KRTV: Tester talks jobs in Helena
U.S. Senator Jon Tester has been touring Montana in recent weeks talking about jobs and the economy, and on Tuesday his travels landed him in Helena. The News Station’s Marnee Banks sat in on the forum to find out how Montanans are viewing their economy.
Tester told the forum, “I go around the state of Montana. I hear a lot of things, from a lot of folks, but I think jobs is the first thing out of most everybody’s mouth. I will look for opportunities to put people to work, I will look for opportunities where we can help expand competition in the marketplace.”
Tester heard from a panel including the transportation and health care industries, the Chamber of Commerce, unions, and small business owners, and while each industry had specific concerns, the overall sense was that despite economic growth, Montanans are cautious.
Joe Mueller of the Helena Association of Realtors told Tester, “Consumer confidence is probably the biggest issue in front of us, Senator, right now. People are a little hesitant about making their big-ticket purchases.”
Tester told the panel he is focusing on creating jobs, pointing out that in 2009 he supported the federal stimulus bill, which he says put people to work all across Montana.
