Many Syracuse residents came out to voice their support last night, for a proposed local hiring ordinance for the city’s construction and service contracts. One concern is to make sure contractors can connect with residents who have the right skill sets.
Last year, Charles Rivers of Syracuse was going to school full-time, working two part-time jobs, one seasonal job and struggling to make ends meet.
“One of the challenges that I really went through, could have easily taken me back into the streets, but it was my determination as well as support of individual organizations as well as individuals that I networked with, that’s really gotten me to the point where I’m at now,” Rivers said.
This year, Rivers has a full-time job, was able to take his family on a trip and is graduating in December. He was one of many passionate supporters of the ordinance, which would require that 20 percent of the jobs created by large city projects go to city residents that are unemployed or underemployed.
Deborah Warner, of CenterState CEO, said they are supportive of the effort but concerned about the logistics. She said there needs to be a system that identifies what skills people have with what contractors need.
“Who are the individuals?" Warner asked. "What are their skills? And then match them with a bank of here’s the contracts that are coming up, here are the contractors, here are the jobs that they have, here are the skill sets that they need.”
Syracuse Common Councilor Khalid Bey, who is sponsoring the ordinance, agrees with Warner and said people with college degrees and construction certifications still can’t get work.
“We have to do a better job of matching those people together," Bey said. "I think a big part of that responsibility falls on government. An even greater part falls on our neighborhood business organizations to alert us as to what’s available so that we can make those connections happen.”
Bey said he believes he has the votes on the council to get the ordinance passed. He wants to take the time to make sure it is done right and said he would put it up for a vote sometime between now and February.
