The recent stories about Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's acceptance of free tickets to entertainment and sporting events, which are now the subject of several investigations, avoids a very important subject that should be discussed: the need for the City of Los Angeles to have a Mayor (no matter who it is) who is dedicated to the economic growth of our community by strengthening existing business, attracting new people to the City and being our ambassador to the world.

In our view, the Mayor would not be doing his job if he were not attending the high-profile events that spotlight our City’s accomplishments. We understand and support all the reporting requirements now in place, but if the issue comes down to money, then the Council should put money in the City budget to pay for the Mayor to attend high-profile events.

In order to keep the City of Los Angeles’ economic engine going, we need our Mayor promoting Los Angeles as a great place to do business and to live. We need to have a Mayor who promotes business development, supports local professional sports teams, works with the business and development community and civic organizations to further economic development and bring jobs to Los Angeles.

While the recent spotlight has been on acceptance of tickets and reporting, we think that the discussion needs to be expanded to the topic of needing a Mayor who will be the leader in creating a vibrant business climate—one that’s accessible, user-friendly and welcoming to all. We believe that part of achieving that goal is being a visible figure on the local, state and national stage.