Attending the Baker Administration’s Economic Development Listening Session @ UMass Dartmouth

7/2/2019

Regional listening sessions hosted by the Baker Administration

The Baker Administration has been hosting some regional listening sessions to get input for its economic development strategy -- I participated in one of these in May at UMass Dartmouth. It was the closest session scheduled to us geographically. The session was held by Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Michael Kennealy to help inform the Baker-Polito Administration’s economic development strategy for the next four years. The new economic development strategy will be signed by the Governor at the end of this year and guide the administration's legislative agenda.

The room was filled with over 150+ people -- town officials, business professionals, business leaders, non-profits, community leaders, residents, students – an abundance of key stakeholders in the conversation joined in for the conversation. Key themes that came out of the two roundtables that I participated in were spot on with what we are hearing from business leaders across the South Shore:

Housing is a hot button issue and we need to do more. We need more homes built and we need them built quickly in order for the economy to continue on the upward trajectory it has been on. All cities and towns across the Commonwealth need to step up and be a contributor to the solution and not a part of the problem. THINK ZONING REFORM. The Governor’s housing choice bill (H.3507) is a practical first step in the right direction. The legislation encourages cities & towns to adopt zoning best practices related to housing development by changing the threshold from a super-majority (66%) to a simple majority vote (51%) on 9 types of zoning reform. It does not mandate towns to make zoning changes, but gives them the tools to introduce new housing types and support local economic activity and growth.
Business Growth – Employers are faced with continued challenges around recruiting and retaining talent. Specifically for industries like construction, manufacturing, trades-focused entities, the difficulty in recruiting and retaining talent remains a real threat to helping businesses grow.

I left the session feeling even more strongly about our role in driving the conversation about economic development priorities through our South Shore 2030 economic and community development plan. These efforts require steady, consistent leadership and a strong voice and we are eager to continue our work with the Administration, local officials, businesses and community leaders.

Courtney Bjorgaard, Housing Initiative Lead

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Attending the Baker Administration’s Economic Development Listening Session @ UMass Dartmouth

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