The City Council’s Economic Development Committee will hold a public hearing next week about creating a new office to help immigrants start businesses and enter the workforce.

Both the City Council and Mayor Ethan Strimling have made establishing an Office for New Americans a priority for this year. The public hearing, to be held next Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the State of Maine room at City Hall, will help inform the makeup and mission of the office.

City Manager Jon Jennings said he plans to ask the council to approve $10,000 as part of next year’s budget to help establish the new office.

“I encourage all citizens to attend and share their input and ideas on this topic,” City Councilor David Brenerman, who leads the Economic Development Committee, said in a written statement. “We’re especially hoping to hear first-hand from new citizens and from those who are already working with this population.”

Dan Wallace, the director of state and location initiatives at the New York City-based Partnership for a New American Economy, is slated to give the committee information about how similar initiatives work throughout the country, including an NYC program created under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“I’m looking forward to listening to the input that we receive and moving forward with this effort,” Strimling said in a written statement. “It’s extremely important to our city’s economy that we are connecting our new citizens with job opportunities and business development so those building the next generation have the tools they need to succeed and thrive.”

 

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