SALISBURY, Md.- The state of Maryland has received millions of dollars in federal funding from the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Yet only a handful of jobs have been created, leading many to ask where the money went.
Louis Daugherty expresses disappointment in Princess Anne.
"It doesn't seem to me like there's been nowhere near enough jobs for the amount of money that was designated," he tells us.
Meanwhile, in Pocomoke City, Carol Mortola is in disbelief.
"I can't believe it," she says, "What did they do with the money?"
Along with other Salisbury residents, Priscilla Jones feels concerned.
"There's some people a lot younger than me that really need a job and I think the government, I don't know. It's just to me, the government's just not doing the right thing."
According to information obtained from Recovery.gov, just under $40 million in federal funding have been received in Salisbury, resulting in the creation of under 32 jobs.
Roughly $5 million in Princess Anne have led to fewer than eight jobs and close to $4 million have brought just 4.2 jobs to Pocomoke City.
Pocomoke City Manager Russell Blake helps make sense of the numbers. He says the bulk of jobs created were temporary.
"Most of the job creation in these projects was in the construction. There were dozens of local contractors, electricians, other folks that came in to work on the project over the course of about two years. So there was a lot of job creation during the construction period of those projects," Blake explains.
Officials we spoke with say they hope this is just "seed money" that will lead to more spending and more jobs down the road.
