Blackwell responds to call for “net jobs” info

At this week’s meeting of Oconee County Council, a citizen during public comment registered a call for an explanation from the county’s chief recruiter for economic development. Richard Blackwell of Oconee Economic Alliance says he was listening and today provided information about how announcements of promised jobs square with jobs lost to layoffs or plant closings. He sought to dispel any notion that when you contrast announced new jobs with those lost, there is little or no gain. Blackwell acknowledged 357 jobs layoffs in the year 2012 alone, but since then there have have been none. “….thru the economic development efforts thru this board, just us, in the last two and a half years, we’ve had 486 jobs announced….if you take the difference between those that is a net positive of 129….” he told the economic alliance board.