Yesterday, Democratic candidate for Virginia Governor, Sen. Criegh Deeds, was in Bristol on his “Deeds Country” tour touting his support for the Governor’s Opportunity Fund – monies that are under the control of the executive to attract business to the state – and his commitment to raising the fund to $40 million.
“I’ll continue to champion the Governor’s Opportunity Fund and use it to attract a well-trained workforce and businesses,” Deeds said Wednesday. “Doubling the fund is the right thing to do to jumpstart the economy and it’s the right thing to do for communities like Bristol.”
I agree.
The GOF is a terrific use of taxpayer dollars to incentivize businesses to come to Virginia and grow our economy.
Unfortunately, Deeds tried to score political points by stating in 2002 and 2004 then Delegate Bob McDonnell voted to cut the GOF. Deeds said that McDonnell’s proposal to increase the fund amounts to a “flip-flop.”
“Times have changed,” responded Crystal Cameron, spokesperson for McDonnell. “We are facing the highest unemployment rate in a quarter century. Neighboring states have become a lot more aggressive in attracting businesses. In order to stay competitive, we must be forward thinking and look for better ways to attract new business and good-paying jobs, that’s why Bob McDonnell will expand the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to entice more businesses to set up shop in Virginia.”
The fact is this is another “me too” moment for Sen. Deeds. Earlier this campaign, McDonnell proposed “roughly doubling the funding available and broadening Fund rules to allow companies that generate additional state and local tax revenue to qualify.” The best response Deeds could come up with at the time was “build more roads.”
“Creigh Deeds has no comprehensive plan and no amount of money in the GOF is going to make up for the jobs and opportunities destroyed by the big tax hikes he has planned,” Cameron continued. “This campaign is about looking forward with bold ideas and solutions that will create new jobs and more opportunities across Virginia, it’s not about living in the past.”
But there is more irony here too.
Deeds is upset that McDonnell wanted to cut $13 million from the fund when it wasn’t necessary in the economically growing years of 2002 – 2004. So why is Deeds not upset at Governor Tim Kaine for not using the $11 million that’s currently in it?
“For the first 13 years of the fund, …… every governor that had access to those funds was able to use those funds fully,” McDonnell said. “The current governor, unfortunately, over the last couple of years, has not fully used all the moneys available in the Governor’s Opportunity Fund, which is extremely puzzling.”
Where’s Deeds’ outrage with Kaine then? Kaine has frittered away about as much money as McDonnell wanted to cut all those years ago.
Seems like the flip-flop belongs to Deeds – or at least the bad policy. It seems he’d rather waste money in the good years and not invest in growing the economy at all in the lean years.
It looks like he understands that different times call for different approaches, but it seems he’d do it exactly backwards!
Go figure.
