I work for an economic development organization that serves the Northeast Pennsylvania region. One of the reasons I decided to run for city council is because I am disappointed with the lack of vision when it comes to economic growth.
Manufacturing: The city and region have a strong manufacturing base. These manufacturing jobs have always been one way tickets to the middle class for many families. On council, I will encourage our high schools to partner with groups like NEPIRC (Northeast Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center) and Johnson College to expose students to careers in manufacturing and the trades. There will be a severe shortage of skilled laborers in the coming years; these professions can be very lucrative.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. Unfortunately, regulation, permitting, zoning, high taxes, and red tape from City Hall are a huge burden on small business owners. The City needs to be a partner of the business community. City government needs to work hand in hand with groups like the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce to support existing businesses and grow new ones. There are also many bright young people at our universities with innovative ideas and an entrepreneurial spirit. We need to connect them with groups like the NEPA Alliance, Ben Franklin Technology Partnership, and the Chamber’s Ignite program. I hate to see a University of Scranton or Marywood graduate in the news that started a successful business elsewhere when they could have done so in Scranton.
Tourism: When I say tourism, most people laugh but hear me out. Scranton is 20 minutes from the Poconos, one of the largest tourism destinations in the Northeastern United States. Groups like the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau spends millions of dollars every year and bring high earning vacationers just a few miles down the road. Whether we realize it or not, there is a lot of curiosity surrounding Scranton due to our place in pop culture because of shows like “The Office” for example. Other towns in our region such as Honesdale, Jim Thorpe, Milford, and Stroudsburg have successfully leveraged tourism to support a vibrant downtown. Tourism will certainly not solve all of our problems, but there are serious amounts of dollars we could bring into the local economy if we do it right. We have the beautiful architecture, we have the history, we have the walkable downtown. What we don’t have yet is real leadership and vision. On council, I will work with Scranton Tomorrow to improve downtown and work with the Lackawanna Visitors Bureau to bring some tourism dollars into the city.
Livability: People in NEPA have many choices of municipality to live in. The people are voting with their feet and they’re not voting for Scranton. We need to have a strong business community and good jobs. This is only half the battle though. Scranton needs to be a city where people can work and live. Read my plan for addressing Quality of Life Issues and my plan to address Taxes for how I want to improve livability.
Tyler Day for Scranton City Council 