Governor Bob Holden has appointed a 22-member task force that will try to develop a plan to keep Ford’s assembly plant in Hazelwood, near St. Louis, up and running. Holden has vowed to do what he can to save the plant’s 2,600 jobs and its $169-million in annual salaries. Charles Mueller, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AmerenUE, will chair the task force, which is made up of business, government, and community leaders. The panel includes U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Jean Carnahan; Congressmen Richard Gephardt, Lacy Clay, and Todd Akin; and Economic Development Director Joe Driskill. The Hazelwood facility is slated to close in 2005 or 2006.
