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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Miller responded saying that there would still be a board in charge of the <br />Partnership, but that a concern is how to effectively interface and integrate <br />the resources available to the Partnership. <br /> <br />Gleason replied saying that the board is time consuming and is not as effective <br />as it could be. He is not sure of how the Board will be structured, but it <br />does need to appoint an executive director, and it needs to scale back focus. <br />He feels that the Partnership needs to be a receptor for contacts, as there are <br />many contacts now occurring. It needs to be able to hand off projects and <br />contacts, as opposed to being so focused on recruitment. He again mentioned <br />that the state linkage is an important role for the Partnership. <br /> <br />Bascom said that as the Council representative on the Partnership Board she <br />attends meetings. She feels that an emphasis should be placed on local <br />business assistance and issues related to that focus. She mentioned that John <br />Lively, as the State representative, was doing a good job. She also feels that <br />the Partnership is important, but supports scaling back on the Partnership's <br />focus. <br /> <br />Holmer mentioned that the City's contribution could be scaled back and be used <br />to impact another area of interest. <br /> <br />Gleason suggested that the focus needed to be returned to the Metro Team <br />concept. This would be a group of people who develop and process proposals <br />after they are received by a broader range organization, like the Partnership. <br />This team would also be good in small business development and organization. <br /> <br />Rutan gave a recent history of organized economic development in the Eugene <br />area beginning with the Lane Economic Foundation and later the Oregon Pacific <br />Business Foundation. He noted that the emphasis of these organizations was <br />recruitment, which at the time was the trend in business, as many companies <br />were then in an expansion mode. In his opinion the downfall of these organiza- <br />tions was due to the over emphasis on external recruitment of businesses at a <br />time when business trends indicated a slow down in expansion. He questioned to <br />what extent the City wished to be involved in the recruitment business. He <br />said that today's business climate is more reactive than proactive. That is <br />looking at what is happening now and responding to that, as opposed to trying <br />to create or attract a new business. For these reasons, he favors an approach <br />which emphasizes development of local resources and enhancement of local <br />businesses. He supports a reactive role for the Partnership, instead of a <br />proactive role. <br /> <br />Ehrman supported the idea of small business assistance and a change in focus <br />for the Metro Partnership. She also supports the "receptor" role for the <br />Partnership and feels that the development of local small business is a more <br />appropriate role for the City. <br /> <br />Boles commented that he felt it was more appropriate for the public to be <br />involved in the development of small local businesses. He also has some <br />concerns about the structure of the Metro Partnership, but wishes to continue <br />working through internal business assistance. He feels that we have the to <br /> <br />DRAFT COUNCIL GOAL SESSION <br /> <br />PAGE 3 <br />