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When Mayfield became the
director of the EDC (a subcommittee of the Lincoln/Logan County
Chamber of Commerce) the agreement was for one year only. "My year
is coming to an end," he said.
His position with the community
was a unique partnership wherein he was able to work half-time for
economic development and half-time for his primary employer, Lincoln
Christian College. However, Mayfield says he has found that he is
unable to do either job well on a part-time basis. Therefore, he has
elected to step out of the EDC position.
He will again dedicate his time
and performance to the college, where he has worked for 15 years as
the director of partnership in the fund-raising department,
soliciting and maintaining relationships between the college and
donors.
In his opinion, "The position
as director for the Economic Development Committee needs to have a
full-time person. That is being considered at this time," he said.
Mayfield feels that his
abilities in salesmanship and relationships, as well as his
fund-raising skills, served him well in the year he has worked with
the city and the county. He says they have begun to make some
changes, and he hopes the city and county are able to continue to
grow. "We only have begun to scratch the surface of what needs to be
done," he said.
The goal of the county's
economic development division is to attract new jobs and businesses
and strengthen existing businesses in the county. Although there
seem to be some initial successes with new stores coming to Lincoln
and Mount Pulaski and industry coming to other towns, Mayfield said
the "jury is still out" in regard to how successful they have been
so far in reaching those goals.
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He stressed that there have
been some successes, some victories and expressed appreciation to
EDC, the chamber of commerce, Mayor Beth Davis, and the city and
county boards. It is their teamwork that brought about some of the
changes and the hope that we see in Lincoln at this time.
Mayfield also wanted to thank
business leaders, civic leaders and residents who have volunteered
time and effort to stop the economic decline of Lincoln and Logan
County from going any further than it already has.
In a letter to the chamber of
commerce, Mayfield wrote, "We packed a lot into one year, and I have
learned so much… . I met a lot of wonderful people. Overall, it made
me proud to be a resident of Lincoln and Logan County."
Although Jeff Mayfield will no
longer be the director, he has offered to work in a limited capacity
in an advisory, consultation role for an indefinite period. He
stressed that he is not giving up on Lincoln, and he is not
quitting. His year of service is up and it is time to rethink the
position. There is simply too much work for a part-time director,
and he is stepping aside to let someone else take over. He said
details are still being worked out regarding the position and his
advisory role.
Mayfield hopes that the new
businesses and jobs which he has worked to help bring to Lincoln and
Logan County in the near future will help to expand the confidence
of the residents and leaders in our community.
He also expressed appreciation
for the media's efforts in keeping the public aware of the progress
and efforts being made.
"To
summarize," Mayfield stated, "Overall it has been a good experience.
I've met a lot of wonderful people. I learned a lot. I would like to
thank the residents of Logan County for their support of me and the
EDC over the last year."
[Ruth Halpin] |
