Increasing economic opportunities for Hartford residents should be the single most important priority for any elected official in Hartford. Jobs are the key to everything that matters in Hartford — making our streets safer, making our neighborhoods stronger, and growing our grand list.
Like any other city, Hartford is in a constant competition for jobs. To win that competition, we need to fight aggressively for every job, every day. That means being responsive when companies reach out to City Hall. It means actively urging our existing employers to move more jobs to Hartford. And it means reaching out to other parts of the state, the country, and the world to bring new employers and new industries to Hartford.
In addition to working every day to convince employers to locate or grow their business here in Hartford, as Mayor I will:
- Be an aggressive advocate for Hartford’s businesses when they seek assistance from programs like the State’s Small Business Express Program;
- Promote and expand the use of local labor and minority contractors for all public projects;
- Expedite long-delayed infrastructure and façade improvement projects in our neighborhoods and on our vital corridors, like Albany and North Main, where small businesses can grow;
- Support “incubator” programs, which provide space and administrative resources at low cost for fledgling entre
preneurs; - Fight for every dollar available in public programs like the brownfield remediation program, historic preservation tax credits, New Market tax credits, and housing dollars, which can help breathe new economic life into long-dormant properties; and
- Seek to use both City resources and private resources to put young people to work directly for our city and our communities — caring for our parks, improving streetscapes, and rehabilitating blighted areas.