August 6, 2003
ROMNEY HOLDS SECOND “JOBS FIRST” FORUM
Takes his jobs campaign to Springfield, gets feedback from local business leaders
SPRINGFIELD – Governor Mitt Romney today held the second in a series of “Jobs First” forums across the Commonwealth as he took his campaign to stimulate job growth on the road to the Pioneer Valley.
At the forum, which was held at Big Y Foods in Springfield, Romney outlined his six-point TOPS program – Tapping Our Potential in the State – to get the Massachusetts economy back on track. He also solicited input from Springfield-area business leaders about how the state can help with their needs.
Romney noted that the unemployment rate in Springfield was at 5.6 percent in June, higher than it was a month ago at 5.2 percent. He said state government should focus on the employment needs of all regions, including Western Massachusetts.
“I am committed to putting Massachusetts back to work,” Romney said. “As difficult as our challenges are, we have enormous potential – a diverse economy, a highly educated workforce and major academic and research institutions.”
“But we can only be successful by working together, all of us, Democrats and Republicans, business and labor, to create an environment that allows job growth and development to take place,” he added.
In outlining his six-pronged TOPS program, Romney said government can play an important role in economic development by doing the following:
· Preserving a stable and competitive tax base;
· Holding down the cost of doing business in Massachusetts;
· Taming the high cost of housing by increasing the supply;
· Connecting our higher education system to regional workforce needs;
· Reforming state government to improve the delivery of services; and
· Working aggressively to bring more jobs to the state.
“In order to put Massachusetts back to work, the most important thing that government can do is to create the right environment for economic expansion and job growth. Employers will do the rest,” said Romney.
At the forum, Romney also joined company officials in announcing Big Y’s 50th store that will open in Walpole later this year. Their latest supermarket, at 63,500 square feet, will employ approximately 300 employees.
“This new store is the first Big Y in the Boston area,” said Don D’Amour, Chairman & CEO of Big Y. “From a business standpoint, Massachusetts is in a strategic location that supports our company’s growth and expansion plans. Locating our company here will help us focus directly on the needs of consumers in this region.”
Big Y, which is the second largest independently owned supermarket chain in New England, currently employs more than 8,300 people in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Founded in 1936 by brothers Paul and Gerald D’Amour, the store was named after an intersection in Chicopee where two roads converged to form a Y.
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