Mayor hopes unemployment decrease retains students
Benjamin addressed a full Coble Ballroom at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, highlighting successes from the past year and plans for 2012, focusing on the city's growth. Currently, there are 9,000 jobs open and available in the city, according to Benjamin.
Benjamin hopes the 1.4 percent decrease in unemployment in the city and the recovering job market will affect Columbia's retention of USC graduates.
"The most important way that we can retain our young bright talent coming from the universities here, particularly USC, is to make sure we have great jobs waiting for them," Benjamin said. "We're going to work on having a great arts community, cultural endeavors and restaurants and the like. But if we don't have jobs for people, it's going to be difficult to retain and be competitive with Atlanta, D.C., Charlotte and other places."
Nelson Weston, a fourth-year political science student, is a former Mayor's Fellows intern and described the speech as "phenomenal" and "energizing."
"Everyone wants a job," Weston said. "Although everyone will acknowledge the economy is still somewhat weak nationwide and statewide, the speech itself, along with the details he outlined, shows the economy is improving and there is hope in the job market."
Benjamin also praised Columbia's bus system and said he has plans to integrate public transportation with the university. Benjamin said the financial commitment to support public transportation in the city raised from $1 million to $4 million a year, despite a failed penny tax referendum in 2010.
"CMRTA has clean and clear financial records, a new restructured board of directors that, for the first time, brings the entire business community, and important regional goals, like [bringing] the University of South Carolina to the leadership table."
Benjamin wants to align Columbia with systems like Syracuse University and The University of Nebraska Lincoln. He said student riders are an integral part to help get greater federal funding. USC Associate Vice President of Transportation Derrick Huggins was added to the CMRTA Board, and Benjamin said Huggins has helped transform the system.
The mayor also discussed the revitalization of Main Street with changes like the opening of the Mast General Store and the New Year's Eve celebration which leveraged $15,000 in public funds and raised nearly $200,000 in private donations. Benjamin also said the city put 39 new police cars on the streets this year and reduced crime in Five Points by 15 percent.
Two council members are retiring from city council at the end of the year: Daniel Rickenmann and Belinda Gergel, who Benjamin referred to as the council's "honey badger."
"We are a city on the verge of greatness," Benjamin said. "We are a city eager for tomorrow."