OK, I recognize the good intentions, but forgive me for casting a skeptical eye on plans to donate half of the Wyndham Championship’s earnings — about $200k — to the Piedmont Triad Partnership for workforce development.
Why would be I skeptical? Because PTP has just about run through a $15 million federal WIRED grant, and the Triad’s still not a hotbed of job growth, or so I read in the paper. I realize Bryan Foundation president Jim Melvin didn’t exactly say PTP would get the money because “he isn’t interested in creating more bureaucracy than necessary.” But Melvin evidently contradicted himself when he said —according to the N&R —– a priority was “helping the Triad Partnership continue a work force preparedness effort after a federal grant runs out next year and, also, to promote this region worldwide.”
The Biz Journal’s Justin Catanoso also noted in this week’s column* that PTP’s staff “has doubled in size thanks to the WIRED money.” Last I looked, PTP has 16 people on staff, which means that the federal government created eight jobs for the partnership. I guess the argument is that the creation of those eight jobs would in turn create hundreds —if not thousands —- more jobs. But I can’t help but see this as another instance of government money providing jobs for bureaucrats first and foremost.
Bottom line is I can’t see how many jobs a mere $200k will create.
*Too cheap to fork over for a Biz Journal online subscription. My buddy gave me hell when I called him asked if he could possibly e-mail me the link to entire column.
