(Host) Vermont’s general election campaign for governor is now under way.
Republican Brian Dubie called for a cap on state spending to help finance an income tax cut. And presumptive Democratic nominee Peter Shumlin criticized Dubie’s economic priorities.
VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports.
(Kinzel) Dubie unveiled his ten-point economic plan at Northern Power Systems in Barre. It’s a company that makes high tech wind turbines.
Two years ago the company was facing bankruptcy. Now it employs more than 160 people.
Dubie told a crowd of roughly 100 business supporters that the heart of his economic plan is a 2 percent budget cap on all state spending. Over time, he says this effort will provide enough money to pay for an income tax cut for all Vermonters.
(Dubie) "We in government also need to be grounded in the reality that we can only spend a percentage of what you all make, what the small businesses of the state of Vermont generate. That’s a basic economics. We in government also need to understand that with a strong economy and good paying jobs can we pay for the services that we value."
(Kinzel) Dubie’s plan also calls for permit reform, expanding broadband services throughout the state, lowering health care costs and ensuring that the state has reliable and affordable power, including the re-licensing of Vermont Yankee.
Dubie met very briefly with reporters after his speech. He was asked repeatedly what programs he would cut to meet the budget cap threshold. He says that’s still an open question:
(Dubie) "We’re going to have to have a conversation about what are our priorities are as a state. I have provided a comprehensive plan today. It will be the basis of that conversation."
(Kinzel) Despite a lack of specifics, Dubie insisted that his proposed tax cuts were fiscally responsible.
(Dubie) "I showed how I’m going to pay for my tax cuts that I’m talking about. I think it’s the right thing to do the conversation about specific programs. It will be an ongoing conversation."
(Kinzel) While the Democrats won’t have a formal candidate until a recount is completed, the three leading vote getters – Peter Shumlin, Doug Racine and Deb Markowitz – held a joint press conference to criticize Dubie’s economic plan.
Shumlin said it was modeled after the failed policies of former President George W. Bush:
(Shumlin) "He comes out with an economic plan that’s very similar to the plan that bankrupted America: unending deficits, tax cuts for the wealthiest Vermonters, and budgets that don’t balance."
(Kinzel) In the 2002 gubernatorial race, Jim Douglas had a campaign slogan that said "Jim Equals Jobs." Doug Racine offered an updated version for the Dubie campaign.
(Racine) "I think we could say very simply that Dubie equals deficits. When you look at how he’s proposed to get this economy going, it doesn’t meet the needs of Vermonters and it doesn’t meet the needs of our economy."
(Kinzel) The three Democratic candidates could be making more joint appearances in the coming days because state election officials say they don’t expect that the recount will be done until the middle of September.
For VPR News I’m Bob Kinzel in Montpelier