McDonnell Makes Job Statements

It's no secret that this year's Republican ticket ran on a message of job creation. Governor-elect Bob McDonnell started to make good on those campaign promises Thursday. 

"I intend to make my first and foremost priority during the course of  the early months as governor the creation of jobs and opportunity for the citizens," McDonnell said at a press conference at the State Capitol. 

McDonnell announced that Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling will take on a new cabinet-level position - state job czar. 

"It made perfect sense to me to take the lieutenant governor and turn him into the busiest lieutenant governor in America," McDonnell said. 

Bolling will lead the administration's economic development team. Next week, McDonnell, Bolling and others will stop in Danville and Martinsville on the first of many visits to a region where unemployment has skyrocketed. 

 "We are determined to get the economy moving again and create jobs," Bolling said. "We will do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal." 

The lieutenant governor will also supervise job legislation during the upcoming session. 

"If we can't go through and obstacle, we'll go over it, we'll go under it, we'll go around it," he said. 

It's the start of an all-out legislative push to re-boot Virginia's economy.  "Even in these tough budget times, I'm going to ask (lawmakers) to allocate some money for major economic development initiatives and projects," McDonnell said. 

The governor-elect also introduced Richmond businessman Bob Sledd as the next Secretary of Commerce and Trade, and he announced longtime adviser Janet Polarek as Secretary of the Commonwealth, in charge of managing roughly 3,000 gubernatorial appointments to various state boards and commissions.