Economy

By Gary Allen Nemeth

The Paso Robles economy involves many small local businesses, the larger wine industry, tourism and jobs, housing and transportation. As your elected mayor, I will embrace the future and develop new and innovative ideas for greater commerce, housing, and employment.

I will continue to promote an integrated approach to the job market where all the citizens of Paso Robles, the youth, middle class and seniors are able to find a place to live and work.

It is our duty as elected official to encourage new development both in the public and private sectors that will best serve the community. We must create new opportunities for continuous growth and development for the existing businesses so they too can grow and prosper. We need to do more to encourage outside businesses to relocate.

We should encourage more of our local residents to continue or enroll in educational classes to sharpen their current skills and also to develop new ones. Cuesta College and our Recreation Department offer many classes to improve job skills for a changing business environment. The business owners and our work force must both realize that change can be considered an opportunity, and both must take advantage of it.

I am working with the Airport Development Committee to search out relocating businesses and am attempting to direct them to Paso Robles and the airport.

One way to increase jobs is to bring in NEW businesses or have existing businesses expand their base. One goal is to have a plan for outside businesses to promote Paso Robles as a place to which they might relocate. I have suggested several times that our City needs an economic development plan for the Airport that can be followed. I believe that developing the airport and assisting existing businesses to expand will create new jobs.