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opportunities were. He suggested the committee identify enough options to allow it to identify where the enthusiasm is when the elected officials considered them. He said that part of success was getting something done, and if the committee could identify enough meaningful alternatives, it was likely to find success. Lew Bowers, former City employee now employed by the Portland Development Commission, joined the committee. He briefly noted the projects that came to fruition during his tenure with the City. He suggested the committee pull the last plan "off the shelf and dust it off." He said the issue facing Eugene was not the lack of a plan but the lack of agreement about its economic future. Mr. Bowers made the following points: Obstacles to Success: · The lack of agreement about the future narrowed the community's ability to act · The historic disconnect in Eugene between wanting jobs but not wanting to work with businesses The lack of political will to implement past plans · The lack of financial resources to implement the plans · Eugene had a fairly sophisticated and well-crafted anti-business reputation that was known all along the west coast, creating a challenge to retention of existing businesses Opportunities: · Eugene had many opportunities, including its unique life style and educated work force · Eugene had a high level of business formation · Eugene had a significant institutional asset in the form of the University · Eugene had local families investing in real estate in Eugene rather than in larger communities such as Denver or Las Vegas · Eugene had the opportunity to bring McKenzie-Willamette/Triad into the community Mr. Bowers discussed the origin of Eugene's anti-business reputation, noting it had dismantled the Business Assistance Team, ended the enterprise zone, and focused the downtown urban renewal project on the library to the detriment of other downtown projects. Speaking to the last topic, Mr. Bowers said that the council had been prepared to end urban renewal in downtown altogether. Councilor Nancy Nathanson had attempted to retain some funding for downtown projects, but a motion she put forth to that effect was defeated. Mr. Bowers emphasized that the recommendations of the 1994 Council Committee on Economic Development were good but they were not funded by the council. They were still valid today. MINUTES--Mayor's Committee on Economic Develop~nent April 20, 2004 Page 5