Democratic governor nominee John Gregg has rolled out a 35-point economic plan he says would sharpen the targeting of Indiana’s job growth efforts.
Gregg’s proposals include renaming the state’s venture-capital fund, and steering the money to five high-tech areas: advanced manufacturing, logistics, I-T, life sciences and agribusiness. The plan also calls for plugging holes in broadband access, giving small businesses help with exports, and assigning a staffer to focus on development at the state’s 69 airports.
Except for a pledge to offer universal state-funded preschool, which Gregg says can be funded through savings elsewhere, he says none of the proposals represents new spending. Instead, he says the package would “reposition” existing resources.
The package includes a pledge to issue an executive order barring state contractors from discriminating against gays and lesbians.
At the heart of Gregg’s plan is a dispute with Governor Pence over the state of Indiana’s economy. Gregg says the record job numbers Pence boasts about haven’t increased wages. Pence’s campaign argues wages are up relative to housing costs. Pence points to surveys ranking Indiana among the best places to do business — Gregg says the state’s near the bottom in small-business startups.
