Mayor Offers Special Assistance to Manufacturing, Maritime Businesses

SEATTLE-Mayor Greg Nickels recently revealed an action agenda aimed at retaining and growing the city’s manufacturing, maritime and related businesses, which employ 121,700 people. Nickels’ agenda includes several actions to address the goals. He has already hired an industrial permit liaison, Roque Deherrera, to work with the industries. Nickels also plans to introduce legislation to provide long-term street end use permits for existing industrial businesses. He is also launching the Seattle First program in partnership with the Manufacturing Industrial Council to help retain and grow these businesses. “I’ve talked with these industries and we’ve studied their issues,” says Nickels. “These steps are specifically geared to address their concerns and needs.”Nickels used results from a study of the industries to develop his action agenda. The study by the city’s Office of Economic Development found that manufacturing and maritime industries contribute an estimated $28.5 billion in revenues to the local economy and more than $100 million in tax revenues to the city. Other action items in Nickels’ agenda include developing an industrial shoreline plan to identify centralized areas for restoration efforts and allow businesses to expand more easily; protecting industrial land, and; hosting an industrial forum with businesses to talk more about ways to help the city’s industrial sector