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"I would like to take this opportunity to introduce
myself. My name is James Ray Bowling and I am a candidate for the Morgan County
Commission District Two seat. While there are many issues that need to be addressed
in our county, one of the biggest is the loss of industry and business. Did you
know that the unemployment rate for March 2010 was 11.1 percent? This number represents
approximately 6,044 residents without a job that were actively receiving unemployment
compensation. This number is approximate because it does not consider those residents
whose unemployment benefits had already been exhausted. The major cause of unemployment
in our county is the loss of industry and local businesses. The loss of major industry
affects not only individual residents, but the businesses that supply goods and
services to those industries or residents. These losses also impact local tax revenue
collected for schools and infrastructure. I have first hand knowledge of just how
much the loss of industry impacts Morgan County’s economy. I was an employee of
Wolverine Tube for twelve years prior to their closing in 2008. This closure led
to a loss of 490 jobs in our county. When the closure was announced, not a word
was heard from our local commission on strategies or plans to work to keep the company
in Morgan County. Wolverine Tube was not the only company to shut its’ doors or
to make cutbacks in Morgan County over the past four years. Many industries and
businesses have been affected. The current commission is out of tune with the needs
of Morgan County residents. One existing commissioner was even quoted in a local
paper as saying “that they had heard about a recession, but Morgan County had not
experienced one”. Clearly with the level of unemployment and loss of industry in
Morgan County this is not the case. With your support I will not let any company
leave without doing everything I possibly can to retain these much needed jobs for
Morgan County. I feel my industrial knowledge and the knowledge I have obtained
from local business owners and displaced workers will enable me to help retain and
recruit new jobs to our county. It is time that the county had a commissioner in
touch with the “real” economic situation of our county. I am asking for your support
in order to build a brighter future for Morgan County. To support a change in Morgan
County please share my goals with your family and friends or share this letter with
them. If you would like a sign to place in your lawn feel free to E-mail me at jbowling@openrange.net.
If you would like to send a monetary donation to help support my campaign for change
you may do so to -Address Will be Updated Soon-"
Thank you for your support,
James Ray Bowling
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