A county commissioner candidate is calling for the creation of a formal regional alliance to collaborate on economic development and job creation initiatives.
John Whikehart, former Ivy-Tech Bloomington chancellor and a Democratic candidate for Monroe County Board of Commissioners District 3, called for county governments along the Crane corridor to work together.
Whikehart pointed out that an alliance will demonstrate that the recently-announced, $42 million Lilly grant to military, business, academic and non-profit leaders for changing the educational and economic landscape in southwest Indiana would be strengthened by the collaborative support of county elected officials.
He said from his time as chancellor at Ivy Tech and as an education representative to the Region 8 board of Indiana Workforce and a member of the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation board of directors, he has experience working with other regional leaders that makes him a strong candidate.
“We need to begin education and training initiatives for the jobs that will be created across the 14 identified industry sectors,” Whikehart said in a press release. “I have already worked successfully with industry partners across this service area to create degree and training programs in life sciences and advanced manufacturing, and we have incorporated those in programs in area high schools.”