Legislators looking for some kind of definite positive public sign from Ford before they start the special session to consider tax breaks for it will not get a definite no or a definite yes.
A Ford spokesman has approached the line but would not cross it.
The basic question is whether Ford will start making a new line of vehicles at the Claycomo plant if the state gives it tax incentives. Ford’s Manager of Corporate Communications, John Stoll, says tax breaks are only one of the things Ford will consider when it decides where to produce one of the several new lines of vehicles it will start building. .
He does say the existence of Claycomo and the existence of a veteran workforce would weigh in favor of putting a new line there instead of building a new plant. “We’ve shown a commitment to our…existing facilities,” he says.
The president of the auto workers union at the plant says Ford has indicated it will build a new line there. But both he and Stoll say those discussions—like discussions with state leaders–have been behind closed doors and won’t be publicly shared.
AUDIO: Interview with John Stoll (10 min)
