Obama Plan

1/6/2009 - Sue O'Connor

To the Editor:

President-elect Obama's plan to spend billions of dollars to improve our Nation's infrastructure, energy efficiency, and perhaps most important of all put unemployed Americans back to work is an ambitious one, and one that relies heavily on both the cooperation and diligence of State and local government. It is important that the State of Connecticut and the Town of Manchester prove up to the task.

Though we have yet to see all of the details, our State and our Town need to begin taking the necessary steps immediately to make sure that our region gets its fair share of the Federal dollars and jobs that are promised. But the scope, urgency and fast track implementation of this program also mean that we must be extremely vigilant to insure that the proper local projects are undertaken, and that they are carefully planned, budgeted, managed and implemented. In a nutshell, we must make certain that in this case, "haste" does not mean "waste."

We must also be sure to keep the main goal of this program job creation in the forefront of our local efforts. Projects that create the greatest number of local employment hours should be given preference, along with those that promise the greatest return on investment to local taxpayers in future years.

Along those lines, we must also be cognizant of the number of opportunities for both new and continued employment that may be created indirectly by using local businesses for materials, equipment, supplies and services that the selected projects require. For example, installing additional insulation and weather stripping throughout Manchester's schools will save on future energy costs and be labor-intensive. But if we purchase the necessary supplies and tools from a distributor in Providence and/or hire a contractor in Springfield to do the work, we've undercut our local economy and drastically reduced the local benefits of the project.

Greater Manchester businesses can provide the materials, tools, equipment, expertise, and trained labor that the local economic stimulus projects will require. They can provide better service, have a more comprehensive knowledge of our region's needs, and will be more accountable for the ongoing timeliness and performance to budget of these projects. Tapping this local resource, we believe, will help sustain our local economy through the current difficulties and result in a stronger, more vibrant economic climate in the future.

We at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce are ready to help make it happen.

Susan O'Connor

President

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce ~ 20 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT 06040

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