Many elected officials, and those seeking elected office, were in McPherson Friday for the All Schools Day Parade. One of them has a family connection to All Schools Day, that being Lieutenant Governor and Kansas Secretary of Commerce David Toland.
Toland explained his grandfather Toland was born in 1907 and raised in McPherson County near Galva, went through 11th grade in McPherson before the family moved to Wichita. “I’ve always had a fond spot in my heart for McPherson, and having read letters where talked about this parade and the Opera House and all of that, it’s special to be here for me,” Toland told Ad Astra News.
Toland said while there is some uncertainty about the economy on a national level, there are positive signs in the Kansas economy. A significant development impacting economic development came last week when Moody’s upgraded the State’s credit rating.
As far as McPherson is concerned, Toland cited expansions at Viega and Johns Manville along with a strong industrial base, which also is being seen along the I-135 corridor.
Even in his home area of southeast Kansas, parts of which have been plagued with high unemployment for years, there are signs of optimism. This includes a recent announcement of a company taking over a vacant industrial property in Fort Scott that will add some 40 new jobs in an area that consistently has seen some of the highest unemployment rates in Kansas.
Next month, a group of 20 site selectors who work with companies around the world will be making a trip to southeast Kansas, with stops planned in five counties.
