The panel's moderator, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, set the tone when he declared that New Jersey was "in danger of becoming a tale of two states," a reference to disparate wealth and poverty. "We are in a position to show the world that we can create the American Dream, completing the task of creating wealth and doing good." Ultimately, Booker said, the issue is one of, "not making the cities wards of the state, but growth engines."
As to the goal of creating jobs, Gary Rose, chief of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, told attendees that "the urban strategy is big in the governor's economic development plan." Explaining that his office works in concert with other state agencies, he added that, "this is not a cookie-cutter business. 'One size' does not fit all. We go to each city, from project to project, to develop a plan."
When addressing environmental issues vis-à-vis the task of creating growth, "New Jersey is uniquely positioned to take the lead in creating 'green' jobs," said Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the New Jersey DEP. "The state is small, compact, it has brain power and a historic ethic toward green."
And in terms of actual development, "brownfield sites are jobs," she reminded attendees. "We spend a lot of time on that," she said, referring to various state programs that have been enacted with the aim of making it easier to get such derelict sites cleaned and redeveloped.
From the perspective of Joseph Doria, commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, "the emphasis is on creating houses and retail in the cities." He cited advances in cities like Newark and Long Branch as examples. And beyond that, "we have to have housing on all levels for workers," he said, referring specifically to the need for more affordable housing. Doria also pointed to the recent public-private sector initiative in Newark to deliver housing to enable people who work there to also live there.
One of the key advantages for the cities of New Jersey has been their location and transportation infrastructure, and while that remains the case, New Jersey DOT commissioner Kris Kolluri cautioned that "this is a difficult time for transportation investment." The infrastructure is aging and in need of repairs and, "the Transportation Trust Fund will run out of money in 2011. And without money in the fund, we will lose federal dollars."
All of which provided a segue to the governor's subsequent remarks at the event. Reminding attendees that the state is in financial crisis, and that "the transportation system is aging and can't generate the revenue needed," Kolluri termed Corzine's toll hike plan "bold" and "unprecedented. We need to get rid of debt in order to give the private sector more tools to generate jobs and grow the economy," Kolluri said.
And tying the transportation and urban economic development issues together even more closely, Booker lauded the state's recent $75-million transit hub initiative, which offers tax credits to companies developing or locating near nine major transportation centers. He termed it "one of the great accomplishments" of Gary Rose's tenure.
"Job one is making things happen in each of the nine cities," Rose said. He emphasized that, "there is no front-end investment by the state," a reference to the fact that the state remains cash-strapped.
Jackson stressed the importance of "making the regulatory framework follow the incentive framework." And Doria concluded, "We need to incentivize the areas targeted for growth" as part of a new state plan that's being drafted. "There also needs to be cooperation between the departments of government. If we don't work together, we won't succeed."
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