Gov. activates 1987 act
Barbour: Study not going to 'sit on the shelf'

By Josee Valcourt
The Clarion Ledger
August 10, 2004

The nearly $500,000 Blueprint Mississippi unveiled Monday at the Jackson Hilton is already drumming up results: Gov. Haley Barbour said he would restore the dormant Economic Development and Planning Act of 1987.

"This is not a study that's going to sit on the shelf," the governor told a packed room of 500 attendees.

"I will put the Economic Development and Planning Act of 1987 to work for no more studies, I will put it to work for action," he said.
Activating the 15-year-old act is one of Blueprint Mississippi's 11 recommendations to improve education, economic development and the business climate in the state.

The legislation calls for economic development in the state to be "strategically, comprehensively and exhaustively planned and that the plan be reviewed and continuously update and systematically implemented."

The act will complement Blueprint Mississippi, a 10-year public-private plan to improve the state's economic status, said Anthony Topazi, chief executive officer of Mississippi Power.

Eight business leaders, including Topazi, served on the steering committee that drew the plan designed to make the state more competitive nationally and globally. Its ultimate goals are to increase the average income per Mississippian and the average annual employment growth.

The average income grew by 54 percent between 1993 and 2003 and average annual employment growth rose 1.1 percent in that same period, putting Mississippi at 11th place among the 12 southern states. One goal is to raise the employment growth to at least eighth place by 2005 and sixth by 2010.

The report calls for reforming the state's pre-K education program, training and mentoring more teachers to retain them, and increasing support for existing technology businesses while investing in start-ups. Such steps could help the state's overall economic condition, particularly in the South.

"The Blueprint is a beginning, not an ending. This is a starting point, not an ending place," said Blake Wilson, president of the Mississippi Economic Council and a steering committee member.

Beginning Wednesday the MEC Caucus will visit 21 communities with hopes to reach more than 1,000 business leaders in an effort to get them involved and spark dialogue.

It is not yet known if any funding will be needed to back recommendations made in the report, said John McCullouch, BellSouth Mississippi president.

Scanning the crowd, McCullouch said he didn't think there would be problems raising money if necessary.

Blueprint hopes to take advantage of pockets of strength throughout the state, said John G. Kaliski of Cambridge Systematics, a firm that collected and analyzed data with PFI Inc. to complete the yearlong report.

He named research universities and the Stennis Space Center as some of the state's strong points.

Jackson also ranks fifth among southern states in the number of graduates earning 4-year degrees.

The capital has all the ingredients to become a magnet for young professionals. It would contend with hot spots like Austin, Texas, and Raleigh, N.C., where the market is flocking.

Both cities have high quality of life and universities, Kaliski said.

"Those are long-term investments," he said.

Private businesses, MEC and The Robert M. Hearin Foundation funded the study.

Between December 2003 and March 2004, input was gathered from about 1,000 participants during nine statewide meetings. More than 50 recommendations were made in areas ranging from education to taxes and highways to health care.
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Blueprint Mississippi

Blueprint Mississippi outlined 10 major priorities when the report was released on Monday.
The priorities are:

Establish and sustain an economic development vision and strategic plan for Mississippi by activating and strengthening the Statewide Economic Development Planning Act of 1987;

Strengthen Mississippi's business image;

Promote the changes to the state's legal system to draw more businesses;

Better prepare children for school by improving pre-K programs;

Increase the state's high school graduation rate by targeting middle school students;

Diversify state's economic base;

Train, mentor and retain teachers;

Increase support for existing businesses and help them become more productive;

Increase participation in adult lifelong learning, worker training and professional development programs; and

Strengthen the state's physical infrastructure, highways, rails and seaports.