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Oregon Action report is topic
By DAVID PRESZLER An Oregon Action study on economic development in Jackson County will be discussed at a meeting this week. The report, "Shifting to Good Jobs: Rethinking Economic Development in Jackson County," concludes that development efforts have "largely failed" to improve the economic status of most residents. The report, released Jan. 5, was put together by Kathleen Ackley, a Seattle-based researcher for The Northwest Federation of Community Organizations. Ackley will be at Wednesday's meeting to talk about her findings. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday in an upstairs conference room at 33 N. Central Ave., Medford. Rich Rohde, head of Oregon Action's local chapter, said Medford and Ashland city officials have been invited to the meeting. He hopes to draw 40 to 50 people. Though the report has been out almost two weeks, Rohde said the group has not yet sent a copy to the local agency most closely associated with economic development, Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc. or SOREDI. He also said the group hasn't sent a copy to county officials.Aside from one Oregon Employment Department official, the Jan. 5 press conference included no local, county or state government officials. Other than the media, those in attendance were largely affiliated with Oregon Action. The report bases its conclusion that economic development efforts have failed on a number of indicators. It notes that although business recruitment efforts have brought 42 new companies and 1,630 jobs to Jackson and Josephine counties, Jackson County's unemployment rate hasn't fallen, and its poverty rate has risen.The report proposes improving economic development efforts by creating career ladders, promoting small business and lowering the cost of living through programs such as land trusts. It also suggests passing laws that make companies that get public funds accountable for offering living-wage jobs and enacting a countywide ordinance that requires companies that get government contracts to pay employees a living wage. |
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