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McAuliffe Pitches Green Jobs to Spur Economy
McAuliffe Pitches Green Jobs to Spur Economy
By Dan Roem
Times-Democrat Staff Writer
Perhaps it’s not fair to boil Terry McAuliffe’s candidacy for governor down to a single issue.
But the dominate message of McAuliffe’s relatively brief candidacy is economic revitalization through job creation.
“You want jobs, you want benefits,” McAuliffe told a small group of prospective voters at Foster’s Grille in Old Town Manassas earlier this month. “You want a good education.”
McAuliffe officially entered the governor’s race Jan. 7 and is vying for the Democratic nomination against Bath County state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-25th) and former Alexandria Delegate Brian Moran (D-46th).
The winner of the June 9 primary will then likely face presumptive Republican nominee Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) in the general election in November.
The Syracuse, N.Y., native has spent most of the last two decades living in McLean.
He has a background in business and Internet investments, is the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and chaired Sen. Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful run for president as a volunteer.
“I don’t believe you raise taxes in a down economy,” said McAuliffe during an interview with the Times Community Newspaper reporters last Thursday. “That leaves you with one alternative. I think we need to grow the economy. I think we need to create jobs.”
McAuliffe focuses his job-creation stump speeches on the green-energy sector of the economy. Creating jobs in the renewable energy field would drive down the need for more coal or nuclear power plants, he said, and lessen the need for more power lines like the ones Dominion Virginia Power is hoping to build across the Piedmont
According to McAuliffe, converting the Shenandoah Valley's chicken waste and other renewable resources into biofuel creates situations where excess runoff from farms does not head to the Chesapeake Bay, and farmers make more money.
And though states in the Great Plains may be more suitable for wind farms, McAuliffe suggested there should be a focus on bringing manufacturing jobs related to the wind turbines to Virginia.
How he plans to bring in all these jobs is through a series of tax incentives, as well as investments in transportation infrastructure and education.
“You put it in a lot of different funds," he suggested. "There are entities in the commonwealth today that do it. Maybe you bring them all together,” he said.
Once money does start coming back into the state coffers, though, McAuliffe supports spending it on more job creation.
“I think one opportunity we could improve upon: We haven’t been successful going out and getting what you call the mega-project deals,” he said.
McAuliffe took care to avoid pointing fingers for the failure to secure some possible mega-projects.
“Everybody’s done a great job and done the things they’ve had to do,” he said, though he later noted problems he has with the state legislature.
“You’ve got to offer them tax incentives to come,” said McAuliffe of businesses. “You’ve got to help them with the infrastructure," such as is being done every day in other states.
"I think we have a better opportunity to get them than other states, but, as I always mention, they tie the governor’s hands. The General Assembly doesn’t give [the governor] enough streamline process.”
Even when speaking about his opposition to the Dillon Rule, McAuliffe focused his criticism on big businesses not being able to set up shop in certain localities due to restrictions.
“I think the Dillon Rule has held us back on job growth...” he said. “You wonder why we haven’t gotten a lot of these big projects. Because of the Dillon Rule and problems around zoning, you have a very hard time putting those [large] parcels together.”
Given more localized authority, he said, school boards and local governments could work more efficiently.
“If we could have some consolidation of school boards working together for bulk purchasing power, I think that would be important, to allow local governments to do this, to save money themselves,” McAuliffe said.
“I mean, they know how to do it. They’re living in these communities. But right now, you all have to have separate structures.”
As someone who made his name on the national circuit, the former Democratic National Committee chairman said he has been challenged during his campaign about not being familiar enough with local politics to become governor.
However, as the state is swinging from red to blue, McAuliffe said that he thinks his national status is actually more help than hindrance.
“People say I’m a big personality, colorful and all that,” he said. “I’m just telling [you, given] the economic times, I think that attracts a lot of people.”
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