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Beebe notes Saline’s strides |
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Wednesday, 01 July 2009 |
Gov. Mike Beebe on Tuesday validated what local leaders have been saying for some time: Saline County is making significant strides in economic development and is poised for a promising future.
Beebe visited the University of Arkansas at Little Rock-Benton Center as part of an ongoing initiative to foster the relationship between education and economic development on the local level. The initiative began in October 2008 and seeks to underscore the role that relationship can play in cultivating a stronger economy in every part of the state.
The governor, echoing an earlier thought of Eddie Black, executive director of the Benton Area Chamber of Commerce, stressed that education and economic development go hand in hand.
“It really is a marriage,” Beebe said. “There’s no way you can separate them.”
He said local leaders understand what people in many other areas of Arkansas have not comprehended — the importance of working together to try to better the entire county.
“As governor, I have 500 communities that I have to love all the same,” Beebe said. “Don’t ask me to pick one over the other. Because if I do it for you, you’ve got to wonder if I wouldn’t I do it against you.”
He added: “Your local leadership is ready to expand and prosper.”
Beebe referred to Saline County being selected as one of three finalists for a national Boy Scouts of America center that eventually went to Virginia, but pointed out that the local presentation was impressive.
The quality of the work force is the “trump card” and the key to bringing new industry and development to the state, Beebe said.
“It’s the key to the future of economic viability,” he said. “A professional, educated work force will bring in development.
This is a cradle-to-grave project, he said, commending the UALR-Benton Center and Pulaski Technical College for their role in raising the area’s education level.
Investing in the education of pre-kindergarten programs and K-12 education is valuable, Beebe said, because it’s money that won’t be spent later on remediation.
He noted that 70 cents of very tax dollar goes to some aspect of education in Arkansas.
“We don’t want to have our kids have to go to Dallas or other cities to find jobs,” he said. “We want their first option to be at home.
He cautioned local leaders not to become “sassy or complacent” about the strides that have been made and urged them “not to slow down.”
Beebe commended Saline County’s legislative body for its leadership, singling out Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, who was in attendance.
“He’s had a good run,” Beebe said of Broadway, who is in his final term. “I don’’ know if you’ll ever send one better than Shane to the Legislature. He’s the poster child for why we don’t need term limits.”
Broadway quipped, “I have a year and a half left.”
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