The media villagers love to report controversy and scandal — it is the “sizzle” that sells newspapers and advertising space. When it comes to reporting public policy, however, the typical response is meh, too hard to report.
Which is why it was unfortunate timing for the campaign of Democrat Fred DuVal to release a jobs plan this week. The media villagers failed to report it. But the audience that DuVal was hoping to reach, Arizona’s business leaders, still got the message and they responded approvingly by voting with their money to contribute to his campaign.
Earlier this week, Fred DuVal criticized Republican candidate Scott Smith’s plan to cede authority over taxation and regulation to a “Chief Competitiveness Officer” — “Creating jobs and growing Arizona’s economy should be the governor’s number one job. Here’s my promise to the people of Arizona: as governor, I won’t delegate that job to an unelected government bureaucrat.”
DuVal also released his “Sun Corridor Jobs Plan”:
Fred DuVal Unveils “Sun Corridor Jobs Plan”
Phoenix, AZ — Business and education leader Fred DuVal, who is running for Arizona governor, released the following statement today unveiling his “Sun Corridor Jobs Plan,” an economic development and job creation plan for rural Arizona and Pinal County.
“Pinal County is perfectly positioned between Phoenix and Tucson, and it was the second fastest-growing county in America between 2000-2010, but Pinal County’s unemployment rate is significantly higher than the rest of Arizona’s. The same is true for much of rural Arizona. In fact, four Arizona counties have unemployment rates higher than 15%! We’ve got to do more to create jobs and grow Pinal County and rural Arizona’s economy. That’s why I’ve got a plan to get rural Arizona’s economy moving forward again – starting in Pinal County.”
DuVal’s “Sun Corridor Jobs Plan” would:
- Invest in transportation infrastructure and improved state highways
- Create a strong private-public alliance to break ground on a Tucson-Phoenix passenger rail line.
- Expand Arizona’s globally-renowned mining industry
- Champion the success of small business, startups, and entrepreneurs
- Embrace tourism with “A New Day in Arizona”
Fred DuVal is an Arizona business and education leader with a track record of successful work in the Arizona Governor’s Office, the White House, Arizona’s public university system, and the private sector, where, most recently, he worked with T. Boone Pickens on implementing the “Pickens Plan” to get America off dirty, foreign oil and on to wind power and cleaner, American natural gas. He is running for Governor because, he said, “stalled growth and vanishing jobs are slowly closing the gates of opportunity on our next generation.” Calling for a “clear strategy to attract jobs of the future and make changes to ensure our prosperity,” DuVal has criss-crossed Arizona to hear directly from people concerned about our future.
DuVal’s “Sun Corridor Jobs Plan” is available on our website here.
While the major news outlets ignored the Access Arizona forum this week, the Casa Grande Dispatch reported on Fred DuVal and his jobs plan. Election 2014: DuVal focused on education, jobs:
Calling himself a “pro-business, pro-entrepreneurship Democrat,” Fred DuVal on Tuesday laid out some points he said would help create jobs in Pinal County.
As the lone Democrat running for governor against a wide field of Republicans, DuVal called for boosting transportation, mining, tourism and other business.
He spoke in Casa Grande at a forum sponsored by Access Arizona, western Pinal’s economic development organization. The group plans future forums for the GOP candidates.
“I think Arizona is going in the wrong direction,” he said, citing a “sequence of wrong decisions” and an unemployment rate that is higher than average.
He said the state cannot do anything about the global economy but needs to invest more in education to attract employers offering good jobs.
“Read my lips — no new cuts to education,” he said.
Many graduates are leaving the state and employers find it difficult to attract talent because of the state’s image of low spending on education and hostility toward immigrants, he said.
“The only track available to us is value,” he said, through an economy tied to invention and innovation.
A current step-down in the corporate tax rate is ensuring the state is competitive nationally for attracting jobs in that way, DuVal said, but the state needs to raise its image to business, putting out a “welcome mat, not a stop sign.”
He cited his experience working for former Gov. Bruce Babbitt, when during the 1980s important legislation on water, health care and other areas was enacted with the cooperation of a Republican Legislature. He also worked on welfare reform for President Bill Clinton and served on the Arizona Board of Regents.
DuVal on Tuesday released his “Sun Corridor Jobs Plan,” saying it would:
– Invest in transportation infrastructure and improved state highways,
– Create a strong private-public alliance to break ground on a Tucson-Phoenix passenger rail line,
– Expand Arizona’s globally renowned mining industry,
– Champion the success of small business, startups and entrepreneurs,
– Embrace tourism with “A New Day in Arizona.”
“Pinal County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation and is emerging as Arizona’s new epicenter,” DuVal said in an accompanying statement.
The Yellow Sheet Report (subscription required) reported that business leaders have responded approvingly by voting with their money to contribute to the DuVal campaign. “Heavy Hitters Pledge Big Bucks for Duval”:
More than 100 business, labor, political and campaign figures met at the Biltmore yesterday afternoon for a DuVal campaign finance meeting that yielded more than $1 million in fundraising commitments, according to the campaign and other attendees,
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The source noted that the money isn’t in hand yet, but was confident in the fundraisers’ ability to follow through. “I’ve never seen anything like that. It was absolutely impressive. Now the chase begins,” the attendee said.
Another source who attended the meeting was impressed by the broad cross-section of supporters at the meeting. But the most striking thing about it, the source said, was the optimism and enthusiasm about DuVal’s campaign.
* * *
In addition, the Democratic Governor’s Association sent deputy political director Cory Platt to the meeting, and DGA chairman (and Vermont Governor) Peter Shumlin was among the telephone participants. While the DGA was missing in action during Arizona’s 2010 gubernatorial race, [Schumlin] said the organization is “very focused” on the state this time around. “They were very impressed with what they saw yesterday,” he said. I am quite sure they will not be invisible this time around.”
Better late than never.