The Arizona Daily Stars new Libertarian columnist suffers from a utopian worldview he sees the world as he wishes it to be, not as it is. (Jonathan Hoffman: Governments need to be reined in as matter of policy, Feb. 11).

Utopia is not reality. In the real world, economic development requires public-private partnerships to create job growth and community prosperity. The private sector will not be, and has not been, solely responsible for a communitys economic health.

I agree with Mr. Hoffman that it would be great if our nations corporations made expansion and relocation decisions based solely on the quality of a community and its benefit to their bottom line, and they invested their own money in infrastructure improvements such as new roads and utilities. But that is not reality, nor is it practical.

Economic growth is not solely one of providing incentives, either. It also requires community investment. Across the country, nearly every local community offers incentives, tax breaks and other deals to companies in an effort to retain employers and jobs and to attract new companies and new jobs to their communities. But the most successful communities are making considerable public investments in amenities and infrastructure, often through public-private partnerships.

Incentives are only one small part of the comprehensive economic-development plan the county is following to diversify and grow our local economy. We are making investments in infrastructure, workforce development, tourism amenities and more.

Critics of Pima County often make comparisons between Pima Countys and Maricopa Countys economies. Those critics should look at how much money local and state governments in Maricopa County are spending to achieve growth there. Over the past five years, hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local economic incentives have been given to large corporations in exchange for job growth there. Billions of public dollars are being invested in roads, light rail and airports, and Arizona State University is incubating new technology and bioscience companies across the Phoenix valley.

This is the world as it exists and this is the world in which we in Pima County must compete.

Mr. Hoffman and a few others are obsessed with the countys World View agreement in which the near-space technology company is leasing from the county a manufacturing and headquarters building and managing the countys new Spaceport Tucson. Was our World View agreement legal? Absolutely. We followed all state laws governing economic development. We are now defending that action in court after the Goldwater Institute sued us. I believe we will prevail on appeal.

Mr. Hoffman and others conveniently ignore that the county used a similar lease with Caterpillar. Moreover, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Scottsdale and Peoria all signed agreements with private companies totaling more than $100 million that are very similar to our $15 million World View agreement, yet Goldwater didnt sue them.

The local debate over the World View agreement is all about local politics and last years election, and those politics are blinding some to the bigger picture. World View is part of a larger economic-development strategy to capitalize on our existing economic strengths to grow our economy.

Aerospace, defense manufacturing, technology and logistics are among our regions greatest economic strengths and we are working to develop the area around Tucson International Airport as an economic-development and high-wage employment center. The county and the entire metro community, including the airport authority, Tucson, the Pima Association of Governments and Tucson Electric Power have taken numerous steps over the past four years to remove barriers to economic expansion in this area and to build new roads and utilities to make the area shovel-ready for new employers.

That effort is paying off. Raytheon announced it is adding 2,000 new jobs to its already considerable local workforce. In the space technology sector, World View is adding 400 jobs and Vector Space is adding 200 jobs.

Pima County sees the world as it is. We know we need community investment and public-private partnerships to compete for jobs and prosperity in the real world.

Chuck Huckelberry is the Pima County administrator.

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Chuck Huckelberry: Pima County sees the world as it is - Arizona Daily Star