CNN 2010-02-05

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PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk about how your stimulus¹ money is helping² or not helping across America. We're going to the local level here, talking with three mayors. The mayor of Laredo, Texas, Raul Salinas, also Mayor James Baker³ of Wilmington, Delaware and Elkhart, Indiana, Dick Moore joining us. Three cities, three mayors, three stories about your money.

Thanks, guys, for being here.

Mayor Salinas let's start with you just because most recently we did the story about the last little bookstore in Texas. You know, it's been tough. You've had to deal with the literacy problem and then we hear that you're losing your bookstores. Has the stimulus money helped you at all with regard to fighting the illiteracy⁴ problem?

MAYOR RAUL SALINAS, LAREDO, TEXAS: Well, while I'm very disappointed what happened with the bookstore in Laredo. We've been working very hard to get petitions. The reason the bookstore was closed was not because of Loredo economy, it was closed because of business decisions with the corporate⁵ headquarters.

But we've had a number of petitions, but I don't think that's had an effect. But I am very confident that in the near future that we will have a new bookstore in Laredo because there's a lot of enthusiasm. We're on the border. But maybe we can find a way to maybe get some stimulus money. But what we have done, we received over $209 million and that's going to generate and has generated 700 jobs for us in Laredo.

And that's important because it has a ripple⁶ effect. When we got two major projects, one was a mobility⁷ program at Quatro Vientos (ph). We also, $48 million for a utility plant, Jefferson Plant in Laredo. Those are creating like 700 jobs, those projects. And that's important because it has a ripple effect on other commercial businesses. So it's very impacting.

We have a very good economy in Laredo. Our unemployment is at 8.6 while other cities along the border, for instance, McAllen is 11.2 unemployment, Brownsville at 10.5. So we have been very, very fortunate and the money that we have received has been very positive because it is stimulating⁸ jobs and is helping us for infrastructure⁹ purposes. PHILLIPS: OK.