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With the local city council election in November, those candidates for the Flagstaff City Council who will appear on the ballot have been given the chance to answer a weekly question in no more than 150 words.

This week’s question: After a summer where almost a dozen notable chains and local places shut down, how should Flagstaff try to retain and attract businesses?

Council

Dennis Givens

I am the only candidate on the ballot who says, “Let the free market decide�. Liberty allows individuals to choose what businesses they want to work for and whom to consume from. When the government has more power than the residents and decides how things should run in the economic sector with their one size that fits all model versus the will of the private sector, inflation tends to follow. To retain and attract businesses, Flagstaff must permit companies to have more control over their revenues. If an employer is not fulfilling their employees� needs, then raises can be sought or different employment can be found. A successful enterprise ought to take care of those who help them profit or will face hardships. Limited government intervention in the economy leads to more prosperity is based on the economic theory of laissez-faire- let people do as they choose; that’s freedom, baby!

Miranda Sweet

To effectively attract businesses, it is essential to focus on high-wage, low-impact industries such as manufacturing and biosciences. These sectors not only create hundreds of well-paying jobs but also enhance Flagstaff's reputation as a thriving economic hub. To support this growth, the City of Flagstaff offers a range of business incentives designed to stimulate economic development and bolster local enterprises.

Business Development Grants are specifically tailored to assist new and expanding businesses with essential funding for equipment, marketing, and operational costs. Additionally, the City provides tax incentives for qualifying businesses, making it more financially viable to set up shop in the area. Workforce Development Programs further enhance this ecosystem by offering training and resources in collaboration with local educational institutions, ensuring a skilled workforce that meets industry demands. Finally, the City Revitalization Program encourages investment in targeted districts through grants and low-interest loans, facilitating property renovations and improvements. Together, these initiatives create a supportive environment for sustainable business growth in Flagstaff.

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It all goes back to affordability. Businesses will not be attracted to Flagstaff if they find that their prospective employees cannot afford to live here. Businesses will not stay in Flagstaff if employees cannot afford to live here. Flagstaff is an inherently attractive place to live, except it has become unaffordable. The most urgent task for Flagstaff is to find ways in which to make housing more affordable for the city’s workforce. If I am elected to the City Council, I will support changes in, or realignment of, our zoning codes that allow more diversity of housing types and greater density of housing within the city. I will also look at what other communities have successfully done to reduce housing costs. I will search for answers. Without addressing this problem, the city cannot easily expect to attract or retain businesses.

Amethyst Deasy

I think Flagstaff could try to attract more business by partnering with local experts and investigating areas of businesses to develop in town while understanding the many local skills and labor force we have available. The city council could assist in supporting this by providing the same resources to small businesses and developers as they do to the larger corporations and developers that come to Flagstaff. I think we should create a more level playing field. The city right now provides tax breaks to certain large companies in town but does not provide the same opportunity to smaller businesses. Whether people agree if tax breaks should be given or not, I believe it should be the same opportunity big or small.

Anthony Garcia

Local businesses that have deep roots in a community tend to be more invested in its well-being. They often engage in community-oriented initiatives, support local events and contribute to charitable causes. Nurturing existing businesses promotes a diverse economic landscape that can better weather economic retracements. As a council member, it’s imperative to garner a healthy working relationship with our Chamber of Commerce. They’re an essential partner in developing business retention and expansion plans, moving forward.

I would also like to help attract primary sector and middle manufacturing jobs by increasing the livability and quality of life for our essential working-class.

I want a business environment that helps its employees climb the ladder of success and enables them to live, not merely survive.

Lastly, I see significant opportunity in strengthening our Arts, Humanities and Science sectors. These industries will make Flagstaff a cultural hub and economic driver for the southwest region.

David Spence

Businesses, like biologic organisms, are born, they mature and then die. Witness: buggy manufacturing after the automobile was invented. Also, coal-fired electricity generation stations closing due to the current flourishing of renewable electricity generation.

In our free market society it is not appropriate for the city government to weigh in on specific businesses opening or closing in Flagstaff: the market will take care of it.

I do support, however, the one full time city “Business development specialist� position, to bring into our city business and industry not currently in Flagstaff. An example of this would be promoting a hydrogen fueling station for hydrogen fuel-cell cars and long-haul trucks in the decades to come.

Within the City’s wheelhouse, there is one key factor in attracting and retaining businesses and industry: available and affordable housing. City housing staff have made a good start, but more needs to be done.

Mayor

Becky Daggett

By being a place people want to live and raise their families, that supports local businesses and workforce housing, and protects its water resources. Our strengths include our local academic and research institutions and the management of our current water resources and planning for future water needs. Flagstaff’s cost of housing puts us at a disadvantage both for helping businesses grow and for attracting appropriate new businesses. Flagstaff’s Economic Vitality Division offers various job creation incentives and the city owns the business incubator and the accelerator located near Buffalo Park and operated by Moonshot. I was the city’s Business Retention and Expansion Manager for a couple of years and my job was to help keep businesses here and problem-solve ways to help them grow. That’s still a big focus of the city. The entities working to strengthen Flagstaff’s economy understand our unique strengths and work to build on them.