Sausalito officials have created a new committee to help the city’s business sector navigate the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Economic Development Advisory Committee will focus on the city’s commercial health while also preserving its waterfront characteristics and heritage, said Councilman Tom Riley, liaison to the panel.
“So it’s a fine balance,” Riley said. “We do want to pursue tourism, but we also have the balance of serving our local residents in our regional community.”
On Tuesday, the council voted 5-0 to dissolve two other panels — the Business Advisory Committee and the Hospitality Business Development Committee — and consolidate their roles into the new entity.
The economic committee will help the city build a “global brand” to attract more “high quality” tourism, diversify businesses and investments and respond to the pandemic’s effects on businesses, according to the city administration’s staff report.
The panel is also intended to leverage the city’s maritime and industrial expertise to create an innovation zone in the Marinship area to focus on climate change and sea level rise.
The other two committees will not disband until the city appoints seven members to the economic committee, Riley said. The new committee will be allowed to grow to 11 members.
Riley said the 15 members of the committees slated for dissolution can apply to the economic committee. Six have applied so far.
Time is working against the city, as a budget analysis projects it could be forced to dip into its reserve funds to make up a multi-million dollar deficit inflicted by the virus crisis.
“One of the things I don’t want to do is take two or three months forming this committee and time’s flying by,” Riley said. “So they have an approach where we can start interviewing, get a working group going and then continue to add members and the diversity we want.”
The committee will include representatives from the hospitality sector, other businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, artists and residents, said Councilman Joe Burns, liaison to the hospitality committee. He said nonprofit and philanthropic interests might also be represented.
“I don’t think we should be afraid to say that the committee has a vested interest in the success of the growth of economics in Sausalito,” Burns said. “We shouldn’t shy away from that. This is the purpose of this committee is to grow our economics.”
Due to public input, the council added a stipulation extending membership to Marinship artists, light industrial and maritime workers and residents with expertise in business, finance, marketing or communications.
Still, residents are concerned the scope of the committee is too vague, its goals are contradictory and its membership will not “fill out” to fairly represent all businesses, said Sandra Bushmaker, a former mayor.
“There were a lot of buzzwords,” Bushmaker said. “A lot of new vocabulary without definitions, so that is a concern. So the scope of the assignment of the committee needs more careful analysis than what was put in.”
Some comments submitted by the public expressed concern that city officials are trying to turn Sausalito into something that it is not, instead of tapping into a wealth of resources in the community.
“Sausalito was once like a Jack Russell Terrier — happy, smart, energetic, agile, fearless, noisy and innovative,” Bill Werner wrote. “It could still be that but I fear those days are being intentionally replaced by a Bulldog — stubborn, single-minded, boring, lazy and slow to respond to new opportunities, not to mention the many amazing opportunities that exist throughout our extraordinary community.”
Councilwoman Joan Cox said the committee’s membership should be broadened for more perspectives.
“I really think our goal should be to assemble a team of best minds to identify how Sausalito should plan for its best economic future, especially in light of the COVID-19 challenges,” Cox said. “But I don’t think we should confine our expertise to our merchants in Sausalito, whereas many of our residents bring a wealth of experience in a variety of arenas from around the country.”
"impact" - Google News
May 04, 2020 at 12:58AM
https://ift.tt/2z5qlIl
Sausalito forms economic panel to counter virus impact - Marin Independent Journal
"impact" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2RIFll8
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Sausalito forms economic panel to counter virus impact - Marin Independent Journal"
Post a Comment