Issue Position: Creating Family-Supporting Jobs

Issue Position

We must use every tool available to create family-supporting jobs in Wisconsin, both by attracting new employers from outside the state and by supporting small businesses and medium and larger Wisconsin businesses that want to expand. Good schools, strong communities, stewardship of public resources, and reduced partisan conflict in our government are key to attracting and retaining businesses and the jobs they create. We need to find creative ways to empower small businesses and cooperatives to create jobs that can't be lured to another state or exported overseas.

On the Beloit City Council, I have supported public-private partnerships with businesses such as NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes and Hendricks Commercial Development, tied to specific job creation goals when possible. I have supported efforts to revitalize the downtown, including the city's partnership on the Phoenix Building, which is currently nearing completion. I have also worked with local entrepreneurs to help them navigate the approval process needed to start their businesses, while ensuring that community standards are met. I will support efforts at the state level to attract and grow businesses in Wisconsin and to assist local communities with their own business recruitment and retention efforts. In addition to attracting and retaining employers, we must continue to address the skills gap by making sure that workers have access to job skills training programs, especially in areas of technology that represent a growing share of the job market.

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