New jobs can stimulate a local economy, but what kind of new jobs would be the best for Jamestown?
The Post-Journal recently asked City Council members and the mayor what kind of jobs they would like to see come to Jamestown.
The answer was a mixed bag.
Mayor Sam Teresi said he would like to see jobs that would not only provide a sustainable, family-supporting wage for workers, but also help bring money into the city.
"The types of jobs I would love to see are well-paying, career-type of jobs that produce some services that attract customers from outside of our community, thus bring new money into the economy. That's always the goal. That continues to be our goal. We think we continue to chip away at it, even in a very, very rocky international economy," he said.
"We obviously already have a tremendous stock of career-oriented jobs, but anything that well paying and can be career-oriented and can sustain families, without taxpayer subsidy would be the type of jobs that I think are important for this community."
Councilman Stephen Szwejbka, I-Ward 1, wants jobs to come to Jamestown that would also provide befits to the city, like helping with the city's overabundance of vacant buildings.
"I'd like to see more construction jobs. I would like see not only new construction, but reliable construction that can help restore some of our old buildings. Reliable, good construction works are very difficult sometimes to find in this area."
Another good source of jobs that Szwejbka said he wants to see would be a new power plant.
"Whether it be a clean coal plant or other. I know there are some arguments against clean coal, but I believe it is still going to be the major source of energy in this county for a time to come. So I believe a clean coal plant would create not only skilled and unskilled plant workers, but also construction workers and deconstruction workers to take old plant down," Szwejbka said.
Anthony J. Dolce, R-Ward 2, thinks more maufacturing and professional-level jobs would benefit Jamestown.
"Certainly, we would like to see some good manufacturing jobs," Dolce said. "I would be nice to see some industry as we used to have years ago. With the tool and furniture industry, it would be nice to get that type of good, middle-class paying jobs back to the area. And also I'd like to see more professional-level jobs. Part of the Strategic Planning and Partnerships Commission has worked very hard for recruitment of physicians and people in the health care profession and that's certainly an area where we can continue to work on. The health care industry is growing and to get good paying mid-level to professional-level jobs in the health care industry as well."
Both Councilman Vince DeJoy, D-Ward 4, and Councilman Paul Whitford, D-Ward 6, would also like to see more manufacturing jobs come to the city. Whitford said that manufacturing and and family-sustaining jobs are needed because people can't live on minimum wage. DeJoy added that he would also like to see more engineering and "high-tech" type jobs come to Jamestown.
Gregory P. Rabb, D-At Large and council president, said he thinks though attracting outside jobs will be part of the mix, the city needs to grow the jobs it already has.
"I see it as a strategy of more growing our own local talent, with some (jobs) coming in from the outside and with a mix of types of jobs, so if there is a downturn in one sector, we don't get hurt," he said.