POP QUIZ

Welcome to the YES! Weekly Pop Quiz, where we ask elected officials about their jobs. This week, we address questions to members of the Forsyth County Commission about the July 30 announcement by Gov. Beverly Perdue that Caterpillar will build a new manufacturing facility in Winston-Salem. The rules are simple: no research, no callbacks.

Questions

1. How much did the Forsyth County Commission pledge in economic incentives to Caterpillar to help lure the company to the area?

2. What is Caterpillar’s projected total investment in its manufacturing plant? 3. How many new jobs will the Caterpillar project create?

Walter Marshall, District A:

1. I didn’t get the total numbers from the breakdown. The whole package came to about $23 million. [ ]

2. It was over $400 million. [ -]

3. It will be 390-something from Caterpillar, and there’s going to be another 119 from another company that will follow them, so more than 500 jobs. [ ]

Everette Witherspoon, Commissioner-elect, District A:

1. It was about $12 million and the city was $14.8 million. [X] 2. About $460 million [ -] 3. About 500 new jobs. [ ]

Beaufort Bailey, District A: 1. It was around $10 million. [ ] 2. I just don’t know that. [X] 3. About 500 new jobs. [ ]

Correct Answers

1. Caterpillar received $10.2 million in economic incentives from Forsyth County and $13. 3 million from the city of Winston-Salem.

2. $426 million

3. 392 full-time jobs and 120 contract jobs