Rukavina calls Pawlenty’s jobs record “a failure”

10/19/2007

By Marshall Helmberger
Timberjay (Ely, MN)

Citing the latest employment numbers for Minnesota, Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Pike, called Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s record on job creation “a failure” and called on the governor to convene a special session to address the deteriorating jobs picture.

The Department of Economic Development released figures this week, showing Minnesota’s unemployment rate has risen again and now stands at 4.9 percent. That’s compared to a national rate of 4.7 percent.

“Minnesota is facing a jobs crisis like never before in state history,” said Rukavina, who noted that the state has traditionally enjoyed job growth and unemployment rates that were better than the nation as a whole. “I’m calling on Governor Tim Pawlenty to call a special session to address our deteriorating unemployment situation and other neglected state needs.”

Alex Carey, spokesperson for the governor, took issue with Rukavina’s characterization of the state’s job situation. “While we appreciate Rep. Rukavina’s frequent comments, the record shows that Minnesota has gained more than 100,000 jobs over the past four years and continues to enjoy among the nation’s highest per capita incomes,” said Carey.

According to Rukavina, since Pawlenty was elected in 2002, Minnesota has gradually lost ground to the rest of the nation in the job creation category. Rukavina believes that the days of Minnesota leading the nation with the lowest unemployment rates are gone, maybe permanently.

“We are the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and we were the land of plentiful jobs, but since Tim Pawlenty took over, a dangerous and disturbing pattern has affected our job market,” said Rukavina.

Rukavina said longtime State Economist Tom Stinson previously indicated that these unemployment trends are “vexing and disturbing.” Rukavina added, “While our highly regarded state economist raises warning signs like this, our Governor in last year’s election told the people of Minnesota that our job market was “red hot.” Clearly, someone is not telling the truth, and I’ll tell you now that that person is not Tom Stinson.”

Rukavina pointed to the hallmark of Pawlenty’s economic development agenda, the JOBZ program, as an indicator of the state’s employment troubles. “In truth, Tim Pawlenty knows that the centerpiece of his job creation agenda, the JOBZ program, has failed miserably. Now he has all but abandoned it in favor of a new, undefined SEED program. This program only offers another failed strategy as well,” the northern Minnesota lawmaker stated.

Carey said the governor’s recently-announced (SEED) initiative focuses on building rural Minnesota’s small business base. SEED will help new business, existing companies, and rural communities by providing a wide variety of economic development tools that can be matched to each situation.

Carey described the JOBZ program as “overwhelmingly successful.” “Since its inception in 2004, JOBZ has produced 310 deals with a commitment of 4,922 new jobs and the retention of 11,672 jobs in Greater Minnesota,” he stated.

But JOBZ has provided little or no impact in northern Minnesota, a fact which prompted Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, who was an original sponsor of the measure, to express his own disappointment in the program recently.

Rukavina also faulted Pawlenty for his veto of the tax, bonding , and transportation bills, which he said would have created thousands of jobs in construction and related areas.

“With every stroke of his veto pen, Pawlenty signed away thousands of opportunities for Minnesotans who need jobs,” said Rukavina. “With a record like that, it’s no surprise that Pawlenty has the worst jobs record of any Minnesota Governor in the last four decades.”