Southeast Arkansas Should Have the Tools to Compete

Pine Bluff and Southeast Arkansas have always understood what it means to compete. The question is whether we have all the tools we need to compete for the next generation of investment.

That is why Issue 3 deserves consideration.

Issue 3 would amend the Arkansas Constitution to give the General Assembly authority to establish economic-development programs and economic-development districts within cities, counties or cooperative areas. It would give Arkansas communities another potential tool to attract investment, create jobs and strengthen their local economies.

Importantly, Issue 3 does not automatically create an economic-development district in Pine Bluff or anywhere else. It does not choose which businesses should locate in our communities, and it does not tell Jefferson County which projects to pursue. Instead, it would give the Legislature the authority to establish a framework for these tools, with the details to be determined through legislation.

That distinction matters.

As someone who works with businesses and community leaders throughout the Pine Bluff region, I see how important it is for communities to have the ability to turn their existing assets into new opportunities.

Southeast Arkansas has hardworking people, established industries, available land and infrastructure, and a location that connects us to markets across the state and region. Businesses have invested here for generations, and we continue to look for opportunities to attract new investment and create jobs.

But having the assets to compete is only part of the equation.

Today, Arkansas is competing with communities in 49 other states. When a company considers where to locate or expand, it looks at the entire picture: workforce, transportation, utilities, available sites, operating costs, quality of life and what a community can do to help make a project possible.

Our competitors have economic-development tools available to them that Arkansas communities do not always have.

We should not expect Southeast Arkansas communities to compete with one arm tied behind their back.

For Pine Bluff and the surrounding region, our economic future depends on continuing to support existing businesses while creating opportunities to attract new investment. When the right opportunity comes along, we need to be prepared to respond rather than having to tell a prospective employer that Arkansas simply does not have the tools available to compete.

We're not asking the state to pick winners. We're asking Arkansas communities to have the ability to compete.

Economic development is most effective when local leaders understand the needs and opportunities of their own communities. In the Pine Bluff region, we understand our existing industries, our workforce, our infrastructure and the investments that could help our communities grow.

Those decisions should involve the people who live and work here.

Issue 3 would not require every community to create an economic-development district. It would create the constitutional authority for the Legislature to establish these tools, allowing communities to determine whether and how they could be useful.

And if these tools are created, accountability should come with them.

Any future economic-development program should have clear rules, transparency and appropriate safeguards. Communities should be able to explain the public purpose of a project and demonstrate how it could benefit their residents.

We can have accountability and competitiveness at the same time.

In fact, we need both.

Because economic-development opportunities do not wait.

If a company is looking at Arkansas and another state for a new facility, we need to be able to compete on more than just the things we already have. We need the ability to respond to what the market demands and put together a package that makes sense for the company and the community.

Our answer should not be, "Arkansas doesn't have that tool."

It should be, "Let's see what we can do."

That is what Issue 3 is about.

It is about giving communities another tool in the toolbox and allowing local leaders to determine whether and how to use it.

Southeast Arkansas has the people, resources, infrastructure and determination to compete. Pine Bluff and the surrounding region have proven that for generations.

Now we should make sure our communities have the tools necessary to compete for the next generation of investment.

We're not asking the state to pick winners.

We're asking Arkansas communities to have the ability to compete.