With recent announcements that dueled in their timing, Westchester County”™s two largest business groups have created advisory task forces that will separately address similar economic development issues for the county”™s private sector.
The head of one of the dueling organizations called it “foolish” not to merge the work of the two business panels and the Westchester County Office of Economic Development”™s own business advisory committee.
The Business Council of Westchester recently held the first meeting of its task force, the Westchester Coalition for Business Development, which Business Council leaders said will focus on major issues critical to retaining existing businesses and attracting new ones to the county. The coalition is chaired by Christopher O”™Callaghan, a senior director at Cushman & Wakefield Inc. in Rye Brook and outgoing chairman of the Business Council board of directors. It includes more than 30 advisers drawn from a spectrum of companies and academic institutions.
On the same day that group met, the Westchester County Association announced plans to form its own private-sector task force to recommend action steps and changes in public policy to rejuvenate the county”™s economic base. WCA President William M. Mooney Jr. said the group”™s formation followed months of discussion within the WCA and was spurred by the recession and WCA members”™ “increasing level of concern about the economic climate of the state, the county and its municipalities.”
Business Council coalition”™s plans
Business Council President and CEO Marsha Gordon said the Business Council coalition will build on the marketing platform launched this fall by the county economic development office to promote Westchester as “New York”™s intellectual capital.” She said advisers will look closely at the “hot sectors” of the Westchester economy identified by county officials: biotechnology, health care, financial services, information technology and green technology. Laurence P. Gottlieb, the county economic development director who leads the marketing campaign, is an ex officio member of the Business Council task force and a Business Council director.
Gordon said the coalition in June 2011 will present its report “on how to improve the economy” and recommend a course of action to the county administration. “I think it will get at what we need to do in terms of a public-private partnership,” she said.
WCA task force”™s plans
At a time when government is hobbled by ballooning budget deficits, Mooney said the WCA task force will examine the role of the private sector in providing public services. “At the end of the day, privatization might have a public role here,” he said. The issue should be examined in a series of public debates, he said.
In addition to private businesses, Mooney said Westchester”™s largest cities should have a voice on the task force. Mount Vernon, Yonkers, New Rochelle and Peekskill “play a huge role here,” he said. “They should be an important, key element” when addressing economic issues. “These are all communities clamouring for help,” he said.
Mooney said colleges and universities also will be represented. “Education has got to play a major role in economic development,” he said.
Mooney criticized the lack of unity in economic development efforts here at a critical time for the business community. “I think it”™s foolish to have three organizations,” he said, referring to the WCA, Business Council and county advisory groups. “We all could be going off in three different directions. …We”™re drawing money for three different things. …Why is it good to have three organizations within a two-mile radius?”
“You would think when it comes to our community, that we would close ranks,” Mooney said. “If we don”™t do that, we”™re sending a very disturbing message to our business community. We”™re in the battle of our lives in this community.”
Gordon declined to discuss a possible merger of the Business Council and WCA task forces. “It”™s really not what this effort is about right now,” she said. “I think it”™s really about economic development.”
Gottlieb said the county”™s intellectual-capital campaign “has pulled folks off the sidelines to be engaged again in economic development in the county.” He said he sees no need for a single economic-development initiative from the business sector.
In his prior position at Burston-Marsteller, the New York City public relations firm, “My experience has been that you can have an environment with different business groups with slightly different missions and memberships,” Gottlieb said. “My hope is that even with different groups looking at the same issues, they”™re going to come at it from slightly different angles.”
“I don”™t think we should prejudge an effort until you see what the result is,” said Gottlieb.
