“It’s the economy, stupid.” That catchphrase from a presidential campaign some years ago, while impolitely worded, nevertheless has relevance for Pueblo and Southern Colorado today. Creating and retaining jobs should be one of our community’s highest priorities, if not the highest priority.

Job creation and retention is linked to so many of the other challenges we face. Do you think crime is too high? Reducing the unemployment rate could take some potential criminals off the streets. Do you think academic achievement in our schools isn’t as good as it could be? Improving performance in that area would make our workforce more attractive to potential employers. Do you think too many parts of our community are dingy and blighted? Cleaning up those areas would make the community more attractive to company executives and their employees.

The point is, the steps needed to recruit and retain businesses often go hand in hand with initiatives that could improve the overall quality of life in Pueblo and surrounding areas. And that’s why the whole community needs to be involved.

Read more at The Pueblo Chieftain.