Jackson mayor candidates discuss business climate

Two candidates running for mayor in Jackson spoke Friday at the Cape County Republican Women's Club meeting to discuss their hopes for the city's future.

Incumbent Barbara Lohr and challenger Dwain Hahs expressed interest in improving and expanding opportunities for new and existing businesses in Jackson.

Hahs said his proactive leadership skills would be one of his biggest assets if were he elected. He retired from Bausch & Lomb in 2008 after more than 30 years with the company. He worked in sales, marketing and international business and live in multiple countries. He also is an adjunct professor in the MBA program in Southeast Missouri State University's Harrison College of Business.

Communication, business outreach and regional involvement are the top focuses for Hahs. To the first point, he hopes to promote more communication among the city and the public through town-hall meetings and regularly speaking with civic groups. Hahs also stressed the importance of using social media to improve communication.

Building a strong relationship with local businesses and reaching out to businesses looking to expand is another key element for Jackson's future, he said.

Barbara Lohr

"Jackson's financial future is really based on the business community for the majority of our revenue growth," Hahs said.

He's interested in looking at more industrial park land and moving quickly into planning and implementation so it's available when existing industrial park space is occupied. Hahs also plans to tap into resources from the recent entrepreneurial surge in the area, led by efforts from Codefi and the university.

"I spoke to those organizations about a pilot program for Jackson because I think there's a lot happening now in the entrepreneurial world, and we could work with those to expand that to Jackson," he said.

Lohr also spoke about the importance of business growth for the city's future.

Like Hahs, she's involved with the Jackson Industrial Development Co. She also represents the city in the Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization.

She pointed out the city's "tremendous growth" in the last year. Lohr said the building and planning department issued permits for about $16 million in residential housing and $9 million for commercial buildings. Among the commercial growth was a regional headquarters for a utility company, a convenience store and fitness centers. Work also continues on Jacksons community center and the new East Elementary School.

Like many cities, Jackson's sales tax revenue took a hit in recent years because of the recession, Lohr said. She congratulated city departments on their willingness to come together and find ways to trim budgets. The most recent year showed the city's general sales tax revenue had grown by 7 percent -- a level of growth Lohr said it typically experienced before the recession.

"So we're back to where we used to be, and we hope to continue to see an increase," she said.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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