Madison graduation 2012
Warren County CC graduation
New Miami graduation 2012
Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > June > 03 > Entry
Brown protests stimulus money for NCR move in letter to Commerce Secretary
Sen. Sherrod Brown is concerned about reports that the city of Columbus, Ga., has requested economic stimulus money to pay for the purchase of a building and the creation of another building to bring NCR jobs to Georgia.
Here’s why: NCR announced earlier this week that it plans to consolidate its world headquarters in the Atlanta suburbs. That means 2,000 jobs currently in Dayton will go south.
The 870 jobs Columbus, Ga., expects to get are manufacturing jobs that are currently being performed in Columbia, S.C., by a company that contracts with NCR. Jim Wetherington, the mayor of Columbus, Ga., said the city plans on footing $6.5 million of the $8 million bill to purchase the building, with the state kicking in the rest of the money. They haven’t received any stimulus money yet, nor does it know if it will get any, but Wetherington said should he get the approximately $5 million requested, he would put it toward the city’s share of the $8 million.
Still, Brown and other Ohio lawmakers argue that stimulus money should not be used to relocate jobs.
Brown, D-Ohio, fired off a letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Wednesday, June 3, saying as much.
“The purpose of the (economic stimulus bill) is to create or retain jobs, not to relocate them from state to state,” Brown wrote. “Stimulus funds should not be used in a manner that benefits one local economy at the expense of another.‚”
Full letter after the jump:
June 3, 2009
The Honorable Gary Locke Secretary U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230
Dear Secretary Locke:
I write to express my deep concern that funds provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) might be used to relocate jobs from Ohio to Georgia.
NCR Corporation, a manufacturer of ATMs headquartered in Dayton, Ohio for the past 125 years, has announced plans to consolidate its operations and build a new global headquarters and manufacturing site in Columbus, Georgia. NCR’s departure from Dayton will result in the loss of 1,300 Ohio jobs.
NCR has stated that the planned relocation of its headquarters has been made possible Recovery Act funding. The City of Columbus, Georgia, apparently has requested ARRA funds, provided by the Economic Development Administration (EDA), to purchase the building for the new plant, which will be leased back by NCR.
The purpose of the ARRA is to create or retain jobs, not to relocate them from state to state. Stimulus funds should not be used in a manner that benefits one local economy at the expense of another, whether the request comes from Columbus, Georgia or Columbus, Ohio.
I urge you to consider this matter carefully and take measures to prevent ARRA funds from being used for this purpose.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
Comments
By Told Ya
June 3, 2009 8:51 PM | Link to this
Great job Sherrod, this is one reason why thousands of tax payers you “represent” opposed the stimulus bill.