Guntersville businessman Will Ainsworth, a Republican seeking the House District 27 seat, has repeatedly said that his top three priorities in office will be "jobs, jobs, and jobs," and he is the only candidate in the race with a specific, five-point plan to attract new businesses, investments, and employment opportunities to Marshall, Blount, and DeKalb counties.

With the guidance and input of area economic developers, large and small employers, public school officials, and local officials, Ainsworth developed the "ALL IN for House District 27" plan.

"ALL IN" stands for the "Alliance of Luring Lucrative Investments Now", and provides a basic roadmap for creating jobs by marketing the area and highlighting the assets that make our area a special place to live, work, and raise children.

In forming the plan, Ainsworth said the local legislative delegation should play a major role in job recruitment sine the members can serve as an effective liaison among city and county economic developers, the Alabama Governor's Office, and the officials at the Alabama Department of Commerce, which can help target potential prospects and offer state incentives to help land them.

Ainsworth noted that Gov. Robert Bentley recently visited House District 27 at his invitation in order to participate in an economic development forum that he created and organized. The first-time candidate for office said he would utilize his good working relationship with Bentley to focus the governor's attention on the need to sustain, grow, and recruit well-paying, long-lasting jobs to the area.

Ainsworths "ALL IN" Plan:

Marketing the House District 27 Region as a whole rather than having communities compete.

Ainsworth will emphasize teamwork among city and county officials so industries will locate in House District 27 and surrounding areas, and everyone will benefit. he believes that having communities work cooperatively in their economic development efforts would enhance prospects and apportion jobs throughout the area.

Rather than having cities like Boaz, Albertville, Arab, and Guntersville compete with each other for jobs, we should focus on competing with Huntsville, Gadsden, and even Birmingham. I propose that we market all of House District 27 as an ideal place to locate suppliers and ancillary companies affiliated with those already in Huntsville and other cities.

Each part of the county has its own assets. Some areas do not have large tracts of land to offer major industries, but their proximity to Huntsville makes them ideal for medical and technology companies. Other areas of the county have under-utilized industrial parks that offer the land that major employers demand. The local economic developers have told me they believe that a cooperative approach highlighting the assets as a whole will result in more success in creating jobs.

 

Placing an emphasis on career technical training for our public school students in order to improve workforce development.

After collaborating with local public school officials and businesses on the topic, Ainsworth said a greater emphasis should be placed on career technical training for the area's high school students in order to attract jobs and improve workforce development. he noted that career technical training could even be geared toward the needs of both existing and prospective industries in order to ensure a qualified workforce is always available and the needs of job providers are being met.

As a state legislator, I want to place an emphasis on funding for career technical training and expanding its potential in our schools. It's a fact that not every child is going to go to college, and we need to make sure that those who don't are adequately prepared to enter the workforce upon graduation, and career technical training is the key to that goal. Even students who do attend college are given a head start by acquiring the skills that career tech can provide them in high school.

Schools in House District 27 already offer programs in areas like cyber security and IT, and public school officials tell me there is a desperate need for advanced robotics courses, as well, but we lack the necessary equipment. Training in the traditional trades also provides much-needed skills to fill the long-standing jobs that fewer and fewer individuals are prepared to fill. Emphasizing, encouraging, and funding career technical training will greatly benefit our economic development efforts.

 

Highlighting the excellent public education being offered in schools throughout House District 27 and surrounding areas and working to restore lost education dollars.

Our area houses some of the best public schools in Alabama with Arab High being ranked third in the state and Guntersville High being ranked tenth in the state in terms of performance and education offered, and highlighting that fact is attractive to potential employers and potential residents. Ainsworth vows to tout our local public education successes, seek the input of classroom teachers and education officials, and restore any funding that was lost as a result of the Alabama Accountability Act.

If two high schools in our district were ranked in the state's top ten in football, everyone would know it, but few are aware that we lead the state academically. I'll highlight that fact to industrial prospects and the potential employers.

I won't settle until our schools are at the top across the board, so I'm forming an advisory council of classroom teachers, principals, and other education officials to seek their ideas for improving public education and pushing any needed legislation to passage. And while the Alabama Accountability Act might be working well for some areas of the state, it simply doesn't work within House District 27's education infrastructure, so I will strongly urge Gov. Bentley and the legislative leadership to restore any education funding that our schools are losing as a result of the AAA.

 

Promoting and developing the recreational assets that Lake Guntersville offers in order to grow tourism and attract investment.

Lake Guntersville and our state parks offer this region a unique economic development asset that other areas of the state simply do not share. Ainsworth believes we should leverage this asset in order to maximize our tourism dollars and attract investment by promoting Lake Guntersville as the "Bass Fishing Capitol of the United States." Development of a city harbor, a conference center, and a historic downtown entertainment district in Guntersville is vital to this effort. Ainsworth also supports bringing more leisure and entertainment opportunities to other areas of the county, such as Arab, in order to improve the quality of life and attract new residents and businesses.

I believe that developing a city harbor in Guntersville would benefit the entire county by attracting more visitors, and more dollars to the area. It makes no sense that we can bring an internationally-known fishing tournament like the Bassmaster Classic to Guntersville, but the weigh-in, which attracts and audience of thousands, has to be held in Birmingham because there is no suitable venue to hold it here.

Imagine if the dollars we can generate with a city harbor and a lakeside conference center and by replicating the revenue-generating downtown developments that have occurred in places like Fairhope and Montgomery. All it takes is the vision to see what can be done and the courage to make it happen. I'll work to generate the support we need from the state and sponsor any necessary legislation to turn this vision into a reality.

 

Reducing bureaucracy and regulatory burden to allow businesses to be more competitive.

Alabama must continue striving to create a business-friendly economic environment and reduce the number of senseless regulations placed upon employers who operate here. Ainsworth said he will work with Gov. Robert Bentley and the rest of his legislative team in order to lessen the regulatory burdens coming out of Montgomery and Washington, D.C.

Ainsworth noted that his opponent has openly refused to fight against Washington's federal overreach and also received the lowest score of any Alabama legislator from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a watchdog group dedicated to protecting small businesses.

We must protect our small businesses in House District 27 and across Alabama because they provide the vast majority of jobs and keep our economy moving in the right track. I want to help them spend more time creating even more jobs rather than complying with a mountain of bureaucratic red tape, requirements, and regulations.

The nightmare known as Obamacare has added even more burdens to employers and threatens the religious freedoms and beliefs that they are rightfully due as United States citizens. My opponent has already surrendered that fight against Obama's job-killing agenda and claims there is nothing we can do, but I stand ready to join the battle with everything I've got. Fighting Obama's liberal agenda and the encroaching federal government are essential to our economic well-being, and I will fight tooth and nail to protect our businesses, industries, and jobs as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives.

 

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