News Article

McDonnell deserves credit for job creation

Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Stacie Gordon
VT Collegiate Times

Thousands of jobs have been lost in Virginia during the last few years. Our unemployment reached a whopping 7.8 percent this past February, with areas in southside and Southwest Virginia, such as Martinsville, reaching as high as 20 percent.

In light of these difficulties, it is refreshing to have state leaders who not only promise to fix our broken economy but actually deliver.

In a country with a Congress that has approval ratings around 20 percent and an unemployment rate at 9.5 percent, it's no surprise that people are beginning to lose faith that their elected representatives will actually abide by their campaign promises. Gov. Bob McDonnell and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling have proven themselves to be an exception to this trend, giving Virginians real results and real change - change that the entire country deserves.

Since February, 71,500 jobs have been added in the commonwealth of Virginia.

Virginia's unemployment rate has dropped to 7.1 percent, 2.4 percent lower than the national average, and is the 13th lowest nationally. And remarkably, 110 economic development deals have been made.

All of this has been done in the first eight months of the McDonnell administration, and these successes are only expected to continue.

Currently, Virginia is the No. 2 state for business; it was previously No. 1, until Texas edged ahead for the 2010 year.

The many accomplishments of both McDonnell and Bolling have made it evident why Virginia deserves this honor and why Virginia is seeing such improvements in its economy.

With his first executive order, McDonnell created his Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission. He appointed Bolling as chief jobs creation officer; and a member of his cabinet, as well as the co-chair of the commission.

The commission is divided into nine subgroups. While the subgroups have been meeting and planning proposals to turn into the governor at the conclusion of the commission, both McDonnell and Bolling have been traveling nonstop in efforts to bring business and jobs to Virginia.

Bolling is at the heart of this commission and the economic development plans.

In a position that is supposedly only a part-time gig, he has clearly demonstrated his dedication and love for Virginia by putting in hours upon hours of tireless work to help improve our state.

If working overtime - such an understatement - on a part-time salary isn't dedication, I don't know what is.

Whether he is meeting with business leaders, making job announcements or discussing economic development plans, Bolling is constantly working hard for our state and for us, as evidenced by the constant flow of job and business deal announcements.

While announcements such as Northrop Grumman, a Fortune 500 company, moving its corporate headquarters to Northern Virginia are making headline news in the state, perhaps the more significant announcements are the ones that are hitting home in Southwest Virginia.

Martinsville, whose 20.3 percent unemployment rate is the highest in the commonwealth, has been the target of many recent job announcements and economic development efforts.

In late April, Faneuil, Inc., announced it is establishing a call center in Martinsville which would create 250 new jobs, and the company plans to expand that number by 100 within the next few years.

But the good news doesn't stop there.

One of the more recent announcements is that two NASCAR races will be held each year at Martinsville Speedway until 2015.

It had been feared that the speedway would lose one of the races, which bring in a great amount of revenue for the city and help promote tourism.

The Tobacco Commission gave the speedway a $1.5 million grant to help fund a $3 million facility upgrade.

McDonnell, along with Bolling, have announced that the commonwealth's 2010-12 biennial budget will have a $224 million surplus, an amazing improvement from the 2008-10 budget's $4.2 billion shortfall.

How's that for change?

The federal government would do well by taking a few cues from these guys.

Overwhelmingly, McDonnell and Bolling have made good on their promises to the people of Virginia.

It seems that every night on the news there is a new announcement regarding their efforts to bring business and jobs to the commonwealth.

These two have set what I hope will become a precedent for future leaders by working together on a united front to vigorously fight for the commonwealth and its people.

I know that because of them my faith has been restored in our public servants.

For additional information contact Ibbie Hedrick at 804-225-2487 or ibbie.hedrick@ltgov.virginia.gov.