EDC PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The Snohomish County EDC is an advocate for building and maintaining a healthy business climate by pursuing issues and policies that promote economic growth and sustainability in Snohomish County and the Puget Sound region. The EDC staff and board elect to pursue new, creative ways of looking at local and regional issues that promote job growth, educate policymakers and thought leaders about impacts to job growth and retention, that in the end help shape the local economic development agenda.

The EDC staff and board strongly emphasize collaboration with other economic development partners in the county and region in order to promote a healthy economy.

Also, the EDC addresses myriad issues impacting business competitiveness both at the local and state level. Some of the issues the EDC has addressed in the past include:

• Education / Workforce Development

• Physical Infrastructure

• Taxes and Fees

• Permit Streamlining / Regulatory Reform

• Quality of Life (affordable housing, health care, arts & entertainment)
  

As an educational, nonprofit organization, the EDC does not lobby on behalf of any legislative or political agenda. However, as a county-wide and regional catalyst, collaborator and resource, the EDC does provide information about public policy issues impacting economic development in the Snohomish County community.