Today we continue our Elections 2012 Candidate Q&A series, with responses from gubernatorial candidates Jay Inslee & Rob McKenna; Clark County County Commissioner, District No. 1 candidates Tom Mielke & Joe Tanner; and U.S. Representative, 3rd Congressional District candidates Jon Haugen & Jaime Herrera Beutler.
Gubernatorial race
What do you think is the most direct avenue, open to influence by the governor, to job creation for the state of Washington?
Inslee: The governor’s influence is strongest among two distinct groups of people: the agency leads who work with businesses, and industry leaders and business owners.
One reason I want to streamline economic development efforts and bring that function closer to the governor’s office is because I want those working to recruit and retain business in Washington to be directly accountable to me. Both myself and those working for me will be committed to working closely with industry leaders to identify how we can improve our regulatory environment – for example, easing rules that restrict university’s ability to form equity partnerships with private businesses to commercialize research and development – and address workforce development needs.
And because job creation is my top priority, I will be personally engaged in the recruitment efforts of new businesses. I know the power of a phone call is significant – I once spoke with a business owner who was thinking of locating a facility in Washington, but ended up locating in Texas. He received a call directly from the governor of Texas but not from Washington, and that made a difference.
McKenna: To help small businesses and encourage job growth, we must make it less expensive to employ people. We need to allow competition in industrial insurance, and work to lower unemployment insurance for all sectors of the economy. This approach will be more effective at creating jobs than the approach of favoring some industries over others and picking economic winners and losers.
We can’t ignore the importance of workforce issues. We can institute proven reforms in our education system and fully fund our schools so Washington companies have qualified Washington graduates to hire. Despite our high unemployment, some companies in our state have open positions they can’t fill because they can’t find the right employees. Higher education has always been the easiest cut for those who have controlled Olympia for the past 28 years. It’s time to stop cutting our universities, fully fund our K-12 schools, and truly put the kids first. That’s my pledge to you.
Clark County Commissioner race
What specific business experience do you bring to the position of commissioner that you believe sets you apart from your opponent, given the current needs of the county and the role of the commissioners?
Mielke: I started, ran and managed one of the most regulated businesses successfully for eighteen years. Reflecting my experiences in the Legislature, I kept a 100 percent score with the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
Tanner: I worked in the private sector 34 of the past 40 years. I worked for small businesses, some of which we grew to larger businesses. Over the past 20 years, I have held senior VP and COO positions in Drypers Corp., ETMA Corp. and Zeno Corp. Drypers was a baby diaper company that started here in Vancouver. We grew it to the sixth largest diaper company in the World, with sales of $480 million, and went public on NASDAQ. ETMA was the largest electronic manufacturer in Washington State, and Zeno invented FDA approved medical devices, of which we sold 1.5 million units through large retailers including Wal-Mart, Target and Walgreen’s. Bringing this unparalleled business experience to the county will serve our citizens well.
Congressional race
Q: Some of the tax breaks about to expire will have the affect of raising taxes on small businesses at a time when they are still struggling to recover from the Great Recession. Are you willing to work to extend those dealing with small business specifically? If not, what is your answer to these business owners who may lose their businesses?
Haugen: Tax breaks will be extended for those small businesses with an earned income of less than $250,000 – this covers 97 percent of small businesses. Unfortunately, the Republicans are holding hostage the tax breaks of this group of folks to give even more tax breaks to the top 3 percent. This is wrong. The 97 percent of small businesses are the engine of our economy.
Herrera Beutler: Uncertainty – it’s among the largest hurdles to small business success. An October 18 study by The Hartford shows 77 percent of U.S. small businesses believe their taxes will increase, and that 66 percent of them don’t plan to hire in 2013. I actually would prefer that Congress worked on a bipartisan agreement to revamp the entire tax code, making it simpler and fairer for families and small businesses. Comprehensive tax reform will allow small businesses to plan ahead rather than putting hiring plans on hold due to uncertainty over what their tax bill will be.
However, that’s not likely to happen before the tax breaks are set to expire on January 1. I have already voted to stop the tax hikes that would hit about 900,000 small businesses, and I will work to protect small businesses from having to send more money to Washington, DC. Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to keep small business exemptions in place.
Featured Photo
Youngsters turned out in droves at Pearson Air Museum last weekend for the Aviation Harvest Festival. Dressed in their finest Halloween attire, children played games, ate candy and experienced aviation-related activities like Pearson’s flight simulator. For additional photos, head to our Facebook page.
