Governor Bob McDonnell plans to visit International Paper in Franklin today to speak with workers and community leaders about possible responses to its imminent closing.
I’ve been impressed with McDonnell’s willingness to address economic development issues in some of the areas in Virginia that have been hardest hit not only by this recession, but by the overall economic trends of the last twenty years.
This establishes a very high bar for measuring the administration’s success, but it is worth noting noting that it is one that the administration itself is setting.
A Jeff Schapiro story this morning notes that Terry McAuliffe is also talking about International Paper.
He wants to buy it.
Turn it into a wood-fired powerplant.
McAuliffe told Schapiro that the purchase has nothing to do with a possible gubernatorial run in 2013.
“There’s no political implication.”
Of course.
Though it is one more piece of evidence that McAuliffe intends to remain very visible in Virginia during the next four years.
Discarding the carpetbag that weighed him down in 2009.
And if the purchase goes through and, by some odd chance, does have political implications down the road.
I’m not sure that people will be too upset
That McAuliffe furthered his own ambitions by working to restore jobs in a distressed economy.
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