Alabama gubernatorial Republican candidate Dr. Robert Bentley approached the steps of the Dallas County Courthouse Friday with a simple message.

“I want to see good, high-paying jobs and gambling is not the answer to bringing real industrial jobs to this state,” he said. “That’s a temporary fix. In the long run, it’s a detriment to any area.”

The key to thriving industry, Bentley said, is investing in the state’s two-year college system to produce skilled-laborers. This, he said, will be a major factor in drawing large-scale employers.

As a Tuscaloosa native, Bentley said he is tired of seeing west Alabama ignored.

“The Black Belt is an area that people talk a lot about, but very little has been done through the years,” he said. “I don’t want us just to have commissions. I really want to try to bring industry into this area, improve infrastructure and bring high-paying jobs and I believe we can do that.”

Bentley’s visit, Selma City Council President and Dallas County Republican Party Chairman Cecil Williamson said, is important to show what the Black Belt has to offer.

“We hope that this puts Selma on his mind when he begins to recruit industry,” he said. “Our primary need is jobs and I’m delighted that he has come to Selma to see all the needs here.”

For too many years, Bentley said the state has established commissions to develop plans when immediate action is needed.

“They meet and write a report and put it on the shelf and that’s about all there is to it.” he said. “I don’t want anymore think-tanks, I want some do-tanks.”

The Black Belt, Bentley said, has often missed out on job opportunities because of its location. But, he said, the infrastructure exists and can be further developed to make Selma a thriving city again.

“We have, I believe, the opportunity to create jobs that will attract industry,” he said. “I want to continue to push hard to continue to fund programs that will create jobs that are somewhat recession proof. We’ve got to get the unemployment rate down and we’ve got to get people working again.”

The expansion of Interstate 85 to Meridian, four-laning of U.S. Highway 43 throughout the state and the creation of a North-South Corridor can combine to make the Black Belt more attractive to businesses, he said.

Selma native and District 7 Congressional candidate Don Chamberlain said he feels Bentley has a winning plan.

“I have been a fan of him since the day I met him in Eutaw,” he said. “He will make affine Governor because he understands the No. 1 problem we have right now that our folks need jobs and that we have an economic condition in this state that is totally unacceptable.”