Story Published:
Jul 29, 2010 at 2:36 PM CST
Story Updated:
Jul 29, 2010 at 2:36 PM CST
Congressional candidate, U.S. Marine, and Iraq War helicopter pilot combat veteran Ben Leming visited the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency in Cookeville yesterday as part of his ongoing jobs tour.
Leming met with several employees at the agency and listened to their accounts of how the economy has hurt the region. Leming also discussed his plan to move the economy forward.
Leming’s “battle plan” for the economy calls for investments in small and existing businesses, modernization of the nation’s infrastructure, funding for technical training and education programs that train the 21st Century workforce, investments in renewable energy, and a leadership in Washington that unites Americans behind the challenge of retooling the workforce.
“This is a huge challenge but, make no mistake, it is also an opportunity. It is an opportunity for our nation to invest in the infrastructure and training that will create the jobs of the future and move our economy forward. It’s an opportunity for us to once again unleash America’s greatest asset, the ingenuity of our people,” said Leming of the current economic recession.
Leming says he was impressed by the work the UCHRA is doing to help families struggling with the economy.
“Partnerships like the one at UCHRA help bring government grants and private dollars together to help people have the resources they need to get back to work. We need agencies like this to fight for folks that are hurting. I want to fight for them in Washington,” said Leming.
Leming’s jobs tour continues this week with stops in Carthage, Gallatin, Lewisburg, Livingston, Murfreesboro, and Springfield.
Murfreesboro native Ben Leming, a captain in the Marine Corps Reserves, is a veteran of the Iraq War and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He is a Democrat running for the seat being vacated by retiring Congressman Bart Gordon in Tennessee’s 6th District.
In photo: UCHRA Lindsey Henderson, Candidate Brian Leming, and UCHRA Jana Hill.
