JOBS CHAMBER'S TOP PRIORITY; FIGHTING CRIME ALSO RANKED

Creating and keeping jobs should remain the top priorities of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, its members say.

Tackling crime also ranked high in a survey of chamber members. Combating crime in general and gangs and youth violence ranked third and fifth, respectively, in priority with chamber members.

Education -- grades kindergarten through 12 -- ranked fourth.

About a fourth of the chamber's members or 293 people responded to the fourth annual survey.

Chamber President John Mehner announced the survey results Friday morning. He told around 80 chamber members at the First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center that he was pleased with the response.

The chamber board of directors will use the survey in setting priorities for 1997 when it meets Tuesday.

The chamber board focused on priorities at its November retreat. The survey results largely support what chamber leaders have been saying, board chairman Jim Wente said Friday afternoon.

Job creation and retention typically are top priorities with chamber members. But concern about Cape Girardeau's growing crime problem was evident in the survey, which was conducted last month.

Mehner blamed a rash of home burglaries last year on boosting crime from a fifth-place to third-place priority for 1997. Many of the burglaries targeted elderly residents.

Gang and youth violence ranked seventh in priority in the previous survey. In the current survey, it moved up to fifth.

Chamber members ranked crime as the top local issue of concern to friends, family and co-workers. Education ranked second and jobs, third.

Ninety-three percent of survey respondents rated the chamber as good or excellent.

Mehner said the chamber should take a leading role in implementing welfare reform.

As a result of federal welfare reform, about 1,200 people will be removed from the welfare rolls in Cape Girardeau County within the next three to five years, he said.

He said businesses need to give former welfare recipients a chance to work.

Mehner said the chamber supports building plans for the Cape Girardeau School District, including a new vocational-technical school. It also supports Southeast Missouri State University's plan for a new technology center.

Both projects could improve the training of workers for area industries, Mehner said.

Employers aren't interested just in the bottom line; they care about their community, Wente said.

Wente said chamber members are concerned about crime and other quality-of-life issues.

Chamber priorities don't change much year to year, he said.

"Everyone is interested in safety, lower crime rates, good education for our youth, quality health care and growth in economic development," said Wente. "Who can argue with that?"

CHAMBER SURVEY

John Mehner of Cape Girardeau's Chamber of Commerce released priorities for 1997 as ranked by chamber members.

1. Economic development/creation of new jobs

2. Business retention

3. Crime

4. K-12 education

5. Gangs/youth violence

6. Availability of skilled workers

7. Infrastructure/streets/sewers/utilities

8. Mississippi River Bridge

9. Health care (price, quality)

10. Higher education

11. Transportation (including airport)

12. Growth (population, annexation, etc.)

13. Governmental/legislative (local, state, national)

14. Downtown vitality

15. Workers' compensation

16. Affordable housing

17. Availability of unskilled workers