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New GREDA Chairperson Just Wants to Help
A Galesburg man already the president of a local bank, and board member of the governing bodies for Galesburg Cottage Hospital, Bridgeway, the Orpheum Theatre, and others says he had to do a lot of soul-searching to decide whether or not he wanted to run the Galesburg Regional Economic Development Association as well.

New GREDA Chairperson Mark Blackburn says he spent a long time thinking about whether he wanted the job, when GREDA president Tom Schmidt first approached him about it.

But among the reasons Blackburn ultimately said yes, he tells WGIL he really wants to bring more jobs to the area.

"I've had a lot of individuals come to me, not so much friends, but just people that casually know me," Blackburn said. "A few friends come in and say, 'Mark, can you help us-- man, woman, adult, a child, or their children-- can you help us find a job."

"They weren't asking for a job at the bank, it was in the community, asking for assistance with employment. They are either unemployed or under-employed."

Blackburn says he hasn't been that successful helping those people find employment, and feels that he can do a much better job helping people find work as chairman of GREDA.

Blackburn was elected last week to an unexpired one-year term, replacing former Galesburg Mayor Gary Smith.
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