Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Hutchinson runs for Governor

Asa Hutchinson is running for Governor of Arkansas on the platform of economic development.

The key reason Im running, he said, is Im passionate about the growth of Arkansas in jobs and opportunities. My heart and home are here.

Hutchinson said hes had the opportunity to serve in high places in the Federal Government, but yearned for the chance to make a difference in Arkansas. He is the former director of the Drug Enforcement Agency and was a high-ranking official with the Department of Homeland Security.

Arkansas, he said, needs to be competitive in recruiting jobs to the state. We have taxed ourselves to the point where we cant raise taxes or we wont be able to bring business to the state.

To attract industry and expand business in Arkansas, he said, we need to look at the tax and energy rates. My goal is to see how we can be more competitive, but we cant raise taxes. Its all tied to economic development and job growth.

Hutchinson said the politicians in the state need to lock in their minds not to raise taxes. He suggested calling on industry to help the state grow.

In talking about energy costs, Hutchinson said they need to be brought in line to help attract business and industry to the state, instead of being a deterrent to the states economic growth. He added the state doesnt need to make more money from energy taxes when energy companies raise their rates. This hurts the people of the state, especially those on fixed incomes.

Im passionate about increasing job opportunities and improving education in Arkansas, he said, recruiting and expanding industries. Eighty five percent of job creation comes from existing industries.

Education is another area Hutchinson plans to focus on, especially with the Lake View case looming once again. Money is needed for schools, he said. We need to look more at the standardized tests and make sure were not duplicating the test requirements. We need to hold schools accountable, but we cant spend our way out of the education crisis. We need to improve education through the reform effort the Legislature put in place in 2003.

Hutchinson said Arkansas is making progress in the area of education. Teacher salaries have been increased to the point the state now ranks 37th in the nation in teacher pay. Along with this, test scores are up.

For small districts, he said, if they are performing the state should help them meet the standards and goals set. Consolidation should be based on performance, not numbers.

Going back to the topic of the economy, Hutchinson said Arkansas needs to look to technology along with manufacturing to help its economic base. In the past five years, Arkansas has lost 38,000 manufacturing jobs. We need to look at the new economy  technology based companies. We need to work on technology to advance job opportunities for our young people and bring more research money to Arkansas.

Hutchinson is running as a Republican.