CAMARILLO : Hiring of Economic Consultant OKd

The Camarillo City Council on Wednesday approved the hiring of an economic consultant to recruit companies to Camarillo and widen the city’s economic base by providing manufacturing jobs.

In a unanimous vote, the council approved hiring Thomas E. Flavin of Camarillo, a past executive with the Economic Development Corp. of Los Angeles County. The agreement calls for the city to pay Flavin $15,000 for six months, but the city can sever the contract any time after two months.

Flavin is a former Burbank councilman who developed new markets for American Television and Communications. He also served as a regional manager of Group W. Cable for the Westinghouse Corp.

City Manager J. William Little said hiring Flavin was a goal of the Ad Hoc Economic Development Committee, which the council established earlier this year to improve the city’s economy.

“It’s part of the city’s business to see that our residents can find jobs,” Little said before the vote. “When you read about 10% unemployment in Ventura County, you know there are problems out there.”

Evie Bystrom-Herrera, director of the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce and a member of the economic development committee, said Flavin will help Camarillo compete with other cities in the county.

“We’re keeping up with the competition,” she said. “Oxnard has an economic development department and Thousand Oaks has an aggressive group.”

Bystrom-Herrera added that she expects Flavin to increase the visibility of Camarillo among Los Angeles-area businesses looking to relocate.

“Ventura County is trying to position itself as an alternative to companies leaving the state,” she said. “The Ventura County Economic Development Assn. does a good job of that with a broad brush, while Camarillo needs to fine-tune that message.”