12-12-11 Council Agenda & Packet

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Good morning Council Members, I am writing this email to inform you of my intent to remove bill 11-60 from the agenda and further consideration at this time. Since the bill was filed I receive several calls and inquiries most of which were negative. The sole purpose of the bill was to proliferate small business development in the minority/women community and to be specific my concern is the lack of economic development in the minority community. It is my opinion that by far the largest source of untapped economic potential in the incorporated community of South Bend is the 26,000plus African Americans who make up 26.6 percent of the city's population. In 1993 the Community Research and Initiatives Division of United Way of Saint Joseph County, Inc. published a report entitled "Facing tomorrow: population, economic and social trends affecting Saint Joseph County" that stated in the executive summary: ".dust The Facts" • Poverty is deepening in St. Joseph County. • More children and youth are "at risk" than ever before. • The number of female-headed families and working poor households will continue to grow. • Segregation by class, geography and race is growing in St Joseph County. • Manufacturing economy will continue to erode. Service and retail industries will increase. • Traditional institutions, particularly religious, family and neighborhood will decline. As you will recall the 2010 United States Census report indicates that the projections of the 1993 research was very accurate. Recent research has focused on what South Bend needs to do in the aggregate to enhance the economic development of the region. Karl King and John Roos have released a 145 page document entitled "Benchmarking South Bend" that I think can be a valuable tool strategic planning for the community. Because the Urban League of Saint Joseph is not currently active, I propose the Common Council sponsor a resolution to start an initiative to study how to augment economic development in the minority community. The study will be charged to highlight the need for a unified, coordinated economic development plan for minority community of South Bend. The study willprovide a preliminary roadmap, it will be designed to create dialogue. Solving the economic problems defined in the study and strengthening the communities in need will bring a litany of tangible benefits to the entire region.