Thompson: ‘Make a bigger effort to add jobs and people’
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| Howard "Bud" Thompson, Prophetstown |
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I have two major goals as a member of the Whiteside County Board:
1) To not raise taxes;
2) We had 2,551 fewer citizens in the 2010 census than we did in the 2000 census. We need to make a bigger effort to add jobs and people.
Our economic development people are working hard and with some obvious success, i.e., the Walmart facility. But we should consider doing newer things like temporary real estate tax abatements for people who build or rehab a home anywhere in Whiteside County.
I have a lot of business and government experience. I successfully owned and ran my own business for 40 years. I served as mayor of Prophetstown for 8 years. I served on local boards of education and served as state president of the Illinois Association of School Boards for 2 years. I was also a member and officer of the State Board of Education for 15 years.
I was president of Prophetstown Manufacturing Inc., our local innovative effort to create jobs in the 1980s. I was the first president of our Main Street Program. I am a member of the enterprise zone management board and have served as chairman of that body. I currently serve on a number of boards and commissions in the area of economic development.
We have a great county. I pledge to try to help make it even better.
