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The long-awaited strategic plan to enrich the local economy went public Wednesday with renewed calls for boosting high-paying jobs, improving education and enhancing the area's livability.

Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc., TREO, launched its economic blueprint at a late-afternoon gathering of about 500 people at the Fox Theatre Downtown.

Joe Snell, TREO president and chief executive, said he was "thrilled with the plan" to develop a long-term vision for the area economy.

The involvement of 6,000 community members through surveys and other contact is broader than any previous undertaking here, he said.

Looking forward, he said, TREO will issue an annual economic report card beginning next year to track progress on goals using measures like job growth in targeted industries, average wage growth, venture-capital flow and progress in revitalizing Downtown.

"This is not a silver bullet to solve all problems for all people, but it does put things in a framework and point a light. We have to have a lot of elements working in harmony for a better economy," he said.

At the core of the TREO plan is something the organization dubs "the power of five" — interlocking wheels for progress representing:

● High-wage jobs — focus on improving job quality, not quantity, by targeting high-growth industries and attracting and keeping the best workers.

● Educational excellence — promote an "education first" culture with adequate funding and a "rigorous and relevant curriculum."

● Urban renaissance — form a public/private Downtown development group and target "quality growth zones" including Downtown, and areas in Marana, Oro Valley and Sahuarita.

● Livable communities — improve transportation and infrastructure and tackle water, housing and crime issues.

● Collaborative governance and stewardship — seek "super-regional collaboration in the "Sun Corridor" from Prescott through Phoenix and Tucson to Nogales, improve government efficiency in areas like permitting and encourage private-sector leadership to tackle community challenges.

Spontaneous applause broke out in the auditorium when Rick Myers, chief operating officer of Bourn Partners, said "cut the red tape" while talking about the need for improved efficiency in the governmental process.

The presentation won some plaudits from those in attendance.

"This is what Tucson needs," pronounced William C. Harris, president and CEO of Science Foundation Arizona, set up to coordinate and promote biotechnology and scientific research in the state.

"Tucson has the potential to do everything in this plan. If the plan is executed, Tucsonans will have a great city."

The importance of execution was repeated often as the Fox crowd filed out.

"Now comes the hard part," said auto dealer and steering committee member Jim Click. "It will take execution on everybody's part to make this work."

Larry Hecker, a Tucson attorney and veteran of many economic development groups and plans, chaired the Economic Blueprint Steering Committee and said it "offers strategies to fulfill the promise of a bright future."

"I feel good about not just the document but the process. It's a continuation of the spirit of cooperation developing in the community to accomplish the common good."

Hecker cited the regional transportation effort as an example of success in the community.

"It's a beginning," he said of the plan. "The proof will be in the performance."

The TREO plan differs from previous strategic plans on economic development, backers said.

"Doing plans without the mechanisms to implement them is fruitless. This is the first time we have a mechanism to oversee the implementation of a plan and make sure it happens," said Steve Lynn, vice president for communications and government relations at Tucson Electric Power Co. and a member of TREO's council of trustees.

Consulting work and other costs of the blueprint were backed by $250,000 donation from TEP.

"It's a forward-looking plan. It's not about what was right or wrong in the past," said Francie Merryman, vice president of the Wealth Strategies Group at Northern Trust and TREO board member.

The plan is an attempt to "generate wealth and prosperity while maintaining the Sonoran Desert and the things we love about being here."

"The opportunity is just enormous" for economic improvement here, she said.