State Commerce Department Director: Job Creation is the Priority

Rogers Weed, the still-somewhat-new director of the Commerce Department (formerly Community, Trade and Economic Development), has a good message in this op-ed in the Bellingham Herald. The core principles make sense to me:

1. Retaining our state's current businesses and promoting their growth should be a key priority...

2. Government doesn't create most jobs - businesses do. More than 80 percent of our state's economy comes from private sector activity, and businesses contribute about half of the taxes the state collects each year. The policy created in Olympia should reflect a clear understanding of the government's important role in shaping our state's business climate. Our entire community benefits from a healthy private sector with quality jobs.

3. Strong economies require strong communities. Businesses will not locate or thrive in communities without adequate infrastructure, workforce and community services...

4. Government should not pick winners and losers...

5. Always be opportunistic. Planning is important, but we must be flexible to seize golden opportunities ...

A lot of that is consistent with WashACE.