Less is more: Coleman’s record on job creation doesn’t match the rhetoric

During Sunday night’s U.S. Senate debate, the candidates were asked about their plans for job creation given that the economy hemorraghed 159,000 jobs last month. Sen. Norm Coleman answered the question by touting his record while running the City of St. Paul. “When I was Mayor of St. Paul, my mantra used to be jobs, jobs, jobs,” Coleman said. “People would say, Mayor, what are you doing for kids? I’d say the best thing I can do for kids today is make sure mom and dad has an opportunity for a job.”

So what was Coleman’s actual record of job creation during his eight years running St. Paul? According to the Minnesota Department of Economic Security, there were 18,038 jobs created in St. Paul between 1993 and 2000, an increase of 9.7 percent. That sounds reasonably impressive — until you compare it to job-growth rates across Minnesota. The average increase in jobs statewide during those boom times? 20.1 percent — or more than twice the rate of growth experienced in St. Paul. Even Minneapolis, where two-term mayor Sharon Sayles Belton was run out of office in 2001, had a better track record than St. Paul, with 28,303 new jobs generated, a rise of 10.1 percent.