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Governor Corzine just announced that he has made his
Office of Economic Growth (OEG), headed by his former
colleague Gary Rose of Goldman Sachs, a permanent
office. He stated that he expects the office to assist
municipalities in bringing in new businesses and
creating jobs to help develop the State’s economy.
Further the OEG will help coordinate efforts with
other departments.
Mayors have a golden opportunity to help make the OEG
successful while bringing good clean ratables to their
communities. Many of you will remember our good friend
and colleague,
Chris Carew,
who worked at NJCM for several years. Chris now works
for Gary Rose in the OEG. Chris’s primary
responsibility is to be a liaison with Mayors and
their municipalities. He is in a key position to be
an advocate for Mayors and potentially accelerating
the navigation of economic development projects
through the system.
We are all aware that
New Jersey
State
government is vast, complex, and has ultimate
authority to approve or disapprove commercial projects
a municipality wants to see realized in order to
enhance its ratable base. Without question, you the
mayor, as the representative of the public and
taxpayers, best serve your municipality when you can
get the state government to work smarter and
accelerate the execution of projects.
Unfortunately, New Jersey
is ranked 49th in the nation for small
business friendliness and 48th overall in
creating a positive business climate, due to
regulatory restrictions and barriers. As Mayors, it is
time to speak up and demand that the State and its
administrative offices be more conscious of the harm
done to municipalities when agencies roadblock or
unnecessarily delay commercial or retail projects
rather than cooperating and working together with
developers and municipalities to facilitate and
expedite such projects.
If the Governor is really serious about wanting to
create a better environment for attracting economic
development in
New Jersey,
the Office of Economic Growth may offer an opportunity
to partner with Mayors and their municipalities to
strategically plan and have productive dialogues as to
how to make the permitting system at the State level
far more efficient and cooperative. There is
absolutely no reason for a permit to be held up for
months costing the project additional monies and
denying municipalities timely needed revenues. The
reality is that a successful project means new
businesses, new jobs and often rising home values for
New Jersey
communities.
Mayor/Assemblyman Joe Vas of
Perth Amboy
has demonstrated that, by playing a significant role
as a spokesperson and cheer leader, great things can
happen in a municipality. Extraordinary economic
growth has taken place in Perth Amboy over the past
four to six years, balanced among the goal of
affordable housing and market rate housing as well as
commercial, retail and recreational facilities.
If New Jersey’s problems of rising property taxes and
less state aid for municipalities and schools are to
be overcome, we should borrow a page from
Mayor/Assemblyman Vas’ play book and be more proactive
as leaders of our respective communities.
NJCM
is working closely with the Office of Economic Growth,
in particular with Chris Carew, on ways to advance
productivity between towns, developers, and the
various State Departments involved in the partnering
process. Mayors have a new advocacy in the State
House to help them lead the way for viable municipal
projects.
A
previous column highlighted the fact that the New
Jersey Department of Transportation was actively
involved in forming public/private partnerships with
developers and communities. NJDOT had planning
meetings with developers and the municipalities to
discuss the best strategies to make a project work.
They not only gave recommendations but also provided
creative solutions.
All state agencies need to develop this same approach.
Mayors can help make it a reality. Agencies cannot
operate in a vacuum. They must be held accountable.
Developers need Mayors’ help just as much as
communities often need developers as a revenue
source.
Lastly, as part of a Mayor’s aggressive leadership and
cheer leading rolls for economic projects for his/her
community, State Legislators should also be contacted
as needed to assist with state and county agencies.
Legislators have a responsibility to be advocates and
are often able to dispatch matters which are mired in
bureaucratic red tape.
More often than not, residents tend to blame Mayors
for their tax woes. But, by being very proactive
like Mayor/Assemblyman Vas, you have a golden
opportunity to show constituents not only that you
are quite sensitive to their concerns but also that
you have a viable strategy for solving your
municipalities’ fiscal problems. YOUR PROACTIVE
LEADERSHIP AND TIMELY INTERVENTION ALWAYS MAKE A
DIFFERENCE!!! |
