Steve Corker
for Spokane City Council
President

We all love living in Spokane, no question about it. The City is blessed by its beautiful natural surroundings and offers numerous recreational activities for its residents. Our health care facilities are among the best in the world. We have excellent schools and affordable housing. Various higher educational institutions provide this City with a steady supply of an educated workforce for our local economy. People here are very friendly and supportive of our community. We have little pollution, traffic jams oand some of the other problems that are plaguing many other American cities. In a nutshell, the quality of life is great in Spokane.

Unfortunately, the City's unemployment is relatively high and household income is low. And, too many educated people in Spokane can't find good jobs here and must leave the City they love.

During the last 30 years, most notably since Expo '74, Spokane's economy has not experienced the growth needed to meet citizen demands. Today our personal income, our tax base, is 22% lower than the national average and almost 25% lower than our neighbors on the West side of this State. What shall we do?

1.    Stop underselling ourselves.

For years I have heard our Chamber of Commerce and our Economic Development Council sell Spokane as a community where businesses will not have to worry about organized labor; where we have a workforce who will work for 30% less and twice as long as the average employee. And, they will do this because of the "quality of life" that Spokane offers its workers. For the most part, that is exactly the workforce that we have created in this City today!

2.    Take the politics out of economic development.

Social politics has always been a part, a dominant influence, in economic development in Spokane. An economic group has often dictated the social and political rules of the economic game in Spokane since its founding in the late 1800s. It is time to change that environment.

3.    Stimulate growth.

Growth will bring new employment opportunities and will raise the standard of living. And growth must begin at the top!

4.    Create new economic leadership.

We need leadership that is willing to make Spokane a friendlier place for business to operate. Leadership that will support growth by cutting down burdensome rules and regulations for business to operate. Leadership which will encourage new business formations and investment.

5.    Attract new capital to this area.

New business and new investment cannot operate without constant and sufficient access to capital. Where is the capital going to come from? We must retain locally produced capital and increase the re-circulation of money in the local economy.

6.    Creating new jobs (livable wage jobs).

While serving Spokane on City Council in 2001, I introduced the Independent Auditor Initiative. The foundation of this initiative was to help restore trust in our City government. We must create confidence on the part of the business community that their tax dollars are being well spent.

7.    We must create favorable rules for Spokane's economic game.

We must work to create laws, regulations and environment that are not fragmented and decentralized. Also, many current State laws are harmful to business, and businesses are often taxed on revenues generated instead of profits.

8.    Create knowledge intensity.

We must create a cauldron of ideas for new products, services, markets, and business models. The proposed University District, with SIRTI's and WSU's academic programs complimenting the high tech and medical employers and the possibility of a dental or medical school, will be an important first step in creating and expanding this knowledge base for Spokane. We must continue to support university and research institutes that will effectively interact with the industry.

9.    Attract and keep a highly qualified and mobile workforce.

Sell Spokane's quality of life environment and the fact that this area is a great place to raise one's family. Work everyday to maintain the highest quality of life possible for our citizens.

10.    Create a climate that rewards risk-taking and tolerates failure.

This community's conservative business environment too often takes delight in business set-backs. Venture and risk capital markets must be expanded. And, we must continue to be aggressive in attracting State and Federal projects to this area.

11.    Develop a highly specialized business infrastructure.

City government, working with our partners, the County, other metropolitan cities and the State and Federal governments, must develop a highly specialized Business infrastructure. Expanding air cargo capacity, preserving rail capability, and future highway design, must be coordinated to support business development.

12.    Collaborate with business, government, and with non-profit organizations to support economic development.

13.    Most importantly, we must maintain an open, results-oriented business environment where talent and ability are king and where ethnicity, age, seniority and experience are not what dictate opportunity and responsibility.

I am committed to this path of economic success for Spokane and for this region!