Help Your Local Elected Officials Help You: If you don't give them the tools to understand economic development, who will?
Economic Development Now
March 1, 2011
By Louise Anderson
Economic development is a complex process, not easily understood by those who aren't directly involved in it. Yet every two years or so, local governments are likely to elect a new set of officials who will make key decisions about funding, policy and projects in the community, and who may know little or nothing about economic development.
The onus is on the economic developer to help them learn. The better they understand what you do, the more likely they are to help you succeed, rather than stand in your way.
In Missouri, the St. Louis County Economic Council (SLCEC) developed an eight-session program to provide mayors, city council members, and staff of cities, chambers, and EDOs with the knowledge and skills to understand the basic process of ED at the community level. (The Certificate Program in Economic Development won IEDC's Excellence in Economic Development Award in 2010 for economic development training.)
Obviously, St. Louis is a major metro area with dozens of municipalities, and any education program must be tailored to fit that community's unique characteristics. But David Leezer, an SLCEC vice president who is responsible for the program's content, shared some advice that can be applied to developing a successful economic development education program anywhere.
Don't go it alone. Getting partners to help develop and sponsor the program disperses the burden of the time, effort and money that go into program. Partnerships also increase the program's credibility, and lessen the appearance of one group trying to push an agenda.
Consult your potential "students" as you develop your curriculum. Find out what they want to know - they'll both feel heard and walk away from the program with what they need. (Of course, you can also include elements that you think they need to know.) In St. Louis, where the program leans toward education on development issues, program creators also consulted with developers and brokers to find out what they wished elected officials and the public understood better.
Get the support of your top elected official. This is another key to enhancing the program's profile and credibility. St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley bought into the program early on, seeing it as helpful to the community, and shows his support by attending the last class to hand out certificates to those who complete the program.
Make it practical, but give attendees context, too. With instructors who are all practitioners, the program aims to provide substantive, locally applicable information. But one change made to the curriculum between the first and second years was to actually add some academic content, said Leezer, to put local issues into a regional and global perspective. This helps participants understand economic development in the bigger picture and encourages broader, longer-term thinking.
Get the timing right. Don't make it too long. SCLEC originally came up with a 16-class schedule; realizing that was too much of a commitment, the program was scaled down first to 12 classes and finally to eight. A multi-session program should be offered on the same night each week; people are creatures of habit. And don't schedule it in the summer - between vacations and nice weather, people have other things they want to do.
Don't offer it for free. This will be more or less feasible depending on the size and character of the community, but Leezer advises charging for the program for two reasons - one, to cover expenses, and two, to ensure a commitment. People tend to view something offered for free as having no value, and they are much less likely to blow off a class they've written a check for. (One way that SLCEC keeps program costs down is by using a local graduate student to help administer the program.)
Evaluate and improve. Participants are asked to evaluate instructors and content after each class, and the input from the first year was used to improve the program for the following year. Looking down the road, Leezer hopes eventually to offer program graduates specialized classes to deepen their knowledge on tools such as enterprise zones or New Markets Tax Credits.
Building trust and capacity
Leezer cites multiple benefits to the program. It has strengthened SLCEC's relationships with its economic development partners in the region; improved levels of cooperation and trust between the communities, brokers and developers; and helped regional stakeholders understand SLCEC's role in economic development and what it can do as a partner.
The program has received strong reviews from participants, and in one example of a concrete outcome, the program helped a mayor realize that while his community of 10,000 had lots of great ideas, it was missing a cohesive economic development plan to give direction and focus efforts.
For more information, visit the program's home page for links to general information, a class outline and schedule, and presentations. For curriculum ideas, see The Role of Local Elected Officials in Economic Development: 10 Things You Should Know (PDF), produced by the National League of Cities and IEDC.
