Governor hopefuls have plans for economy

Editor's note: Eighth in a series on the positions of major candidates for governor on issues facing the state.

The four leading candidates for governor say their plans to improve education, tighten ethics laws for government and repair the health-care system are all part of the main job of the state's chief executive - running Louisiana's economy.

The goal, the candidates say, is to improve the economy so it can create enough money and jobs to help the 19 percent of the population trapped in poverty and to stem the tide of young people leaving Louisiana for opportunities elsewhere.

"You can't have a single-dimensional answer," said John Georges, a New Orleans businessman who is not affiliated with a party. "That's what has not worked in the past."

State Sen. Walter Boasso, a Democrat from Arabi, said Louisiana needs to show its own people as well as the nation that "things are getting done."

"A lot of people have given up hope in Louisiana, and our national reputation is very, very tarnished," he said.

Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, a Democrat from Bossier Parish, said improving the economy will take job training, education and health care.

"All those things are necessary to uplift all communities," he said. "When the boom is gone in couple years, guess what's going to happen? The same thing that always happens: higher education gets cut, social services gets trashed, and we go back to where we were."

U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, a Kenner Republican, said throughout Louisiana's history, the economy has fluctuated through boom and bust cycles.

Jindal and his major opponents say they want to tap the current boom - brought on by high oil prices and post-hurricane reconstruction - to invest in the future so the next downturn does not trigger cuts in education funding and other crucial areas.

Jindal wants to follow the model of Texas and North Carolina, which took money created during their boom cycles and invested it in roads, education, research and other things that helped improve their economies over the long term.

"We're at another boom cycle, and we have a choice: Are we going to spend that money on instant gratification, which is politically easy, or are we going to invest it?" asked Jindal. "You look at the research park triangle area (in North Carolina). You look at Austin. They succeeded by making sustained investment, picking strategic direction and having continuity over multiple administrations."

Economic development is not just throwing incentives at one large company to get it to set up shop in the state, Jindal said.

He said fancy sales pitches, such as those favored by outgoing Gov. Kathleen Blanco's economic development department, do serve a purpose. But the state also needs to remove taxes on equipment and debts, improve work force training and ease regulation on companies, he said.

Like his opponents, Boasso said he would reorient the state's economic development efforts away from going to Europe and Asia to try to secure overseas investment and more toward helping businesses already in the state.

"I have to cut off the bleeding," Boasso said. "As soon as I'm elected governor, I'm going to bring in all the local economic-development managers from around the state and I'm going to give them a little mission. I'm going to send them across the state to walk into every business and ask two questions: What can we do to make sure you stay in Louisiana, and what can we do to help you grow your business in Louisiana?"

Boasso has spent 28 years in the maritime industry, which accounts for one-eighth of the jobs in Louisiana. He said the state should improve ports along the Mississippi River as well as on other rivers, bayous and canals.

"It'll be cheaper for Asian manufacturers to distribute their products out of our waterways than it costs them to distribute over land from the West Coast," Boasso said.

Campbell criticizes Blanco for not addressing high utility rates, which he said squashed the $3 billion German steel mill that the governor spent so much time pursuing last year.

Electricity would have cost the ThyssenKrupp plant about $60 million per year more in Louisiana than in Alabama, Campbell said. ThyssenKrupp chose that state over Louisiana.

"That's one of the first things they look at when they're looking for a new plant site: How much is the cost of electricity," Campbell said.

He said Blanco should have known that - she was once chairwoman of the PSC, which regulates utilities.

"She should have done everything she could do to get the utility rates down," he said. "She didn't lift a finger. She's very close to Entergy and some of their top executives. It's very troubling."

Campbell said he would try to get the utility companies, primarily Entergy Corp., which services most of the state, to sell electricity at lower price.

That could be done several ways, he said.

One would be to push Entergy to upgrade its facilities and manufacture power using less-costly methods. Other options would be getting Entergy to buy cheaper power on the electricity market or forcing its shareholders - rather than its customers - to bear more of the risks and responsibilities of the business, he said.

When asked about economic development, Georges points to the incubator concept, in which agencies ranging from universities to technical schools to public hospitals work together to nurture start-up businesses.

"You see, it's all interrelated," Georges said. "You can't have economic development, you can't build a new, growing economy, without having the whole package."

The primary election is Oct. 20. A runoff, if necessary, will be Nov. 17.

Thoughts on economic development plans by the four best-funded candidates for governor.

State Sen. WALTER BOASSO, D-Arabi

Expand state's ports and road system: Yes

Improving the quality of the work force: "Take our technical colleges and take our community colleges and connect the assets that we have."

Consistently fund universities: Yes

Other plans: Partner with universities and public hospitals to further research and technology development.Provide technical training for non-college bound high schoolers.

Public Service Commissioner FOSTER CAMPBELL, D-Bossier Parish

Expand state's ports and road system: Yes

Improving the quality of the work force: "Make sure the technical schools have money to train people."

Consistently fund universities: Yes

Other plans:Replace individual and corporate income taxes with a processing tax on oil flowing through the state. "Invest in the key anchors in each region, such as the cyber command center in Bossier Parish and public hospitals in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport."

JOHN GEORGES, No party, New Orleans

Expand state's ports and road system: Yes

Improving the quality of the work force: "Our job training in Louisiana is being run by four separate departments. First thing we have to do is to coordinate our job training."

Consistently fund universities: Yes

Other plans: Partner with universities and public hospitals to further research and technology development. Enact an income tax exemption for anyone over the age of 65. Repeal all taxes on business that do not conform with neighboring and competing states.

U.S. Rep. BOBBY JINDAL, R-Kenner

Expand state's ports and road system: Yes

Improving the quality of the work force: "Provide a 'Day One' job guarantee. Our people will be ready to work on the first day, or we'll retrain them free."

Consistently fund universities: Yes

Other plans: Remove those taxes on equipment and debt. Provide technical training for non-college bound high schoolers.