County Executive Parisi Creates New “Dane County Commission on Jobs and Prosperity”

December 02, 2011
Casey Slaughter Becker, Office of the County Executive 608.267.8823, or cell, 608.843.8858
County Executive

 

Dane County will have a brand new commission to focus on job creation and retention and economic development after the county board last night approved creation of the “Jobs and Prosperity Commission” as proposed by County Executive Joe Parisi in his 2012 county budget.

 

The Commission is part of Parisi’s initiative to enhance the county’s role in economic development and will bring together a diverse group from the public and private sectors to work on strengthening Dane County’s economy.

 

“This will enable us to continue the important conversation that began this summer with local economic development stakeholders,” said Parisi.  “The expertise of these commission members will help identify ways to boost all sectors of our economy from agriculture to manufacturing, clean energy to health care and everything in between.

 

Commission members will be appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the county board and will include two Dane County Board supervisors; a municipal economic director from outside the City of Madison; a representative from the City of Madison’s Division of Economic Development; and a representative from the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin. 

 

Other appointments will be made representing economic leaders in the areas of clean/green energy, agriculture and bio-tech, small business, women owned business, minority owned business; and a representative of organized labor or a community development organization.

 

The new commission will advise a new Dane County Office of Jobs and Prosperity, created by Parisi and approved by the board in the budget.  Once hired, the Director of the Office of Jobs and Prosperity will work with commission members to utilize new and existing economic development resources that will help identify strategies to encourage economic growth, and help the county overcome challenges that may exist in job creation.  The commission members will also assist the county in the promotion of the county’s high quality of life and help pursue opportunities for new job and business development.

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