Joe Lance, who is arguably one of the (if not the) first to post the story online that day, muses on today’s 1-year anniversary of the announcement that Volkswagen is coming to Chattanooga:
“I have met a few people who’ve bemoaned VW’s arrival, but mostly, we are pretty happy about it. And I, for one, extend a hand of peace to our former rival communities. Huntsville may be close enough to fairly directly enjoy some of the benefit; and the paint shop builder is a Michigan firm, as I understand it. Chattanooga has much to be proud of, and last year’s announcement, just as the national/global economic unraveling was becoming well known, has surely helped buoy our municipal mood.”
I share Joe’s sentiment. For all of the troubling economic news we’ve had in the past 8 months - news which includes furloughs and 5% pay cuts here at NewsChannel 9 - the thought “well, at least VW will helps things locally” has been the big puffy pillow upon which to lay our collective heads.