Marshalltown Times-Republican - Branstad: Current Administration not Focused on Iowa's Growth

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In the middle of a statewide tour on jobs creation, Republican gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad said Thursday the current administration has not done enough to help Iowa grow economically.

Branstad, a former governor, said Gov. Chet Culver has relied on government programs, such as I-JOBS, instead of making the calls and personally visiting various companies to sell Iowa to the private sector.

"There's an old saying, "If you want to make the sell, you've got to make the calls,'" Branstad said during a stop in Marshalltown.

Along with him was his running mate, Kim Reynolds, a first-term state senator from southwest Iowa. She also said the state needed a renewed commitment to economic development that was primarily based in the private sector.

"It starts with a leader in the governor's office that understands economic development," she said.

Reynolds and Branstad talked about teams of Iowans, and even former Iowans, who they envision as working together to sell the state to others. She said the first goal would be to encourage those individuals who have left Iowa and become successful to return to the state.

If they could not do so, then she said there was still a chance to partner with those former Iowans and use their contacts to get the message out about what a great state Iowa can be for business.

However, Branstad said Iowa cannot be a great state for business as long as there is a governor who is pushing for "jobs-killing" labor bills, such as prevailing wage, fair share and others. The state also needs to begin promoting itself as a right-to-work state.

"We need to create a very positive message," he said. "The present administration is not promoting Iowa business growth. They are not in touch with, or in tune with, what needs to be done for economic development."

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