News flash: The top two reasons why businesses choose to locate in a region is quality of life and the education level of the workforce. It’s not tax incentives, tax give-ways, and so-called Tax Increment Financing (TIFs). It what we have in spades in South Portland: a great quality of life, and a nimble workforce committed to its roots here. In other words, when it comes to courting new business, we’re already in the driver’s seat — if we cultivate new markets that are compatible with our way of life, and choose those businesses that can demonstrate that they’ll be here for the long haul. If we want to keep living in a friendly city with top-notch services, then we need to embrace — and control — our economic growth.

New industries can offer economic stability and opportunity. In fact, some biotech firms require fewer town services than several, combined households. In order to find and lure these industries, however, we need to start recognizing what we have in South Portland and start treating ourselves as the commodity we are. What do folks on the outside, looking in, see in South Portland? They see a remarkable community, complete with a state-of-the-art community center, brand new schools, stunning displays of civic pride and natural beauty. In short, they see a patch of paradise where you can still do business while raising a happy family. And there is far more demand for South Portland than supply. Just look at the soaring price of our real estate. Who fares well in an economy the size of ours? Small, nimble technology firms, for one. They’re already prospering here without the aid of tax incentives. They won’t keep coming, however, unless we actively court them. We should be combing through business journals, looking for cutting-edge, prosperous firms that are ready to relocate. We need to look for the nimble start-ups. We need to find them before the competition does, show them what we’ve got, and let them know we’re in it for the long term — and expect nothing less from them. I believe City Councilors should be able to pick up the phone and start that courtship right away. The only way to control change in South Portland is to champion our growth. And the only way to do that is to set economic goals, and sit down and define our vision of a prosperous, healthy, community-oriented South Portland.