Easy to Miss: Foxx 10,000 Job Disclaimer

Exposing the Business Number Claims

In addition to the November 4th WSOC report about Mayor Foxx’s misleading job creation claims, consider this report from January 10, 2010 by Kirsten Valle at WCNC.com/the Charlotte Observer, which explains that the Charlotte Chamber “found that things began to turn around beginning in the third quarter last year (before Foxx was elected as Mayor). By the end of 2009, the Charlotte area had won major job announcements from companies such as GMAC, US Bancorp, Toshiba, Siemens and Electrolux - the largest corporate headquarters relocation since 1985.”  In other words, all of these companies were on their way before Foxx came into office.   WSOC already exposed the Electrolux line item, but Seimans and Toshiba account for another 905 jobs on the Mayor’s list that he’s taking credit for which he shouldn’t.

Possible Disclaimer to Jobs Numbers Claims

Foxx has also been claiming creation of 14,000 new jobs during his term, and hasn’t answered many questions about those numbers.  You can see an interview with candidate ScottStone on Tuesday of this past week by Fox 18's Terrance Bates and on Friday with incumbent candidate Anthony Foxx.  And If you listen very closely, you can hear Anthony Foxx state that the net positive job growth is 4,000 during his 2 years in office, not the 14,000 advertised job growth. 

He also quickly says that not all of the 14,000 in gross numbers (so also net) “have been filled yet.”  This is another way of saying they don’t exist yet.  They are likely among the projections of numerous unfilled grants, often for projects that voters didn’t want in the first place, and which encumber us for federal and matching local taxes for years to come.

Mayor Foxx, did you count the jobs you said you were creating to build the $37 million mile and a half stretch of rail from the arena to the hospital in this jobs number?  What else did you include in there?  Foxx’s staff told WSOC they would stick with their claims, even when Jason Stoogenke proved one company the Mayor said he brought to Charlotte wasn’t even in North Carolina, and then refused to answer any questions about the discrepancy.  Refusing to answer questions about problems that are uncovered seems to be an ongoing problem.  Don’t we deserve answers?