Centralia leaders are still working to understand just what's on the table after a pair of announcements this week regarding hundreds of potential job cuts there.Gov. Pat Quinn announced in his budget proposal on Wednesday that the Murray Developmental Center would close, as well as the Department of Agriculture's Diseased Animal Lab. Then came news Thursday that the US Postal Service plans to close the mail processing center there as well. Centralia Mayor Tom Ashby says the announcements have prompted local leaders to gear up for a fight - particularly for the Murray Center and the more than 500 jobs it provides the region. Ashby says the center has a $38-Million annual payroll that helps fuel the city's and the surrounding region's economy. The Centralia Mayor says the Governor's budget plan is just a proposal for now, and says he and others are working to make sure the cuts don't come to his community. Ashby says a coalition of leaders from Marion, Jefferson, Clinton, and Washington Counties are working together to build a case for keeping the facilities open.
As for the postal center, Ashby says he'll also continue to fight for those jobs. He says US Senator Dick Durbin has been working to address the issue and he's hopeful the support will remain.