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(On Baseball- Sad end to productive season for Sea Dogs)
(Portland economy losing ground at 'alarming' rate, study shows)
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When Manager Billy McMillon finished his end-of-the-season address to his Portland Sea Dogs, the hugs began. McMillon, pitching coach Bob Kipper and hitting coach Rich Gedman made their rounds, congratulating players and saying farewells.
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Bill Becker, president of the Portland Community Chamber, who called the results alarming, said the study will help city officials and business leaders identify the barriers preventing businesses and people from moving to Portland. Ultimately, chamber officials hope to use the data to affect policy decisions within the city, he said.
Then the players approached each other. More hugs.
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Our job as a chamber is to take this data and act on it, Becker said.
Catcher Michael Brenly, always one to lighten the mood, joked that the sentimentality was getting out of hand.
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Results of the study should serve as a warning to local elected officials, business leaders and residents that Portland s economic-growth strategy needs improvement.
What started almost seven months ago in the heat of Florida spring training, ended on a comfortable September afternoon in Portland, with an 8-5 loss in the Eastern League playoffs.
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We don t want to go through another boom and bust, said Christopher Hall, CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber. If we don t improve these lagging indicators, we will.  
There <a href=http://www.museosangennaro.com/Public/anel.php> Christian Louboutin Shoes Sale</a>  were plenty of accomplishments, including a franchise-best regular-season record of 88-54, and 14 players promoted to the next level (including two who received the news after Sunday s game).
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The study was scheduled to be distributed at the monthly Portland Chamber Eggs and Issues breakfast at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. It was prepared by Camoin Associates of Scarborough, which has researched the three previous scorecards.
But McMillon witnessed more than the tangible.
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Some of the data was sobering. Although Portland had job increases in certain sectors, overall job growth was sluggish. Total employment decreased by 0.1 percent in Portland from 2012 to 2013, compared with employment growth of 0.2 percent for Maine and 1.2 percent for the U.S., the study found.
I addition to those guys being promoted, I think some of them got a better sense how to be a teammate, how to root for your teammates, how to start thinking about doing the little things that help ballclubs win, McMillon said.
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Job growth is important to the economy because it determines how easy or difficult it will be for residents <a href=http://www.museosangennaro.com/Public/wdluk.php>Louboutin Shoes Sale</a>  to find work, the study said, adding that steady employment growth is a sign of economic stability.
The fact that some of these guys learned those lessons here, it s going to help them when they get to (Triple-A) Pawtucket, when they get to Boston or any other major league club.
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Another weak area for the city was the average annual wage, the study found. While the city s 2014 average of $44,289 was higher than the state average of $37,215, it was nearly 7 percent lower than the national average annual wage of $47,451.
Second baseman Sean Coyle might have been one of those promoted, had he not missed 45 games because of injuries during the season. Coyle batted .295 with an .883 OPS and a team-leading 16 home runs.
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The average annual wage reflects whether the city has an adequate number of higher-quality, professional jobs. Hall pointed out that while Portland s unemployment rate continues to fall, so does its average wage, which signifies that a growing share of jobs are <a href=http://capstone.edu.sg/images/gucciusaonlineoutlet.php> cheap gucci</a>  low-paying.
He also missed the final playoff game because of another injury 鈥?a badly-bruised left wrist, the result of being hit by a pitch Saturday.
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High property taxes are a major red flag for employers and workers considering Portland as a place to locate, Hall said.
It was tough to miss the last <a href=http://capstone.edu.sg/images/guccioutlet.onlinesalecc.php>Gucci Outlet Store</a>  game, Coyle said. Pretty tough to watch them 鈥?but I proudly watched them. This team doesn t give up.
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The study found that the average home-owning household in Portland spends about 10.1 percent of its income on property taxes, compared with 5.1 percent in Maine overall. The average property tax among all the larger cities in Maine is 7.5 percent of household income.
  It s what Billy talked about in our closing meeting. We didn t give up. That s how we ve been all year and that s how we were today. A proud effort by the guys.  
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A high property tax decreases the attractiveness of a city to outsiders, which deters in-migration and stifles economic growth, the study said.
Behind 8-1, the Sea Dogs scored one in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth.
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  Just to be blunt about it, we need to get more people to move here, Hall said. And so we need to set the table for that.
Part of who we are as the Sea Dogs, being down 8-1 and fighting back, reliever Robby Scott said. There wasn t a doubt in anyone s mind that this team could do it.
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One indication of the deterrent effect of high property taxes is Portland s low population growth rate. According to the study, the city s population grew by 0.1 percent from 2012 to 2013, compared with U.S. population growth of 0.7 percent.
It didn t happen but we sure as heck kept fighting.  
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From 2009 to 2013, Portland s population shrank by 0.1 percent, compared with 3.1 percent growth nationwide. Maine s population during the same period also decreased by 0.1 percent.
But the Binghamton Mets bullpen shut down the Sea Dogs in the final three innings. Hadlock fans applauded the effort and the players slowly walked toward the clubhouse, some turning to wave to the crowd.
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A healthy level of population growth ensures there will be sufficient workers to fill the jobs needed to support a growing economy, the study said.
Soon, they sat in front of their lockers, listening to McMillon one last time.
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Affordability of housing also should be a major concern for Portland, Hall said. The study found that the average cost of owning a home in the city was far higher than in both Maine and the U.S.
He just said to keep our heads high. We had an incredible run throughout the year, Scott said.
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The average homeowner spent about 26.7 percent of annual income on housing in 2012, compared with 24.1 percent of income in Maine and 24.5 percent nationwide, the study said.
Scott is another one who could have <a href=http://capstone.edu.sg/images/guccioutlet.onlinesalecc.php>Gucci Outlet Store</a>  been promoted to Pawtucket after a breakout season (8-2, 1.96 ERA).
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Renters fared better. The average renter in Portland in 2012 spent about 31.1 percent of household income on rent, compared with 33.1 percent in other major cities nationwide.
Three more experienced relievers were promoted before him. But Scott is on the Red Sox radar and will be in the prospect-filled Arizona Fall League next month.
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Not all of the scorecard s findings were negative. Portland scored better than the national average in areas such as unemployment rate, education level, property value increases and low crime, among others.
Just one of many good players to wear a Sea Dogs uniform in 2014.
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Hall said none of the previous three scorecards have led to policy changes, but this fourth installment is significant because it includes five years of data that show clear historical trends.
 +
Hall said city officials need to come up with more specific goals for economic development using input from business leaders and residents. The chamber plans to hold a series of meetings over the coming year to gather that input, he said.
 +
Hall noted that the study and its negative findings should not be interpreted as a swipe at Portland s <a href=http://www.avanttravel.com/michaelkorssonline.php> michael kors bags</a>  government leaders.
 +
I hope people don t read this scorecard as some sort of indictment of city officials, he said. We all own these numbers.  
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Revision as of 20:10, 25 September 2014

@@@ Bill Becker, president of the Portland Community Chamber, who called the results alarming, said the study will help city officials and business leaders identify the barriers preventing businesses and people from moving to Portland. Ultimately, chamber officials hope to use the data to affect policy decisions within the city, he said.

Our job as a chamber is to take this data and act on it, Becker said.

Results of the study should serve as a warning to local elected officials, business leaders and residents that Portland s economic-growth strategy needs improvement.

We don t want to go through another boom and bust, said Christopher Hall, CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber. If we don t improve these lagging indicators, we will. 

The study was scheduled to be distributed at the monthly Portland Chamber Eggs and Issues breakfast at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. It was prepared by Camoin Associates of Scarborough, which has researched the three previous scorecards. Some of the data was sobering. Although Portland had job increases in certain sectors, overall job growth was sluggish. Total employment decreased by 0.1 percent in Portland from 2012 to 2013, compared with employment growth of 0.2 percent for Maine and 1.2 percent for the U.S., the study found. Job growth is important to the economy because it determines how easy or difficult it will be for residents <a href=http://www.museosangennaro.com/Public/wdluk.php>Louboutin Shoes Sale</a> to find work, the study said, adding that steady employment growth is a sign of economic stability. Another weak area for the city was the average annual wage, the study found. While the city s 2014 average of $44,289 was higher than the state average of $37,215, it was nearly 7 percent lower than the national average annual wage of $47,451. The average annual wage reflects whether the city has an adequate number of higher-quality, professional jobs. Hall pointed out that while Portland s unemployment rate continues to fall, so does its average wage, which signifies that a growing share of jobs are <a href=http://capstone.edu.sg/images/gucciusaonlineoutlet.php> cheap gucci</a> low-paying. High property taxes are a major red flag for employers and workers considering Portland as a place to locate, Hall said. The study found that the average home-owning household in Portland spends about 10.1 percent of its income on property taxes, compared with 5.1 percent in Maine overall. The average property tax among all the larger cities in Maine is 7.5 percent of household income. A high property tax decreases the attractiveness of a city to outsiders, which deters in-migration and stifles economic growth, the study said.

Just to be blunt about it, we need to get more people to move here, Hall said. And so we need to set the table for that. 

One indication of the deterrent effect of high property taxes is Portland s low population growth rate. According to the study, the city s population grew by 0.1 percent from 2012 to 2013, compared with U.S. population growth of 0.7 percent. From 2009 to 2013, Portland s population shrank by 0.1 percent, compared with 3.1 percent growth nationwide. Maine s population during the same period also decreased by 0.1 percent. A healthy level of population growth ensures there will be sufficient workers to fill the jobs needed to support a growing economy, the study said. Affordability of housing also should be a major concern for Portland, Hall said. The study found that the average cost of owning a home in the city was far higher than in both Maine and the U.S. The average homeowner spent about 26.7 percent of annual income on housing in 2012, compared with 24.1 percent of income in Maine and 24.5 percent nationwide, the study said. Renters fared better. The average renter in Portland in 2012 spent about 31.1 percent of household income on rent, compared with 33.1 percent in other major cities nationwide. Not all of the scorecard s findings were negative. Portland scored better than the national average in areas such as unemployment rate, education level, property value increases and low crime, among others. Hall said none of the previous three scorecards have led to policy changes, but this fourth installment is significant because it includes five years of data that show clear historical trends. Hall said city officials need to come up with more specific goals for economic development using input from business leaders and residents. The chamber plans to hold a series of meetings over the coming year to gather that input, he said. Hall noted that the study and its negative findings should not be interpreted as a swipe at Portland s <a href=http://www.avanttravel.com/michaelkorssonline.php> michael kors bags</a> government leaders.

I hope people don t read this scorecard as some sort of indictment of city officials, he said. We all own these numbers. 

 

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