Economic Development

Portsmouth, VA  is a wonderful place to live, work, and play. The people of Portsmouth are industrious, generous and visionary.  Our rich history as a port city, and our location in the geographic center of Hampton Roads gives us opportunities that no other Hampton Roads city can claim.  The charm of our downtown, the many historic districts throughout our city, the strength of our diverse neighborhoods, and the warm spirit of our people make us ripe for economic growth and prosperity.
In order to grow our city, we must capitalize on the assets that we have:  Our port, our history, our people and our geographic location.  The business opportunities that each of these element can bring to companies, large and small, is tremendous.  But we first must fix the dysfunction, real or perceived, that holds us back.  We must make sure that our neighborhoods are strong, clean, and safe.  We must make sure that our schools are on a path to excellence.  We must make sure that there is an educated workforce to help companies to succeed in Portsmouth.  We must attend to the infrastructure that every business needs for success.
Most importantly, we must work to create a vision of economic prosperity that runs through every City Department, every school, every neighborhood and every citizen.  We do this by planning, and by holding to the plans we create.  It does not happen by accident.
If you will support me on November 8th, I commit to be a voice for an updated plan for economic prosperity that includes the voices of citizens, business leaders, community stakeholders, educators, faith communities, civic organizations, and experts alike. Economic growth is our most important means to get out from under the burden of our high taxes.  It is the only way we can create prosperity for all our citizens. It is the foundation upon which all our other priorities will be accomplished. We need to get this right!  It has been several years since such a plan has been done here in Portsmouth. That needs to change. You have a chance on November 6 to begin that process.