Mayors Help Keep Business Wheels Turning

(Photo: The News Journal/SUCHAT PEDERSON)

This article was featured in the Business Section of The News Journal on June 28, 2014: http://www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2014/06/28/mayors-help-keep-business-wheels-turning/11524285/

Delaware is known as a state where lawmakers go out of their way to work across the aisle. Even after a difficult election, we literally bury the hatchet on Return Day in Georgetown.

This makes for a collaborative political atmosphere that we consider to be an asset when we identify a company looking to move to Delaware or meet with location advisers who can connect us to such a company.

But the lifeline of that business-friendly environment starts at the ground level, in our many cities and towns, which are led by a diverse group of mayors.

This group includes several newcomers that I believe will have a major impact on the future of economic development in Delaware.

These new mayors realize that in order to improve their towns and cities, they need to focus on economic development, and the Delaware Economic Development Office is happy to work with them.

One thing we know already: These men and women are driven to succeed.

I found that out firsthand earlier this year when I met with Bryan Shupe, the energetic new mayor of Milford. We talked about his efforts to enhance infrastructure in the town and offer incentive programs for new construction and job growth. He came into office in the midst of a major revitalization in Milford, and he wants to build on that growth by bringing in new restaurants and promoting additional tourist attractions.

These are textbook building blocks for economic development. But what sets Mayor Shupe apart is how he’s going about the role of mayor. His exuberance will mesh perfectly with City Manager Richard Carmean and his vast experience. Bryan has put a premium on face time, setting up workshops and coffee talks in an effort to open up new lines of communication.

Residents can attest to a similar attitude in Newark. Although she has been mayor for more than half a year, Polly Sierer still has the feel of a newcomer, given that she is following in the footsteps of Vance Funk, who did so much for Newark during his eight years in office.

Over the course of her campaign, Mayor Sierer pledged to do her part to help attract new, high-quality businesses to Newark while working in concert with DEDO.

So far, she has backed up her promise by working with City Council to bring in sustainable businesses to Main Street, including a second location for Arena’s Deli. She has also played a role in our recent successes in Newark, including the arrival Amplified Geochemical Imaging.

In Dover, a longtime champion of the city has taken on the highest office in town. Robin Christiansen, who served on city council for nearly two decades and also served as vice mayor for part of that time, was elected mayor at the beginning of this month.

Mayor Christiansen’s first order of business was to meet with Dover officials to begin the task of taking on the city’s biggest economic challenge: Filling vacant properties and buildings throughout downtown. The mayor knows that in spite of recent victories on the outskirts of town, such the arrival of Uzin Utz in Garrison Oak Technical Park, growth in Dover should start at the center of the city and radiate outward.

In Wilmington, Mayor Dennis Williams has continued to work with us on projects large and small, including the Riverfront, LOMA and individual downtown districts. Mayor Williams is also partnering with the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce in an effort to bring 5,000 new residents to the city in the next five years.

Last year, David Genshaw, then the acting mayor of Seaford, welcomed Grayling Industries and the first of its eventual 115 employees to a renovated facility in the city. Now in his first term as mayor, we look forward to working with him as he builds on the momentum generated by the arrival of Grayling.

Elected in May, new Georgetown Mayor William E. West arrives at an exciting time for the Sussex County seat. The Shops at College Park is under construction on roughly 120 acres along U.S. 113 and Del. 404. The complex, which is partially funded by a grant through the Delaware New Jobs Infrastructure Fund, will include a Redner’s Warehouse Market, Halpern Eye Associates and a medical pavilion that will be partially leased by Beebe Medical Center. Also, a new fiber optic connection is up and running that will improve the speed of Internet data between Georgetown and Wilmington. The upgraded bandwidth was made possible by a deal struck between the state and IPR International in March of last year.

Lewes also has a new mayor, Ted Becker, who ran unopposed after 10 years on town council, which included time as Lewes’ vice mayor.

As the co-owner of the Inn at Canal Square, Mayor Becker brings business acumen to the job and has had a front row seat to Lewes’ revitalization. He knows exactly what the town needs, and his ties to the community will help him draw input and assistance from its residents.

These new mayors will not be alone as they attempt to implement their economic development initiatives.

DEDO offers programs and financing that have already helped some of these towns and will continue to do so through these mayors’ terms.

Downtown Delaware, a resource center within DEDO, works with communities statewide to address revitalization issues such as business development and vacancy reduction, with a main goal of placing retailers and service providers in downtown commercial districts.

The crown jewel of those efforts is the successful and still-expanding Project Pop-Up, which is set to launch again this year. The program, a joint effort of DEDO and Downtown Delaware, aims to fill vacant properties in downtowns across the state by offering three months of rent-free commercial space to select entrepreneurs.

Last year, five new businesses opened as the result of Project Pop-Up: Milford Massage, Computers Fixed Today in Dover, Royal Treatments in Smyrna and 302 Fitness and Milton Wellness and Yoga, both of Milton.

DEDO also offers business consulting, research and marketing studies to these municipalities.

Our job is to assist these towns and cities. The energy and ideas that our mayors are bringing to the table make that job a lot easier.

Alan Levin is the director of the Delaware Economic Development Office.

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