The mayor and council have limited control over the local economy but, as the city recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, what specific things would you do to help businesses? (question posed by Alex MacPherson of the StarPhoenix to all mayoral candidates)
City administration is one of the biggest hindrances to successful small business in the city. The level and complexity of bureaucracy that has been created and continues to expand is mind-boggling at times. Too often, city officials forget the fact that their sole purpose is to serve the city and the general public, and instead, they act like they are the city when, in fact, they are only temporarily employed by it. Some jurisdictions are very proactive in helping residents and businesses alike succeed. I do not mean that they ignore regulations or proper procedures, but what they do is they start out with the attitude that they need to do what they can to help this project, not hinder it or control it. Too often, our city administration creates numerous silos of a workflow, so when you apply for a permit, it must pass through the hands of so many people one after the other to finally get approved. One person has one small element of that task. Nothing further takes place until that is dealt with, and then it moves on. In other jurisdictions, one person might handle three or four elements of the task. So, if they do respond with a question over an application, they will be asking for three or four areas simultaneously. In this way, much like lean manufacturing, people have a wider skill set, and they apply that skill set in one sitting on any given project that they are reviewing. Therefore, if you’ve passed through one part of the process, you’ve actually passed through three or four steps in one shot. We need to change the culture of the city to start believing in serving the people so that they can succeed.