LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BOLLING ANNOUNCES NATION'S FIRST 911 OPERATOR RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN

Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, in co-operation with the Virginia Information Technology Agency and local governments in the metropolitan Richmond region, has announced the nation's first 911 operator recruitment campaign.

Since 1967, our nation has had a reliable 911 system, but emergency communication centers all across the country are strained due to a lack of qualified emergency communications personnel.  To combat this problem, the City of Richmond has joined the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico in launching a region wide operator recruitment campaign, funded by a $289,000 grant from the Virginia E911 Wireless Services Board, a division of the Virginia Information Technology Agency.

"When people call 911, they expect their call to be answered on a timely basis by a qualified emergency communications specialist," Lieutenant Governor Bolling said.  "But what would happen if those calls were not answered?  We must make certain that this never happens, and we can do that by recruiting and retaining qualified emergency communications officers."

The Richmond regional program, entitled "On The Way", will feature public service announcements and television, radio and newspapers ads, as well as recruitment programs targeted toward newer media outlets, such as YouTube and Facebook.  The program will run for the next several months, and has a goal of recruiting 400 applicants to fill vacant 911 operator positions in metro Richmond.

Click here to view the television commercial

Click here to listen to quotes from Lieutenent Governor Bolling

For more information on this program, please click here.

During the 2008 session of the Virginia General Assembly, Lieutenant Governor Bolling pursued a very aggressive legislative agenda.  (click here for a complete copy of Lieutenant Governor Bolling's 2008 Legislative Agenda)  While not every measure Lieutenant Governor Bolling proposed was approved, he won a number of important legislative victories this year.

"I thought this was one of my most successful legislative sessions," Lieutenant Governor Bolling said.  "On issues like reforming public education and mental health care, reducing property taxes, improving campus safety, combating illegal immigration, and more, we led the way in proposing conservative solutions to the challenges facing Virginia."

In addition, Lieutenant Governor Bolling led the way in proposing conservative corrections to the state budget.  As a result of his efforts, proposals to divert $65M in lottery profits and $180M in transportation dollars to other government programs were rejected, and new spending proposals and withdrawals from the state's savings account were scaled back.

These accomplishments led the Washington Post to note, "In a legislative session that has been marred by partisan bickering, it's doubtful many legislators or Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) will emerge as political winners before the General Assembly's scheduled adjournment Saturday. But at least one politician, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling (R), has seen his stock soar this year....."  (Unhindered By Everyday Fray, Bolling Sees His Star Rise, The Washington Post, March 6, 2008)