About McDonnell Job Watch

How do we count "jobs created" in Virginia?

In July 2010, Governor McDonnell and Lt. Governor Bill Bolling announced a net increase of 71,500 jobs in Virginia since the McDonnell administration began focusing on their jobs agenda in February 2010. The total number of Virginians employed has only increased by 30,412. The difference in these two counts is attributable to in-state and out-of-state commuters taking jobs inside and outside the Commonwealth. Both of these figures include seasonal workers and are accumulated directly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

Our official tally of "jobs created" is based upon the number of jobs in the Commonwealth that are directly attributable to the McDonnell administration's work to bring companies to Virginia that create new, currently non-existent jobs.  The Office of the Governor does this either through economic development agreements or through Virginia Economic Development Partnership assistance to businesses.

A Message from Ben Marchi, AFP-VA State Director

This past January, Bob McDonnell became our 71st Governor and took the reins at a troubled time in our Commonwealth's history. You and I know how burdensome excessive government regulation and out-of-control spending policies have become in Virginia, and how it’s squeezed our family budgets.

We are confronted with an economic recession that has affected everyone, from higher costs for groceries to lost jobs. In fact, hundreds of thousands of our neighbors have lost their jobs over the last few years while liberals in Richmond and Washington just kept spending more and more of our hard earned tax dollars.

In 2009, Bob McDonnell ran and was elected by a majority of Virginia voters on a campaign platform focused on jobs creation, even touting an official campaign slogan of "Bob's For Jobs." Upon his inauguration, Governor McDonnell pledged to help bring jobs back to Virginia and spearhead economic development in the Commonwealth. His first official Executive Order was to establish a new post of Chief Jobs Creation Officer and create the Governor’s Economic Development and Job Creation Commission. Since then, we have been waiting, watching and eagerly anticipating the McDonnell administration to deliver on that promise and court an ever-growing list of companies that are looking to call Virginia home.

We have not been disappointed. Since taking office, Governor McDonnell and Lt. Governor Bolling, whom he appointed Virginia's first Chief Jobs Creation Officer, Virginia has experienced an upward trend in job growth. Regardless of one's political philosophy, bringing more jobs to Virginia is a cause in which all Virginians can agree upon.

The Virginia chapter of Americans for Prosperity is proud to join this fight by providing McDonnell Job Watch as a source for citizen-activists who seek to hold the McDonnell administration accountable for his public commitment to creating more jobs in Virginia. We will keep track of the progress, good or bad, of the McDonnell jobs creation agenda and make sure he and his colleagues in Richmond increase fiscal prosperity and opportunity for every individual in Virginia.

Sincerely,

Ben Marchi

Virginia State Director
Americans for Prosperity