I think Sage Baker who is a private consultant hired to drum up some economic activity is making some headway in areas outlined by Admin and she seems to be able to distance herself from city hall. As a presenter of Lisa, Gene & Eric I asked another economic development officer who has actually trained in this type of position and worked in other cities if he would sit down with us on one of our podcasts to discuss what a city could do to turn up the heat and get some action going and he declined expressing concerns that his boss (the mayor) may not want him to be heard chatting about how to turn this city around with a councilor who has announced her desire to run for mayor.
If good ideas get stymied or are perceived to be stymied by the politicians for political reasons, then we are doomed until the revolution comes.