Anaheim : City Consolidates Its Development Activities

Determined not to lose its attractiveness for new business and development, the City of Anaheim has established a separate economic development division as part of an effort to streamline city operations, City Manager William O. Talley said Monday.

Planning Director Ron Thompson, who has worked for the city since 1962, was named to direct the division, which will consolidate all economic and job development programs.

“We want to be more aggressive in the area of economic development,” Talley said. “So we’ve taken one of our top officials and made that his charge. If Anaheim is going to stay competitive, it must continue to make government more responsive and more streamlined than it has been in the past.”

The creation of the new division is not so much a reaction to the aggressive approaches of neighboring cities but is an effort to avoid losing “any opportunities we might have,” Thompson said.

“When we look at Irvine, we find transportation down there during peak hours is pretty bad,” Thompson said. “Many firms may want to come back into the Anaheim area because of the rental housing stock available in north Orange County and to be closer to the affordable housing in the Chino-Corona area.”

Talley said the new division was part of an ongoing reorganization of city government under five deputies, all reporting to the city manager.

Norm Priest, currently executive director of the city’s Community Development Department, will become director of Community Development, Redevelopment and Planning, Talley said.

Although Thompson will report to Priest, Talley said, the new position was not a demotion but a reflection of the importance placed on promoting economic growth.