Published: October 30, 2008 08:10 am      

City council candidates discuss local economy

CUMBERLAND — With the opportunity for retail development along Willowbrook Road still up in the air, the three candidates on the ballot for two City Council seats in Tuesday’s election commented on the city’s role in the project.

Brian Grim realizes the important role the city plays in economic development.

“We do have an economic development department which gives us the tools to help facilitate this,” Grim said. “I don’t think it’s up to the city to make all this happen, but we need to play a supportive role to offer, if nothing else, a table for everyone to sit down at and work everything out.”

Grim said with all the different parties involved, it can be difficult to get everyone on the same page, working together, and the city should be the mediator to accomplish this.

“The first place to start is recognizing that everyone needs to sit down together,” he said. “I don’t know if I can do that, but I am willing to be the person to bring that idea to the City Council.”

Incumbent Mary Beth Pirolozzi also realizes working with private developers can be tricky, but the city needs to be there to help facilitate the process.

“We certainly want to help with respect to any of the regulatory aspects that might be with the city so we can make things more easily accommodated,” she said.

Pirolozzi added that she has spoken with David Edgerley, secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, regarding retail availability and trying to move that development forward after the last proposed developer left the scene when the economy started going south.

“I talk with him on a regular basis and continue working with him to re-energize the effort,” Pirolozzi said. “This is a connection we have for this window of time and because of the fact that he is our native son, we need to keep in contact with him on a regular basis.”

However, David Kauffman sees another way for economic growth and development.

Kauffman said retail development is normally not a first-tier phase of economic development, but usually follows it instead of causing it.

“I think the answer is having a focus on realistic economic development strategies such as the need to coordinate more effectively our existing resources,” he said. “We have numerous commissions and committees and departments all working independently on behalf of economic development and we need to more effectively channel the efforts of those working toward that so all our oars are rowing in the same direction.”

Kauffman said better utilization of the colleges and training institutions within 100 miles of Cumberland can help serve as a supply for sustaining and regenerating a trained work force.

“The needs that we have are best addressed by addressing job growth and population growth in the area,” Kauffman said. “I’m not advocating to stop looking at potential development, but it’s not realistic to plan on attracting a 500-person employer while not looking at attracting two- or three-person employers as well.”

The candidates also see the hotel-motel tax as a way to help the economic state.

Kauffman said tourism is important to the community, though not the centerpiece of development. He said he sees the benefit the tax and tourism can have.

“The tax is an opportunity to generate money that does not fit directly onto the backs of the current population of the city,” he said. “I advocate to continue using this tax toward elements that impact the benefit of bringing tourism to our city. It is important though to re-evaluate what returns we are looking to get out of that investment.”

Pirolozzi agrees the use of the tax needs to continually be under review, and she sees tourism as a critical part of this community.

“Tourism is absolutely huge, certainly with moving Canal Place forward and the use of the (Great Allegheny Passage) trail,” she said. “It’s all of us working together and tying these components in, but we have to keep in mind we don’t know what faces us in respect to the state budget crisis and how that is going to leave us this spring. We need to keep an eye on our expenditures and how it is we frame our budget.”

Grim also does not plan on making any changes to the hotel-motel tax, but agrees the way it is spent should be reviewed.

“I don’t know if I’d change where it goes into; the money is coming in as a result of tourists coming into the area. If we don’t spend money in support of events and tourist attractions, we’re taking away the very reason we have the tax,” he said. “We just need to pay very close attention to where our money is spent. There are so few dollars right now and so many needs.”

Contact Tess Hill at thill@times-news.com.