Gayle Manchin calls Chattanooga a ‘great model’ for the rest of Appalachia

During a visit to Chattanooga on Thursday, Gayle Manchin, co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission and wife of U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, said the city is “a wonderful model of what can happen in Appalachia.”

“To bring broadband “I think to every household in Chattanooga and what a difference it makes, I think that was the vision that started to tie all of this together,” Gayle Manchin said in an interview following a conference held in the city by the commission. “This is the model that other towns, smaller than Chattanooga, larger than Chattanooga, can look to.”

Hamilton County is located in the South Central Appalachia subregion, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission, which is the economic development arm of the federal government and focuses on 423 counties in Appalachia.

Chattanooga has been able to successfully transition from an industrial economy to a more modern economy, Manchin said.

“You change by diversifying your economy first and looking at other ways,” Manchin said. “The river can be a great part of the new Chattanooga, the new look of the town, and then you can think about industry. The aquarium is great, it brings the arts, it expands the culture, it provides educational opportunities.”

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, speaking at the conference, commended the commission for choosing Chattanooga as its host.

“It’s an overused term,” said Fleischmann, a Republican from Ooltewah, “but we really are a renaissance city.”

VILLAGE TENNESSEE

In a speech at the conference, GOP Gov. Bill Lee praised his record of focusing economic development in rural TennesseeIncluding the Appalachian regions in the eastern part of the state.

“I grew up in a rural environment, I appreciate it, I understand it, but I also know that rural America has tremendous challenges,” Lee said.

The governor said he visited every economically distressed county in rural Tennessee before running for president.

“I wanted to know what was happening in the most economically challenged communities in Tennessee,” Lee said. “So I could better understand what was happening and see what the challenges were for someone like me who wanted to be in a position to create change in these areas.”

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Lee said the number of economically distressed Appalachian counties in Tennessee has dropped from 10 to 5 because of the policies his administration has implemented.

While Hamilton County, a more urban area with Chattanooga at its center, is not considered to be in trouble, Lee said economic prosperity affects everyone in the state.

“What happens outside affects what happens here,” Lee said. “If we’re going to thrive as a state, we need to thrive in our rural communities and our Appalachian counties.”

Former U.S. senator and former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker commended the administration’s efforts in rural Tennessee.

“What you’ve done for our rural Tennesseans is incredible,” Corker said at the conference.

NOVEMBER ELECTION

Noting that Republican Party candidate and former President Donald Trump will face Democratic Party candidate Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election to be held in November, Gayle Manchin said it is important for voters to consider the person who will best serve all people across the country.

“We need to elect a president who cares about people in both rural areas and large urban areas,” Manchin said. “We need to make sure that we provide the things that are so important, like educational opportunities, health care, transportation.”

Contact Ben Sessoms at [email protected] or 423-757-6354.