Cottage Grove (KMTR)- They haven't agreed to a debate, but the two men running for Oregon governor came as close as they have so far on Friday.
John Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley both spoke at the annual state mayor's conference held in Cottage Grove- just not at the same time.
The mayors submitted questions for both men, and the focus was, as you'd expect, on jobs and the economy.
Kitzhaber says what happens in the next year will set Oregon's course for the rest of the decade. He calls it a point of great jeopardy and a point of great opportunity. Kitzhaber wants to develop a ten-year strategy plan that will not only create short-term jobs like making Oregon schools more energy efficient, but will change Oregon's long-term outlook.
"I
n the long term, I think clearly we're going to have to revisit our tax code, create more incentives for the reinvestment of capital here in the state of oregon and create a much more stable foundation for the enterprise of education to allow them to budget against a fixed number," says Kitzhaber.
Dudley says voters are telling him the state has a lack of direction. He says while long-term results may be slow to come in, he thinks he can change people's attitude in a hurry. He says people need to feel like there's somebody behind them when they take the small business plunge.
"People who want to start- whether it's the next Subway franchise, or whatever it is- are so scared of what's coming next. There's not going to be another shoe to drop, we're not going to make it more difficult for you, it's actually going to be an environment where we're actually on the same team," says Dudley.
Both candidates say that the awaited debate between them will come someday. But as to what day "someday" will be, neither side will say.
