Poverty in Brooklyn Park: Our city can take immediate action to help

Statistics recently released from the 2010 Census reveal shocking information about many of our neighbors here in Brooklyn Park.  According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, one in every three Brooklyn Park children lives in poverty, three times the rate of five years ago.

That is stunning.  It's disappointing.  It's incredibly sad.  But there are things we can do right now to help, things we can do for the long term that will help these and future Brooklyn Park families.

A quote from the MPR story regarding this information states "Even when I was 17, it wasn't hard for me to get a job without a high school diploma or GED.  As long as I could do the performance, keep up with it, you could get a job.  Now it's not like that."

From good paying jobs to the peripheral jobs that support them, our city faces a crisis.  A couple years ago my then-high school daughter, looking for summer work before college, could not find a job in our city.  A school leader, one who'd traveled to several places around the world helping small children, a leader in her church youth group, a straight "A" private-school student, could not find work in Brooklyn Park.  I know because I drove with her around town as she searched.  Jobs two years ago were scarce.  Today it's worse.

We are losing companies in our city that produce good paying jobs that support families.  While a large part of the blame is the overall national economy, companies have chosen to not come to our city or expand here because we've not been friendly to them.  Doing business in Brooklyn Park is incredibly hard.

Last week I spoke with a Brooklyn Park business owner who produces signs for other companies.  He said that small businesses in Brooklyn Park have a hard time making it here because our city restricts their ability - severely - to let people know they're here.  He produces signs for companies all over the Twin Cities and based on his years of experience we're one of the most restrictive.

Why?  Why do we want to take the higher taxes we charge for businesses but not allow them to actually do business?  Because we've viewed businesses poorly, as something to regulate into their small corner.  In fact, businesses of any size need to let others know they exist so they can compete with others outside our city.  We shouldn't be looking for ways to stop them from doing so, we should be looking for ways to help them.  The more help we can provide by just getting out of the way the more success they can have.  As they have success they are stable, pay their taxes, become good corporate citizens in our community and the more jobs they create.

How does this relate to the poverty statistics and helping to solve that problem in Brooklyn Park?  It is directly related to creating jobs in our city.  Making our city more business-friendly means more good paying, family supporting jobs.  When we bring more of those kinds of jobs to our city other businesses pop up to support them.  It means more daytime customers for restaurants, dry cleaners, hotels, gas stations and other more entry-level jobs that provide training and growth opportunities for those without experience or higher education.  It helps that person who used to be able to find jobs when she was 17 but can't now.

This is one of the reasons I am running for Brooklyn Park City Council in 2012.  We need change and we need it now.  We need to open up our city - our rules, regulations, fee structure, our inspections, our sign ordinances and most importantly our attitude toward businesses.  Then, and only then will be see real, long-lasting change.  Throwing money at poverty has never worked.  More food stamps, welfare, city programs or subsidized housing will never solve these problems.  What will be part of the solution to these problems is when we make those changes in the way we treat businesses because they are the only ones who can create lasting, real jobs for people who need them.

I'm happy to see that our city has begun a business initiative to look at the issues facing Brooklyn Park businesses.  But it's not enough.  We need immediate action on those issues we know are problems and shouldn't wait for a six month study.  Every council meeting should have at least one ordinance, regulation or fee on the agenda, looking for ways to immediately improve our business climate.  Follow up immediate action with the results of that study to finish the job.  There is no reason we can't be the "Sioux Falls of the Twin Cities" within one year from now.  I pledge to make this issue one of my two ongoing themes because it's important to everyone in our city, especially Brooklyn Park children and and parents now living in poverty.