Candidates speak on RRAD layoffs
Ratcliffe, Krantz share plans for Texas’ 4th Congressional district
In a pair of statements, incumbent U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe and challenger Catherine Krantz this week commented on pending layoffs at Red River Army Depot.
The Gazette reached out to Ratcliffe, R-Heath, and Krantz, D-Emory, for responses to the 600 layoffs RRAD has announced will soon take place, along with their proposals to retain jobs at the depot moving forward.
In 2014 and 2016, voters elected Ratcliffe—a former law professor and U.S. Attorney—to represent Texas’ 4th Congressional District, where RRAD is one the biggest employers.
Krantz—an entrepreneur, publisher and economic development advocate—won the primary election in March and is Ratcliffe’s first Democratic challenger. Ratcliffe emphasized his previous efforts on behalf of the depot and pledged to prioritize further support.
“My heart goes out to all the men and women who will be affected by the expected release of RRAD employees, as I know they have served the Depot and our soldiers well. The Depot’s critical mission to support our soldiers is always a top priority I’m fighting for in Congress, and I’m grateful that my office was able to work hand in hand with Depot leadership and the Pentagon to secure an exemption to the civilian hiring freeze that would have impacted over 700 Depot employees last year.
“On top of this, my office is continuously engaged with depot leadership, local officials and community leaders to source additional workload to help stabilize employment at RRAD. Moving forward, I will continue working with the Texas and Arkansas congressional delegations to build upon our local efforts through policies in Washington that will ensure the Depot is best positioned for future success,” he stated.
Krantz described a vision for the district’s economic development based on direct investment, diversification and education. Her statement has been edited for length.
“First off, I would like to see large-scale infrastructure investment in District 4. We are underfunded in almost every area: schools, roads, hospitals, telecommunications. Direct investment would create jobs and get results immediately. … We can also do a lot more to foster healthy business environments that support existing business and make our communities more desirable to new investment: business incubators, desirable tax incentives, building a culture of entrepreneurship.
“The best investment will always be education. We most definitely need to invest more in education to avoid job losses and to ensure we get the jobs of the future. … If we stop focusing solely on large employers and manufacturing jobs and diversify our economic development plan to include direct investment in infrastructure, small business, tourism, technology, while making significant investments in education, we can reap bigger rewards for a bigger variety of industries all across our district,” she stated.