A central role of City government must be to facilitate the expansion of well-paying jobs for the residents of the City.  What do the candidates propose in this important area of City policy?

Alan Hevesi advocates targeted business tax cuts aimed at reducing the tax burden on businesses, especially manufacturing businesses.  He believes this will create new jobs in the City.  In identifying the City government’s role, most of Mr. Hevesi’s emphasis in his policy positions is on making the City government more fiscally responsible, more efficient, and thus, presumably, a smaller impediment to business development.

Mark Green puts forward an economic development strategy that identifies five areas where he would act.  He looks to upgrading of the City’s public schools, community colleges and community-based training centers, in concert with the new high-tech businesses in the City, to produce a flow of workers capable of participating in the New Economy.  He, too, would reduce business taxes that damage the City’s competitive position.  He would invest in infrastructure, including a cross-harbor rail freight tunnel to reduce truck traffic, and he would like 50,000 new units of housing built.  He would update the City’s zoning process to create new space for businesses.  And he would seek to make City government more effective in promoting economic development in all of the Boroughs by developing a sector-by-sector economic development plan.

Fernando Ferrer views economic development as a citywide issue.  He would take work to maintain and expand the manufacturing base throughout the City.  He would support infrastructure improvements including the cross-harbor freight tunnel and 2nd Avenue subway.  He wants to see 150,000 housing units built for low and moderate income New Yorkers.

Peter Vallone would continue his support for incentives to keep businesses and jobs in New York City.  He would pursue the Outer Borough Development Program that provides tax and real estate benefits to businesses that expand into areas outside Manhattan, and he would continue programs that encourage the development of property in economically depressed areas.

Commentary  Expanding employment and raising incomes among New York City’s residents requires a range of steps that even the most comprehensive of these proposals fail to encompass fully.  The large numbers of low-wage and unionized workers in this city need support for the kind of  “old economy” jobs in manufacturing, construction, and transportation that can provide middle class incomes.  The high tech sector alone won’t accomplish that, nor will subsidies designed to encourage Wall Street firms to stay in the city.  Creating job opportunities in a broad range of industry sectors for low-wage and immigrant workers, as well as supporting Living Wage proposals that can boost incomes among these workers, should be high priorities for the new Administration.  Training women who leave the welfare rolls for real, remunerative jobs is another unfulfilled task facing the new Administration.  In particular, it should implement the transitional jobs program passed by the City Council but ignored by the Giuliani Administration. Modernizing high school vocational and community college programs, so they prepare students for the jobs likely to be available in the new century, should also be a focus of the new Mayor and the Board of Education.
 
 

View a printer-friendly version of this article.

Send us your responses. We may print them in an upcoming forum.