Chamber official: Relationship with state lawmakers key to 'business-friendly environment'

The following is an excerpt from a “The Commute” podcast interview with Jared Downs, government affairs director for the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce. Full episodes are available at SavannahNow.com/opinion/podcasts or through mobile device podcast apps by searching “The Commute with @SavannahOpinion". The Commute podcast is presented by National Office Systems.

Question: The Chamber hosted is annual "Eggs & Issues" breakfast on Dec. 1, and part of that event is the unveiling the Chamber's list of legislative priorities and policy positions for the 2022 session of the Georgia General Assembly. Why and how does the Chamber put those together?

Jared Downs: "Going into the legislative session, if you're silent, they'll forget about you. So every fall we get our members together and come up with ideas we want our legislators to champion on behalf of the business community. This is our way to encourage our lawmakers to make sure Savannah and Chatham County, and really this whole area, maintain a business-friendly environment."

Q: The Eggs & Issues event is a pretty big deal and always attracts attention. But the session doesn't start for another month, on Jan. 10, 2022. How do you keep these priorities and policy positions - and other issues that inevitably pop up - top of mind with lawmakers?

JD: "During the session, I'm usually up at the Georgia Capitol at least two or three days a week. Again, if there's a committee hearing and they're discussing something, and they look and they don't see anybody from Savannah there, they'll just assume that we briefed them. So we like to have a presence and be a resource for our elected officials. That way they can quickly find us and get an answer."

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Q: At the top of the priorities list for something like the third or fourth year of the row is money for the Savannah Convention Center expansion. That work is already underway and the state is heavily invested. Why keep pushing on that?

JD: "Our big lift is the final piece of the puzzle for the funding of the convention center. expansion. It's close to $93 million, and our reps and senators are going to have to ask for the convention center to be in the budget. You never take anything for granted. We're going to give the full-court press on getting that funding in the budget."

Savannah Chamber 2022 Legislative Agenda by savannahnow.com on Scribd

Q: One big infrastructure project on the list is the Interstate 95 interchange at the airport and Pooler Parkway, which is a bottleneck that seems to get worse all the time with the commercial development around the Tanger Outlets and elsewhere along that corridor. How important is it to lay the groundwork for that expansion?

JD: "It's going be a big project, and we want to make sure it stays on the Georgia Department of Transportation's radar screen. They've been extremely generous to us down here, what with the Interstate 16 an Interstate 95 interchange and adding the lanes on I-16. That will make a huge difference for commuters. The same goes for the airport exit. If you live in Pooler or work at Gulfstream or are trying to get to the airport, the traffic can be horrendous. This is a quality of life issue. Nobody in Savannah likes to sit in traffic. if we did, we'd all move to Atlanta."

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Q: While government affairs is your purview at the Chamber, you are also in tune with how things are going in the local business community. What is the sentiment, especially now that COVID-19 restrictions and fears have eased?

JD: "Our member businesses are still having issues with finding employees but overall the outlook is positive. Our visitation numbers are through the roof and the locals are doing business again. We at the chamber are working hard to convince convention organizers that it's safe to come back and that Savannah is the best place to come. That's big economic driver for us. We're seeing bookings, so that's exciting."

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce unveils 2022 legislative priorities