Jobs development, specifically innovative startups and small businesses in Boston, figure to be hotbed topics in upcoming Mayoral race. City Councilor Mike Ross and Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley have already released full, comprehensive jobs and development plans to the public. Both Ross’ and Conley’s plans focus not only on maintaining, but improving Boston’s workforce by targeting specific populations and areas of growth. Specifically, both are determined to promote and grow Boston’s innovation, entrepreneurial, and small business markets. With Boston ranking as one of the “hottest” job markets in the United States, the goal of making Boston a leader in job creation and talent retention has emerged for every candidate.

Once the other major candidates release full jobs and development plans, BostInno will examine them in full. For now, I’ve examined Ross’ and Conley’s plans in full and targeted five areas of focus for both candidates. Here is where they stand on jobs and development:

Entrepreneurial and Small Business

Conley: His plan wants a percentage of Boston property space set aside for commercial development. This allocation of space will be used to its full potential and foster collaborative business communities. Specifically, Conley plans to:

1. Set aside 5 percent of Boston property space for commercial development.
2. Model MassChallenge by having universities and colleges open space for small business development and for startups to grow.
3. Push for an Innovation Fund so startups will have capital available.
4. Educate small businesses regarding city health codes, standards and business regulations.
5. Connect successful industry professionals with young startups to promote new development.
6. Provide incentives for small businesses and startups to move to vacant spaces in areas such as East Boston.

Ross: As mayor, Ross would call for a small portion of Boston funds to be directed into small-business and startup development. In order to cultivate this area of growth, Ross wants to make access to capital more available. Specifically, Ross wants to:

1. Encourage banks to make loans available to local small businesses and startups.
2. Focus on tech jobs: one tech job creates four more jobs.
3. Create a Boston fiber optics network to reduce complications facing small businesses and other industries due to the Comcast monopoly.
4. Provide incentives for the city so that small business and startups can relocate to vacant, predominantly urban areas (Waterfront and Chinatown).
5. Put a bank and a supermarket at every neighborhood corner.
6. Promote the development of non-chain services alongside national chain stores like Cambridge has done.
7. Create “Pop Up” businesses, or short term uses of vacant retail space, that will allow businesses to “test the waters.”

Job Training

Conley: His plan highlights collaboration between employers, labor, education institutes and economic development programs to train people for today’s jobs. Conley wants:

1. Women and people of color targeted as the first to receive construction jobs training.
2. Residents trained for jobs in health care, specifically mid-level skilled jobs.

Ross: In addition to making Madison Park the best technical and vocational high school in Massachusetts, Ross wants to:

1. Open vocational training opportunities to adults by providing night and weekend classes.
2. Focus on the healthcare industry that he believes “sets Boston apart.”
3. Model his previous jobs training development in the Longwood Medical Area.
4. Extend Longwood Medical jobs training to a variety of industries.

How To Put Residents To Work

Conley: Conley’s campaign has focused on his role as a parent and the security of children. In order to bulk up the workforce, Conley intends to:

1. Invest in Boston’s Youth Fund by increasing the eligibility age from 14 to 19.
2. Invest $8.5 million in youth jobs across the city: 1,000 year-round jobs and 5,000 summer jobs.
3. Focus on jobs as the best social program for the city.
4. Raise the minimum wage, currently at $8 per hour.

Ross: Part of Ross’ plan is intertwined with streamlining the permit, leasing and licensing process in Boston for new businesses. Both candidates support this initiative. For Ross, however, increasing the speed of the process is linked with putting people to work. Ross’ plan includes:

1. Enforcing strict and predictable timetables for business permits and inspections dates.
2. Bringing all Boston industries into the 21st century by going paperless.
3. Refunding a small business or start-up if funding isn’t received in 30 days.
4. Getting businesses up and running sooner so people will be able to work.
5. High-earning companies “paying it forward” by providing quality construction jobs.
6. Raising the minimum wage from $8 per hour to $9 per hour.
7. Raising living wage for families of four to $15 and hour.
8. Expanding the existing incentive system beyond construction to ALL City government procurement.

Untapped Areas of Growth

Conley: Both candidates’ plans touch on the value of the emerging green industries, specifically in terms of housing and office space. Conley wants to:

1. Implement Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loans, which would;
2. Allow business and residential property owners to retrofit their properties with energy savings technology.
3. Focus on high-skilled jobs.
4. Increase the need for green housing and greener business properties in order to create demand for these higher skilled jobs.
5. Have Boston host a national innovation challenge and make the city a hub for Cradle To Cradle products, the non-profit organization that has set out to change the way we make and produce goods.
6. Champion and promote artist jobs in Boston: Every $1 invested by the public in the arts create $7 in private return.
7. Invest in studio space for local artists.
8. Extend MBTA hours of operation to improve nightlife industries and assist people who have jobs requiring MBTA services at later hours.

Ross: Looking to take collaboration to a higher level, Ross’ plan calls for the city of Boston and Cambridge to stop competing against each other. Ross believes:

1. Boston and Cambridge should work together. Competing against each other for tax breaks and new businesses is a “race to the bottom.”
2. The healthcare industry is primed for the most growth.
3. Boston’s immigrant population (27.1 percent) has been untapped.
4. An Immigrant Export Initiative will aide immigrant-run businesses growth through exporting. The hope here is to build international trade connections.
5. A “Homeland Connections” trade consortia will help legal residents who immigrated to Boston develop trade ties with their home countries.
6. Boston needs its own fiber optics network; 80 percent of costs of such developments go to labor.

Women and People of Color

Conley: In order to address job issues concerning women and people of color, Conley has linked this specific issue with his stance on education reform. A strong advocate for charter schools and a supporter of vocational education opportunities, Conley is looking to:

1. Create more opportunities by closing the educational achievement gap.
2. Close the unemployment rates between white, black and Latino students. The black unemployment rate is currently at 32 percent of the population, while the Latino unemployment rate sits at 19 percent. The white unemployment is nine percent.
3. Better prepare black and Latino students for better employment opportunities that will diversify the workforce and strengthen Boston’s economy.

Ross: The plan presented by Ross also inherently links education with vocational and technical education. Ross intends to:

1. Rewrite the existing City Contract Ordinance and target women and those from communities of color to make sure they are working on Boston development projects.
2. Examine code requirements, Public Construction for Residents, Minority and Women, adopted by Springfield.
3. Set specific percentage targets for city residents, women and minorities on city-funded projects.

What did you think of the candidates’ jobs plans? Who has the stronger approach?