Vincent Gray, Jobs Summit at
Arnold and Porter Law Firm
December 13, 2010

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CREATING REAL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
VINCE GRAY'S PLAN FOR JOBS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As Mayor, Vince Gray will put in place a long-term economic development plan to make the District a major financial hub to attract and retain new businesses, spur job growth, and reinvigorate job training programs in emerging industries to ensure residents are competitively employed. The Gray jobs and economic plan is based on the following core principles:

1. We must establish a long-term, coordinated economic development strategy, not a patchwork of economic development initiatives. The District is poised to grow by thousands of residents in the coming years and we need to plan for this growth smartly. We need specific economic goals reflecting where we want to be in ten, twenty, and thirty years. We must then craft a bold strategic plan outlining how we get there and then follow that plan. The Fenty administration hasn't done that. Vince Gray will.
2. We must place a top priority on the District's workforce development initiatives that will provide jobs for citizens in all parts of the city. Job training focused on high-demand fields, development of industry partnerships using leveraged resources, re-invigoration of the Workforce Investment Council (WIC), and improved coordination among the Community College, University of the District of Columbia (UDC), District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), public charter schools, the Hospitality High School, vocational education, the labor community and the Department of Employment Services (DOES) are a priority and must produce results.
3. We must regain the District's competitive position in the region. Vince Gray will create a tax and regulatory framework that makes sense for local businesses, ensures the growth of key industries including technology, tourism and health, and puts programs and policies in place to specifically help small, locally-owned businesses.
4. Transportation and infrastructure must work for residents. Our economy will not thrive until we plan for growth in context to our transportation needs. Our streets are critical and we need to assist neighborhoods in creating pedestrian scale environments where local retail, cars, and people can co-exist. Vince Gray will work with WMATA to ensure all residents have access to public transportation, particularly areas in the city with high unemployment.
5. We must view the federal government as a core industry. The District government needs to do a better job of recognizing the unique role that the federal government plays in the city's economy, and do more to cultivate and benefit from that relationship and proximity.
6. We must support the District's diverse industries and become a business incubator. Vince Gray will create Industry Advisory Councils to provide leadership and a forum for advancing our creative, media, sports, and entertainment industries. Vince Gray will partner with the private sector to create a Hospitality Investment Fund that will provide incubator capital.
7. We must position DC as a leader in the green economy. The District of Columbia can be a model city of a vibrant green economy that creates green jobs, reduces our energy consumption, and improves our local environment. Vince Gray will make it happen.
8. We can and must enhance the District's status as a global financial center. As the current financial crisis continues, the District has become the epicenter of America's global economic response. Vince Gray will seize the opportunity before us to position the District as a new global financial center.

CREATING A REAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Vince Gray knows that a detailed economic development strategy for the future, with a Deputy Mayor focused on local business growth, is central to creating a vibrant, local economy. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

• Convene an Economic Development Task Force including a Jobs Summit to take place before he takes office. 
• Recast the mission and structure of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

MAKING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT A TOP PRIORITY

There is no issue of greater importance than connecting District residents to jobs. For too long, the city has had a haphazard approach to job training and readiness, with existing programs having little or no accountability for their preparation or their connection of residents to the workforce. Under a Vince Gray Administration, this will change. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

• Enforce the District's First Source law and implement changes suggested by the DC Economic Development Task Force and Jobs Summit.
• Re-invigorate the Workforce Investment Council (WIC) to provide improved oversight and better outcomes for local job training programs.
• Require a competitive RFP process for all job training providers funded by DOES and use a performance-based procurement model that holds providers accountable.
• Expand and leverage the Community College's contribution to workforce development.
• Revamp the Transitional Jobs Program to better provide an on-ramp to employment for District residents.
• Responsibly design and manage the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).

ENSURING A COMPETITIVE EDGE IN THE REGION AND A BUSINESS-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT

Northrop Grumman's recent decision to relocate to Virginia, instead of the District, amply demonstrated the city's difficulty attracting business and, thus, jobs. But it is not just large companies that find the city to be a problematic place to do business: the District of Columbia was recently ranked last - 51 out of 51 - in a recently-published "Small Business Survival Index." As Chairman of the Council, Vince Gray was a leader in making the District a more competitive playing field for small business owners by raising the tax threshold for small businesses to $250,000 and by reducing the personal property tax. As leader of the city that's at the center of the fourth largest metropolitan economy in America, Vince Gray will work tirelessly to attract businesses, both large and small, to the District. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

• Convene Industry Advisory Councils focused on specific core industries with recommendations due within six months of taking office.
• Establish a 'Business One Stop,' within the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, for new and existing businesses.
• Establish position of small-business expeditor in the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
• Empower CAPGO and NEDCO to provide much-needed capital to local businesses. Reduce healthcare costs for local businesses by fast-tracking the development of 'SHOP' exchanges. Increase the supply of workforce housing.

VIEWING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AS A CORE INDUSTRY

In terms of economic development, the District government would be shortsighted if it did not view the Federal government as its leading core industry and treat it as a valued client. This reality has been lost on the Fenty administration. In the past year, it finally hired one staff person who spends only part-time tending to the District's relationship with the Federal government. The incumbent has no strategy or business model for more fully reaping the benefits of the Federal government's presence and no thought on how to expand the relationship. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

• Task the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development to designate two existing positions as point persons for the District's relationship with the Federal government.
• Task District agency and department heads to identify opportunities for Federal funding.
• Create Department of Homeland Security job and community incubation zone working group.

SUPPORTING THE DISTRICT'S DIVERSE INDUSTRIES

While the federal government has a large presence in the District, we are fortunate to have other strong industries that help sustain our economy and tax base. Vince Gray understands how important a diverse business community is to the well-being of the District. He will work closely with these industries and bring them together to achieve common goals and create stronger markets to achieve his vision for a city that works better together. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

• Energize the District's Creative, Arts and Entertainment Industries.
• Grow and Support the Hospitality, Convention, and Tourism Economy.
• Revitalize Hospitals and the Health Industry.

MAKING TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE WORK FOR RESIDENTS

Economic development will struggle without having the right transportation and infrastructure in place. When transportation policies are guided solely by concern for capacity and ridership numbers, powerful economic development opportunities are usually squandered. The real test, from an economic development perspective, is how infrastructure investments, including transportation policies and decisions, are integrated into a vision for economic growth to build a stronger District economy. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

• Assess the current transportation infrastructure in areas of high unemployment and underemployment.
• Assess how well the transportation system is serving the needs of District visitors.
• Bring the best thinking and analysis to the issue of a streetcar system for the District.
• Provide incentives for the use of electric vehicles.

POSITIONING THE DISTRICT AS A LEADER IN THE GREEN ECONOMY

Vince Gray will work to create green jobs for District residents, strive to cut energy costs for both residents and businesses, improve our natural environment, reduce our carbon footprint, and make the District of Columbia the model of a strong, green, urban economy. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

• Facilitate worker-owned, green-focused businesses through the creation of the District Green Initiative to create green jobs.
• Establish a robust Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) with predictable and consistent funding from the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund.
• Establish Home Performance with Energy Star Program.

ENHANCING THE DISTRICT'S STATUS AS A GLOBAL FINANCIAL CENTER

Vince Gray recognizes that this new economic reality creates tremendous potential for the District of Columbia to emerge as new global financial center. To help realize that potential, Vince Gray is working with Congress on a bill which would position the District as an international financial center by ensuring that catastrophic insurance reserves are available in the U.S. to cover losses from natural and man-made catastrophes, and that those revenues are exempt from federal taxes. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

• Work with Congresswoman Norton, other members of Congress and the White House to assure the legislation is signed into law.
• Work with affiliated businesses such as lawyers, accountants, actuaries, bankers, insurance consultants, and support personnel to assure the District provides the needed services required of these new insurance companies.
• Work with the District's Office and Tax and Revenue to assure the District charges an excise, premium tax, or fee on the catastrophic funds as other sovereign jurisdictions have done in the past (part of the proposed legislation).

For more details, read the complete plan at http://www.vinceqrayformayor.com/jobs