The Governor-Elect announced that Bolling will hold a Cabinet level appointment as “Chief Jobs Creation Officer,” that he will chair the “Job Creation and Economic Opportunity Task Force,” that he will lead a multi-secretariat Job Creation Work Group, and that he will coordinate economic development activities across Virginia state government.” Virginiatomorrow.com / Dec. 10, 2009
Sure, this has a Rube Goldbergesq sound and look to it, but…
Hey, let’s get the politics of it out of the way first:
Seemingly, McDonnell has put Bolling, who will wear all these hats as an unpaid part-timer, on a high wire. Cracking the unemployment riddle, by acclamation the number one public policy issue in Virginia, will be a tough one. Without experience? Without resources? Without wads of money? A tough one.
The cynical among us could speculate that McDonnell is constructing a sort of firewall around himself. Two years hence, when the numbers are still in the toilet, somebody will have to walk the plank for it. Guess who that would be?
But I’m not a cynic-at least not today. I don’t think that’s the case here. I think Bolling has a net in place, a net called in succession politics the “gennamum’s ‘greement.” It works like this: He and Cooch have already agreed that Cooch will seek a second term as AG, giving Bolling an uncontested cakewalk to the Republican nomination four years hence.
Of course, the wild card here is whether Jethro was party to that confab.
NEWS FLASH! Virginia Republicans will loan their hearts to McDonnell, and maybe to Bolling, but those hearts belong to George Allen.
That’s the politics of this ‘Jobs Czar’ thing. That, and the fact that the Blues Brothers always keep their promises.
Now let’s get to the road show.
Jake and Elwood come to Martinsville Wednesday, to the epicenter of Virginia unemployment. Jake has promised it will be the first of what will be monthly trips. All foolishness aside, this is serious business. Offered herewith is a cheat sheet, a sort of Cliffs Notes they might find helpful in getting their arms around the deal here.
1. Understand that the ‘big box’ model of economic development is, for the most part, obsolete. Seven out of ten new jobs will come from existing small businesses.
2. Understand what a nightmare 5000 pages of regulatory gibberish is to small businesses in Virginia. Throw out 4000 of these, and translate the rest into English.
3. Ask the businesses you encounter how many of their prospective new employees flunk the pee-in-the-cup drug test.
4. Read up on the history of this area. There is no better place to start than The Hairstons: An American Family In Black And White,by Henry Wiecek.
5. There are four growth sectors in the Southside economy: education, health care, energy, and tourism.
6. Review what the Tobacco Commission has done-a billion dollars spent on a thousand projects.
7. While you’re here, look at Floydfest, The Crooked Road, Harvest Foundation, Primland, Martinsville Speedway, VIR, the Patrick County Education Foundation, The New College, the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, the Virginia Advanced Study Strategies, and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.
8. Read up on bio-fuel projects here, contemplate the uranium possibilities in Pittsylvania County, and understand that we’re going to be coal-dependent for at least another hundred years.
9. Interview the newspaper editors, the community college presidents, Charles Hawkins, Clay Cambell, (Martinsville Speedway), Steve Helms (Primland), Ted Bennett, the school superintendents and the city managers and the county administrators. And interview Rick Boucher and Mark Warner. They’re Democrats, for sure, but they know more about economic development and job creation in Southside and Southwest Virginia than anyone else alive.
Good luck, boys. Welcome to Southside. Thank you for coming.
(Disclosure: I sit on the board of directors of the Virginia Tobacco Commission and the Virginia Advanced Studies Strategies)
Barnie,
I think you’re right on about The Hairstons, a history and a mystery that is as engaging as most novels.
A wag of my finger, however, for forgetting the Virginia Museum of Natural History. With its sparkling new facility and its small but hard-working staff, including academics and researchers, growing the Museum has the potential to contribute significantly to the region’s recovery.
Jim
Barnie:
I kind of like your plan. But I’d add 4 more points to your 10 point list:
11. Stop off at the University of Virginia and talk to Ken Elzinga and the other brainiacs about the big picture. Understand that a country that keeps shipping its jobs overseas ends up with no jobs at home. Not in southside, not in westside, not in eastside or northside. Not anywhere.
12. Read “Day of Reckoning” by Pat Buchanan and Supercapitalism by Robert Reich. Take detailed notes.
13. Start considering a “worst case scenario” where there is no foreseeable path to economic recovery for Southside Virginia. Maybe call the mayors of Youngstown, OH, Buffalo, NY, Detroit, MI, etc and get their take.
14. Let Bolling play a ceremonial role but go beg Terry McAuliffe to hit the road trying to convince businesses to locate in Southside Virginia. When you’re trying to sell something it’s best to hire a good salesman. McAuliffe is a world class salesman.
Mr. Barnie,
I like what you say, but your comment about state regulations remind me of Mencken’s quote that there is a simple solution to every human problem-neat, plausible & wrong.
Those regs were written because: the feds said so, or the regulated industries wanted them to keep down competition, or the Gen’l Assmbly said so. I suspect that someone can find an aye vote from you on bills that required regs to be written.
Also, LG Bolling headed up an Atty. Gen. McDonnell commission over the past few years to reduce the number of regulations. They looked and looked and found few to do away with.
Anyway keep trying. Bosun
Thanks, Jimbo. You are so right. Groveton is dead on, too. Economic development works best when all the players have skin in the game. There are a lot of individual leverages in Southside. I didn’t mention infrastructure only because it is a given here–ample water, relatively cheap electricity, decent highways for the most part, rail, natural gas, relatively low taxes and an educable workforce. McAuliffe tends to go one-on-one but does sometimes deliver I am told. I do know this: it is doable, it’s going to take a while, and it’s going to take more than talk, Chamber lunches, and photo ops. Best. BKD