The Herald Bulletin Reviews Ockomon's First 6 months

Give the Herald-Bulletin credit for trying but why is it after a great start there has been a yawning chasm of silence from the City administration on economic development? Why do so many have this feeling of slew slide into doom - a reflection on the national economy or also something local?

Well here is what I thought were the best bits of Ockomon: The First 6 Months:

"Linda Dawson, director of Economic Development, said the city department had seen a 25-percent increase in prospects contacts from last year.

“We’re not going to let any grass grow under our feet,” Ockomon said. “We’re going to continue to push in the job market because with the financial dire straits that we’re facing. We’re going to have to develop our base of jobs and raise our tax base here to be competitive.”

The city also has taken aggressive efforts to foster more jobs for the community from existing businesses in the area.

“After a discussion at an economic development staff meeting with the mayor, it was discussed how 85 percent of all job creation comes from existing businesses, not business attraction, and after considering that high percentage, the existing business program seemed to be the next step,” Dawson said."