Mayor

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2025 x 2025

My Vision for Elyria to create 2025 quality jobs by the year 2025. Over the past 8 years the city has lost a net of over 4000 jobs in the city. This number is increasing with the loss of two of our major growing employers. In my experience in economic development I've learned that 1) It's easier to keep a customer (business) than it is to attract one 2)Building your own is a more sustainable model and 3) You can't go wrong investing in people.

That is why my economic strategy is for Elyria to "Get in our B.A.G." and:
Build a City for entrepreneurs
Attract employers through upskilling our workforce
Grow the businesses currently in Elyria

Building a city for entrepreneurs means building an ecosystem that makes it easier for businesses to start and get the support they need in Elyria. It doesn't mean running the business for them but providing the support they need such as access to loans and capital, affordable retail and office space, customers, and coaching. One way to get this process kickstarted would be to create an incubator/accelerator for businesses.

Attracting employers through upskilling our workforce means that if we invest in Elyrians it is a win-win proposition. Elyrians will be equipped with 21st century in demand skills and employers will have a city where individuals are ready. My initial idea it to accomplish this by creating the "Skill City" scholarship which will fund any Elyrian interested in pursuing a 2 year skilled trade or in demand degree.

Growing the current businesses in Elyria. When I've spoken to local businesses about growth the vast majority of them want to but have barriers to grow. Sometimes its been accessing talent (which hopefully "Skill City" will address), others its been access to capital, but often its been issues like parking, marketing, bad roads that lead to their building. Things that we as a city will fix. I want the voices of our small businesses to be heard on a consistent and meaningful way. That is why I am proposing the creation of an economic development council made up of a group of current businesses in Elyria that will report out at city council meetings of issues the business community is facing.

Click here for the presentation from August 21, 2019