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GREENSBORO — It’s become an election 2009 mantra.

Jobs, jobs, jobs.

Every City Council candidate wants them. Hardly anyone has an idea how to get them.

“I realized after getting elected, it’s not that easy,” District 3 candidate Zack Matheny said.

With a high unemployment rate hanging over the county and the national economy continuing to sputter, new jobs may be elusive right now.

But local leaders say there are things Greensboro’s council hopefuls can do to make the city business-friendly and primed for an economic upturn.

It starts with being good at their jobs.

Businesses that are looking to relocate appreciate a well-run government, analysts said.

“You want stability. You want supportiveness,” said Rob Bencini, an economic development consultant who formerly worked for Guilford County.

At-large candidate Gary Nixon, who moved to Greensboro in 1980 to expand his engineering firm, agrees.

“The police and city manager debates dragged on too long,” he said. “Those type of things need to be taken care of to encourage private investment.”

Leaders have also stressed the importance of incentives as one of the few direct impacts City Council can have on job creation.

Most candidates say they support them. The sitting council approved three economic incentives in the past term.

At-large council candidate Danny Thompson would like to see the city build a reserve fund to provide incentives to businesses that would bolster the region as an “epicenter for product distribution” on the East Coast.

He would like to see the city cut 2 percent from its bottom line and raise 2 percent in revenue to pay for it.

“If we are going to play this incentive game, let’s play to win,” Thompson said.

Some candidates, including several council members, have expressed interest in establishing an incentives program for small business like the one developed by Guilford County, which gives some property owners who make improvements a break on property tax payments.

But some candidates have said the incentives should be linked to job creation.

“I embrace that,” said Mayor Yvonne Johnson, a candidate for re-election. “Our small businesses are important.”

City leaders don’t have to reinvent the wheel, some said. They can just do a better job promoting and enhancing what they’ve got, such as Greensboro’s small-business loan program.

“The city doesn’t do enough aggressive advertising for the programs they have,” Raymond Trapp, a local real estate professional and chairman of the zoning commission.

To that end, District 1 Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small has asked the city’s economic development staff to provide educational materials to help inform businesses what is available to them.

City leaders could continue to promote Greensboro’s center city, business leaders said. A hip downtown will attract and retain a creative class of entrepreneurs.

That may not have a direct impact on jobs, but drawing those types of people will be important to the future of employment, Bencini said.

“We’ve got to have an environment that attracts and keeps those types of people,” said Pat Danahy, president and CEO of the Greensboro Partnership.

Meanwhile, the sitting City Council is making plans to work better with business leaders toward broader community goals.

The council has asked the city staff to organize a business summit and questionnaire to open communication — an idea promoted by City Councilwoman Trudy Wade.

“We need to develop a plan with measurable goals based on that feedback, and monitor ongoing progress,” Wade said.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com