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Road to a Bright Future

Vision Statement: Erie County will be a world-class community where people want to live, businesses want to locate and tourists want to visit.

Dear Citizens,

One hundred years ago, Buffalo and Erie County were known as a place of firsts - the first community with electric lights, the site of the 1901 Pan-Am Exposition, the city where the first motorcycle was manufactured, the terminus of the Erie Canal and the gateway to the West. As a community of firsts we prospered and grew. I see the promise of a bright future looming just over the horizon as we reclaim our past greatness by again becoming a region of firsts.

Bright Future Graphic Our geographic location made us the center of the industrial world, and a hub of economic development and expansion. We are the center of the fifth largest mega-region in North America, and within a half-day drive of cities like Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. We have incredible centers of education and a premier research institution in our backyard.

While we have suffered through challenging economic times, I believe we will become a community of firsts and innovation once again. But we need a vision and a plan that maximizes our greatest asset - our people. The "Road to a Bright Future" does just that, by focusing on ten key areas of economic development where we will succeed to make our vision a reality.

We will become the first Lean Six Sigma government in America, a message that invites entrepreneurs and businesses to invest and prosper right here in Erie County. We will make our government a partner, not an obstacle, to the business community to help it flourish and prosper.

We will tout our rightful place in history as a key passageway on the Underground Railroad for slaves seeking freedom in the North. We will maximize our role as a leading cultural destination for tourists from all over the world to enjoy our world-class attractions and architecture, from Frank Lloyd Wright's spectacular Darwin Martin House and Graycliff, to the marvelous Roycroft Campus, to our world renowned Olmsted Parks System, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and Burchfield Penney Art Center.

We will become an epicenter of trade and jobs in this dynamic global economy, by maximizing our geographic location, positioning ourselves as a multimodal hub and making ourselves the back office capital of America. We will build upon our manufacturing base and expand into a new world of advanced manufacturing which is on the cutting edge of innovation and technology.

And most importantly, we will grow by touting our world-class people and quality of life. We have a skilled, educated workforce with a strong work ethic. We have an unparalleled quality of life with affordable housing, easy commutes and world-class attractions.

We must make this vision a reality for our region. That's why, as County Executive, I will continue to work every day with our partners here at home, like the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and the Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as our leaders in Albany and Washington on this plan. We must grow as a community or we will die. And on the horizon, I see growth and a bright future for our children, grandchildren and generations not yet born.

Sincerely,