as part of the strategy. Those cost money. Where will it come from?
Fundraising prowess?
At the end of the first quarter of 2014, Elorza posted a small lead over Smiley in the cash balance department, with $217,082 in his campaign coffers as compared to Smiley's $191,000 and change. Both, however, were a distant second and third to Solomon's war chest over over $600,000
As the Democratic candidates duke it out, second quarter filings due at the end of the month will show were the money race stands with less than eight weeks to the primary.
Of course, whoever wins will have to face a Buddy Cianci waiting in the wings, who told GoLocal he raised over $200,000K in one week -- and expects to have $1 million by the time the primary arrives.
Primary Factor?
For the Democrats in the race, the primary is, in fact, the primary concern of the campaigns at the moment, with Harrop and Cianci waiting in the wings for the winner.
Will Elorza's campaign, based strongly on his Cranston-street upbringing and focus on ethics, differentiate him from political operatives Smiley and Solomon?
The first test on the path to the Mayor's office will be to best his two top adversaries in September. Will Elorza's deep city ties and campaign aparatus translate into a get-out-the-vote effort enough to take the Democratic title?
Final Hurdle?
All of the Providence Mayoral candidates, whether they like it or not, have to address to Buddy card.
So far, Brett Smiley's been the most vocal -- publicly, at least -- in criticizing former Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, attacking him on his corruption charges and conviction. Harrop and Elorza have been highly critical, but as aforementioned, the Democrats are focused primarily on the task at hand -- making it past the primary.
If Elorza does advance, can he count on the support of his former Democratic opponents and their backers -- or will there be a mass exodus of those who see Cianci as the more viable candidate? Republican Dr. Daniel Harrop provides an X factor in the genera election, of course, but a three-way race is vastly different animal than a four-way one before Adrain dropped out. The winner will need to secure a greater chunk of the electorate.
