Cleveland economic development director wants to put people first
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Tessa Jackson, who became Cleveland's director of economic development early last summer, has been trying to change the conversation around development in the city.
- "When you look at historic poverty rates, historic unemployment rates, [Cleveland's public subsidies] really haven't moved the bar," she said during budget hearings last month. "You can't spend half a billion dollars on economic development and not move the bar for anybody."
Catch up quick: Jackson arrived from New Orleans early last summer. She'd previously only been to Cleveland for professional conferences.
- "All I saw was my hotel and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame," she joked.
Her development philosophy, she told Axios, is "people-centric."
- "Economic development traditionalists will tell you it's all about creating jobs and attracting jobs and helping to build companies," she said.
- "But I think you need to put people first. The question I ask is: Does this improve the lives of individuals and neighborhoods in terms of economic opportunity? My next question is: Who are we helping?"
What's next: Jackson applauded City Council's community benefits legislation and said she'd work with the Office of Equal Opportunity to create an "economic development scorecard" to evaluate projects based on community impact.
- "Are you creating living-wage jobs?" Jackson asked, for example. "Are you providing resources and amenities? Are you working in difficult-to-develop areas?"
The bottom line: The projects that score highest will be the ones that get the city's limited resources.