The Hamilton County Supervisors discussed the future closing of the Electrolux plant at their meeting today. Electrolux officials announced last Friday that they would close their washer and dryer facilities in Webster City and Jefferson in early 2011 and move the production to Mexico. Supervisor David Young, a Republican from Stanhope, said he is surprised at how little reaction the announcement is drawing.
Young says the county, state and country are seeing the “gutting of middle class jobs” and no one seems to be “jumping up and down and hollering.” Young says local and county governments have been accountable and have reserves to cover down budget times, but he says state and federal leaders have not been accountable.
“Someone needs to stand up and say to our state and national leaders, ‘no more of this’…everyone talks about this inevitability, I’m disgusted with that talk. This didn’t have to happen, this was allowed to happen over a long period of time,” Young says. Young says the supervisors will continue looking for new businesses, but he says there has to be a change of climate at the state and federal level to allow businesses to operate and make a profit. The move of the plants to Mexico will result in the loss of 850 jobs.
Contributed by Pat Power, KQWC, Webster City