On June 7, the people of Sacramento elected Darrell Steinberg as their new mayor. We understand that whoever wins an election, it is necessary to rally around the victor to help in their success.
But as with any relationship, be it in business or politics, there must be trust (“Civic groups must reboot as mayors change,” Editorials, July 27).
During the campaign, the Metro Chamber’s political action committee, Metro-PAC, governed by a board separate from the chamber, participated in an independent expenditure campaign that funded mail pieces. Regrettably, the content was never approved by the Metro-PAC board and was simply unacceptable.
It was also imperative to the chamber that we reach out to mayor-elect to not only own the mistake, but to offer a sincere apology. We met with Steinberg to apologize for the mailers’ content. We discussed our shared goals for economic development, workforce development and job creation.
Through the work already being done at the chamber, we identified ways in which we could not only support, but amplify the success of his initiatives. Over the past 18 months, the Metro Chamber’s small business development center has consulted with 900 clients and helped open 55 new businesses. Our efforts also infused more than $17 million of capital into more than 60 small businesses, allowing them to retain and create 250 good-paying jobs for our region.
We will continue to assist entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing small businesses and leverage our small business development center and its successes in support of the mayor-elect’s economic agenda.
The Metro Chamber is focused on developing Sacramento’s workforce through its foundation that houses two key programs: Metro EDGE and Leadership Sacramento. Both support our long-term goals of retaining a talented and diverse workforce in the region. As Steinberg identifies initiatives in workforce development, our foundation is ready to assist in those efforts.
The Metro Chamber has a long history of bringing the region together, engaging in important conversations and prioritizing issues that move us ahead. We stand ready to assist the new mayor on his priorities supporting economic and workforce development and job creation.