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Goddard: Brewer delaying action on state deficit to win re-election

Goddard: Brewer delaying action on state deficit to win re-election

Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services | Posted: Friday, August 27, 2010 12:00 am

GLENDALE - Jan Brewer is hiding the size of the state's current deficit to get herself re-elected, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Terry Goddard charged Thursday.

Goddard said lawmakers need to come into a special session - and soon - because the revenues are not keeping pace with expenses, even with voter approval of a temporary 1-cent-per-dollar sales-tax increase that could generate close to $1 billion a year.

Brewer has conceded that further trimming may be necessary, but she has shown no interest in calling lawmakers back to the Capitol between now and the Nov. 2 election.

After championing the sales-tax increase to protect education, she refused to commit to using her power as governor to shield it from further cuts. She said, "I will do everything in my power to protect education" but cautioned, "To make promises is very, very difficult."

Goddard charged that Brewer wants decisions about how to fix the deficit - and potential further cuts to education - delayed until after the election.

"That is a crisis," Goddard said, and part of that solution has to be raising even more tax revenue.

Goddard acknowledged that Brewer shouldn't get all the blame for the state's current fiscal mess.

In the years before leaving as governor, Janet Napolitano pushed through new spending programs while approving a 10 percent cut in state income-tax rates.

Goddard said that was done with no regard to the possibility that the booming economy would ever crash.

And when revenues started to dip, Napolitano proposed some accounting changes designed to allow continued spending while taking the costs off the current year's books.

"Arizona, basically, in the exuberant good times made some very foolish economic decisions," Goddard said. "Now we have to live with those. We have to try to correct them to the degree we can." The conflicting views came both during and after the pair gave separate speeches Thursday to the annual conference of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.

Brewer said the economy is improving in Arizona and took credit for that in the speech. She said that "we have come so far in the last 600 days" since she took over from Napolitano.

"We've changed everything," Brewer continued. Jobs are being created, she said, and she blamed the Obama administration for the rise in Arizona's jobless rate from 7.0 percent to 9.6 percent since she took office.

Pushed for specifics on additional revenue and spending cuts, Goddard demurred, saying it isn't his job; it's Brewer's. "She should be honest with the people of Arizona about the kind of financial trouble we're in," he said.