Support Local Businesses and Jobs

Today, Vice-Mayor Sherman Lea and I introduced the resolution that follows. The purpose of this resolution isto encourage residents and employees of the City of Roanoke and Roanoke Valley, during these troubled economic times, to support local businesses as much as possible. By supporting local businesses, we not only have the opportunity to create new jobs but, particularly in our current recession, we can retain existing jobs.

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA

The 2nd day of March, 2009.

A RESOLUTION encouraging the residents and employees of the City of Roanoke, Virginia, when purchasing goods or services, to take into account the importance of using city or regional businesses whenever possible.

WHEREAS, the residents and employees of the City of Roanoke, in the course of daily life, purchase necessary and essential goods and services from outside businesses and vendors.
WHEREAS, contracting with local businesses will demonstrate confidence in the strengths and capabilities of the region’s business infrastructure and send a positive message to companies that will locate and grow here.

WHEREAS, many existing businesses located in the City of Roanoke and Roanoke Valley have unique capabilities, are award-winning and recognized leaders in their fields.

WHEREAS, the local purchase of goods and services is a great investment for the community because more money stays with local businesses and in the local economy.

WHEREAS, using local businesses and vendors to provide for the needs of the residents and employees of the City of Roanoke will help to create new jobs, retain existing jobs, and strengthen the local economy.

WHEREAS, people are more likely to invest in or move to the community if we preserve the culture embodied in our unique local businesses.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Roanoke that:

Council adopts this resolution as a means to encourage residents and employees of the City of Roanoke and the Roanoke Valley to seek goods and services from local businesses that provide jobs to city and regional residents, whenever possible.

The City Clerk is directed to forward an attested copy of this resolution in electronic form to all City employees.

ATTEST:


City Clerk

More Reason to Prioritize

We have now been delivered news that gives us even more reason to prioritize in the City and to remain focused on those things that are vital to a community's well-being, present strength and future prosperity: our schools.

The Virginia Department of Education informed us today that using their new cohort method for calculating graduation rates, our City's schools have only graduated 51.6% of our seniors in four years. This new number to what has been an ongoing problem should provide us even more of an impetus to refocus our energies as a City on the things that can bring our community together, united behind the common goal of working to transform our schools into not just good schools, but rather great schools.

We often spend time focusing on such matters as spending millions of dollars on a golf course or other capital projects. We are in an economy that is contracting and has cost a couple of trillion dollars in wealth to pension funds during the last couple of months alone. Now is the time to step back, look in the mirror as a community and decide whether we like what we see and whether we must have these capital items right now.

Our schools can be our greatest asset or our biggest boon. Now is the time to commit to doing what it takes to making our schools first-rate, to put aside capital projects that would be great for the community, but that are discretionary and require sound finances and a strong economy with increasing revenues. We must work to bring more and better jobs to the City, which requires a firm committment to improving our schools and to providing them with the resources needed to turn out well-educated, well-rounded students qualified for the 21st century workforce.

Now is the time when we must tighten our purse strings and realize that we can't always have everything, but that a community's core committment is to its children. Without great schools, the future of those children will be tougher and tougher. And our City's future is tied to that future.