Press Release from Bill Haslam Campaign for Governor, Feb. 17, 2010:
“Don’t paper over real problems with Tennessee taxpayer dollars”
KNOXVILLE – On the one-year anniversary of the federal economic stimulus, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam released the following statement regarding recent proclamations of its effectiveness:
“A year ago Congress passed a nearly $800 billion stimulus package the Obama administration touted as the way to bring back jobs, yet the unemployment rate in Tennessee has since skyrocketed into double digits.
“The good new jobs are not going to come from top-down Washington ideas but from bottom-up Tennessee ideas, small businesses, and utilizing the state’s regional assets in economic revitalization.
“During my time in the private sector and as mayor of Knoxville, I have brought new, steady jobs to the Knoxville area and the state. I helped grow Pilot Travel Centers from 800 employees to 14,000 across the country. As Mayor, I recruited new business, worked with existing companies to expand local operations, and helped Knoxville achieve the lowest unemployment rate of any major metropolitan area in the state.
“We’ve created an attractive environment for businesses and job growth in Knoxville, and Knoxville has consistently been named one of the top metropolitan areas for business and expansion. As we’ve done that, we’ve reduced the city’s debt, tripled the city’s rainy day fund and brought property taxes to the lowest rate in more than 50 years.
“This is the background of conservative fiscal management and success I will bring to the table as governor, not a DC-mindset of papering over real problems with Tennessee taxpayer dollars.”
Related posts:
