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Councilman Jones says Kershaw County economic development data were altered, urges change in approach
Summary
Councilman Jimmy Jones told Kershaw County Council that the Economic Development Office removed an announced 2015 expansion — $72 million and 410 jobs — from its public website and said recent postings show lower totals for announced investments and jobs than earlier listings.
During council briefings, Councilman Jimmy Jones criticized the county's economic development office for what he said were inaccurate and recently altered website postings about announced industrial investments and job creation.
Jones said he had repeatedly requested verified information about new industrial jobs since 2012. He told colleagues that an item showing a 2015 announced expansion of $72 million and 410 jobs had been removed from the Economic Development Office website in a recent update. "Having 400 folks having 410 jobs and $72,000,000 in investment disappear should be sobering," Jones said, and he displayed the earlier and revised website entries to the council.
Jones said he had been told the department only posts announcement information provided by industrial partners and noted a newly added disclaimer on the site to that effect. He contrasted earlier totals posted on the site (which he summarized as larger) with more recent totals showing lower reported investment and job counts, and said, "Folks, we're going in the wrong direction." He said he has proposed an alternative approach and that, after several years, "it's time to make a change."
Why it matters: Jones framed the discrepancy as a transparency and performance issue for the county's economic development efforts and questioned whether the department's budget and strategy are producing the returns advertised to the public.
Council did not take a formal vote on economic development policy at the meeting; Jones said he will continue to press for corrections and for a different approach to marketing the county's mega site and measuring actual job outcomes.
