Lt. Governor Candidates Take Center Stage In AETN Debate
by October 16, 2014 2:42 pm 99 views
Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Little Rock, and Democrat John Burkhalter both want to use the lieutenant governor’s office to encourage job-creating and workforce training policies, while Libertarian Christopher Olson said the position should fulfill only its constitutional duties.
The three faced off in a debate Thursday morning on the University of Central Arkansas campus that can be viewed here. It will be televised tonight at 7 p.m. on AETN.
The state’s four candidates for governor were debating at 2 p.m.. That debate will be live-streamed at the same location and broadcast on AETN at 8 p.m.
The lieutenant governor’s constitutional duties are to preside over the Senate and to serve as governor when the elected governor is out of state or is unable to remain in office. Olson said he would advocate for abolishing the office or would fulfill only those duties and would hire only a part-time secretary to answer the phone.
Griffin and Burkhalter argued the office has important functions.
Burkhalter said two of the last five lieutenant governors have ascended to the governor’s office and that 43 states have the office. Griffin said recent lieutenant governors successfully have advocated for particular policies: the state lottery, a project of Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, and Lt. Gov. Mark Darr’s online state checkbook. Burkhalter said he would not accept a salary, and both said they would work the job full-time.
“I’ve never done anything part-time in my life,” Griffin said. “Anybody that knows me knows I’m full-time all the time.”
Burkhalter and Griffin both emphasized the importance of workforce training. Griffin said schools should not treat vocational students as somehow being on a less prestigious path, to which Burkhalter agreed. “It needs to be cool to be in a trade,” he said.
Asked for specific plans for creating jobs, Griffin called for reforming the state’s tax code, saying that a job-welcoming code makes government incentives less necessary.
“If you have a really good tasting cake, people will eat it without icing,” he said. He also called for lawsuit reform. Burkhalter said taxes should be lowered.
The biggest areas of contention between Burkhalter and Griffin were in their life experiences, not their policy proposals. Burkhalter pointed to his experiences as a small business owner and member of the state’s Highway Commission and its Economic Development Commission.
“I’m a problem solver. I’m not a problem creator,” he said. “I’m not part of the gridlock in Washington, D.C., where everyone wants to fight each other and not get anything done.”
Griffin pointed to his two terms in Congress, his service in the George W. Bush White House, and his tour of duty in Iraq.