New Castle County Executive Thomas P. Gordon unveiled the first ever economic strategic plan mapping out the County's economic potential Monday at the City/County Building,
The new plan is the first of this kind for New Castle County. The document will serve as a blueprint with specific action steps aimed at short term goals and long term opportunities for the county to bring new jobs and strengthen the economy.
Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams was also on hand to unveil the City's economic plan in a joint press release.
"We must have a plan going forward in order for this County to not just recover economically but remain viable for generations so our residents can once again live the American dream,” County Executive Gordon said. “This document is an honest assessment and a detailed vision going forward that will give people hope.”
The Executive noted that a plan was vital to ensuring New Castle County would not become "a third world country" in the near future.
To achieve the most honest and productive plan it was vital to include as many businesses and stakeholders in the process, which was achieved through numerous focus groups, interviews and stakeholder meetings with leaders from business, academia, government, and civic organizations.
Chief Administrative Officer David Grimaldi said wages and unemployment rates in Delaware were worse than the national average.
CAO Grimaldi also praised NCC Economic Development and Policy Director Marcus Henry for overseeing the County's first economic plan.
The entire plan is available at this link, http://nccde.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/7778.