Gubernatorial race between Keet and Gov. Beebe heating up

The gubernatorial race between Gov. Mike Beebe and Republican Jim Keet appears to be off and running, according to this report from Roby Brock at TalkBusiness.net.

Keet took square Tuesday (Aug. 10) aim at Beebe’s claims on job creation, improving schools and a balanced budget. The Governor’s campaign fired back. Keet told reporters at a mid-day news conference that it was time for Beebe to "tell the truth." A spokesman for Beebe’s campaign said he is.

Keet questioned the Governor’s claims of creating 25,000 new jobs saying it fails to mention job losses that have resulted in a state unemployment rate above 7.5%.

However, Beebe spokesman Zac Wright pointed to public appearances by the Governor, including a state of the state address, where Beebe referenced 27,000 job losses in Arkansas during the recession.

On the subject of education rankings, Beebe has claimed that Education Week, a national publication, has placed Arkansas schools among the Top 10 in the country. Keet challenged that notion and said the report ranks Arkansas lower in categories like "K-12 achievement" and "chances of success."

"Governor Beebe wants to measure the amount of bureaucratic red-tape and the amount of money we spend as the bar for educational success. I want to measure results," Keet said.

But Wright said that the Education Week score is based on "achievement and policy."  He also added that Beebe helped lead the state out of the long-running Lake View case and he noted that Beebe often claims in public appearances that "we still have further to go."

During his tenure, Beebe has led Arkansas to a balanced budget, as the law prescribes, but Keet said that a "nearly $400 million" loan from the federal government that has helped support unemployment benefits is proof that the state budget is not balanced.

Wright said the fund is federally administered and kicks in when the unemployment trust fund is otherwise depleted in states. Because it is federally administered, the funds are not controlled at the state level. Besides receiving the money from the federal government, a tax on Arkansas businesses based on a percentage of payroll also supports the fund.