The Franklin News-Post
P. O. Box 250
310 Main Street, SW
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
540-483-5113
Fax: 540-483-8013
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John Lester |
Monday, November 2, 2009
By JOEL TURNER - Staff Writer
If he wins in Tuesday's election, John Lester said his top priority will be attracting new industries and jobs to Franklin County and Rocky Mount.
Lester, a Rocky Mount Town Council member, said he is concerned about the "brain drain" in the county -- the fact that hundreds of high school graduates leave the county because of the lack of good jobs here.
"We have an excellent education system here, and we do a good job of educating our young people, but when they graduate, they move elsewhere to get good jobs," Lester said.
"We don't have anything to offer them here," he said, adding that many industries in the county and Rocky Mount have closed in the past decade.
Lester said he is running for the board of supervisors because he wants to work with county officials to develop strategies to attract industries and jobs.
"We need to develop specific strategies and incentives so we can better compete for jobs with other localities," he said.
Lester said he will work to get more state funds from the Governor's Opportunity Fund to help provide incentives for industries and businesses to locate in the county.
He also wants the county government and school system to work close together to train students for the jobs that become available in the county.
As a member of the board of supervisors, Lester said he could have more impact on helping to stimulate economic development than as a member of Rocky Mount Town Council.
Lester said his desire to have a larger voice in job creation is the reason that he is running for the board of supervisors.
If elected, Lester said he would work to bring more jobs to the county by developing economic strategies and incentives to attract new industries.
"That is our biggest need and this is what I would hope to accomplish in the next four years," Lester said.
As a town councilman, he said he has been a strong advocate for an aggressive economic development program.
Lester cited his educational background and his job experience as qualifications for becoming a supervisor.
Lester is a former Franklin County administrator who was elected to Rocky Mount Town Council in 2006.
Lester served as Franklin County administrator during the early 1990s.οΎ
He also served on Rocky Mount Town Council in 2000 and 2001, but he resigned when he took a teaching job outside Franklin County.
Lester has a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University in North Carolina. He is a former special education teacher and a former day treatment counselor at Lee M. Waid Elementary School for children with special needs..
"I believe I have the education and the varied experience to be a supervisor," Lester said. |
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