Auto plant effort should involve us all

Editorial by Rocky Mount Telegram, March 10, 2015.

For months, we have been savoring crumbs of information about the possibility of a giant automaker announcing plans to build a plant in Edgecombe County. It’s clear that we aren’t the only ones hoping for a feast.

As The Associated Press reported over the weekend, Gov. Pat McCrory, S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley and Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal all have paid separate visits to the United Kingdom since January.

Aides for McCrory and Haley have refused to say much about the purpose of the trips, but Deal met in January with Jaguar Range Rover.

Jaguar and Volvo have been mentioned as carmakers looking at sites in the Southeast, as well as Mexico.

In Eastern North Carolina, a 1,200-acre site at Kingsboro in Edgecombe County has been quietly tagged as a top contender for an auto plant. The location would seem to offer plenty of amenities – quick access to major highways, railways and seaports, good community colleges and a big labor pool. But sites in Chatham and Randolph counties are in the hunt, too. So are South Carolina and Georgia, obviously. And then there’s Mexico.

All of which underscores the need for the N.C. General Assembly to make up its mind quickly about an attractive incentives package to sweeten a potential deal. The Golden LEAF Foundation already has put together a $50 million offering to help the cause.

A major automaker plant would be the best economic news to hit this area in decades. It would bring thousands of well-paying jobs for workers at the plant and at the sites of potential suppliers who likely would follow.

The recruiting effort doesn’t just rest with the governor and the legislature or even local leaders. It should involve every single one of us.

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/opinion/our-views/auto-plant-effort-should-involve-all-us-2813653