Tim James brings campaign for governor to Oneonta

Tim James on how he would sell himself if he were a washing machine in the governor’s race:“I’d say with me you get the same wash with less water and less expense, thus I’m much more efficient. And what comes out is cleaner than with the other brands.” Tim James, one of six Republican candidates for the gubernatorial nomination in 2010, addressed the county Republican Committee meeting at the Frank Green office building last Thursday, with a message of fiscal responsibility in state government and support of the activist conservative wing of the Republican Governors Association. Before the meeting, James stopped by The Blount Countian for an interview on his candidacy.

James, 46, of Greenville, is the son of former two-term Alabama governor Fob James. His professional background is as a businessman in the asphalt construction industry, and he managed construction of the Foley Beach Express highway from Foley to Orange Beach in the mid- 1990s. He plunged into Alabama politics in 2002, finishing with 9 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, third in line behind governor-to-be Bob Riley.

This year, with the Republican vote divided six ways so far, he figures as one of the stronger contenders for the nomination. Below are James’s responses to questions on current issues. In some instances, his words are paraphrased for brevity.

The Blount Countian (TBC): How should the crisis in Alabama’s Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (PACT) program be handled?

Tim James: “T” stands for “tuition,” but it also stands for trust. We forgot that this is a trust. A high level of responsibility is involved to the people who invested in it. The way it was presented, any reasonable person would have thought it was backed by the state. It was a colossal betrayal of common sense in how to invest and manage public money. There was ‘way too much risk in their investment decisions.

TBC: What should be done?

James: Dissolve the current board and give total management to the governor. Bottom line: unfortunately, the taxpayers will end up having to bail it out.

TBC: Do you favor banning PAC-to- PAC transfers (transfers of political contributions from one political action committee to another made for the purpose of disguising the source of contributions)?

James: Obviously it’s time for this to stop. There’s nothing wrong with political action committees, but it ought to be a criminal offense to use them to hide the source of political contributions. It’s money laundering, and it’s got to stop.

TBC: Would you use the power of the governor’s office to support the removal of sales tax on groceries?

James: That whole issue is a side show to disguise a tax increase (by removing the deduction for federal income taxes paid.) I will veto any tax increases on the people of this state.

TBC: Where do you stand on holding a constitutional convention to rewrite Alabama’s outdated constitution?

James: In favor of reform but against holding a constitutional convention because the gambling interests in this state would take it over. (I favor) revising the constitution one article at a time, and then letting the people vote on each revised article.

TBC: Would you favor a state bond issue aimed at rehabilitating county farmto market roads statewide? One possible proposal envisions a statewide bond issue on the order of $250 million that would allow counties access to funding on a 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 matching basis.

James: That’s my background – road and bridge building. It’s dear to my heart. When I was in business, asphalt was $70 a ton. It’s now gone to $700 a ton, so I understand the problems. I favor an aggressive approach to maintaining and expanding infrastructure in Alabama. It creates jobs, and it’s become an economic development issue. I wish the biggest part of the stimulus money had gone to infrastructure instead of just a small portion of it. It depends on interest rates how big a bond issue you could have, but I would envision a bond issue bigger than $250 million if interest rates allow.

TBC: Out of a number of possibilities, what do you consider to be the state’s single most pressing financial problem, and how would you solve it?

James: Medicaid is the toughest domestic problem in America, much tougher than education where you’ve got proration requiring cuts be made. This idea of everyone tightening their belt – government has not done that – or it’s just starting, like in Jefferson County. You have to get to the absolute end of the rope before some problems can be solved. I think we’re getting close to that on Medicaid. As an example, we’ve got state employees housed in some of the highest-priced real estate in Alabama. We’ve got to change that mindset in state government before we can begin to solve problems like Medicaid funding.

TBC: What’s your opinion of the federal bailout programs for banks, auto manufacturers and others? Saving the economy from ruin, or hastening its plunge toward it?

James: Businesses that can’t make it without a bailout oughta go bankrupt. Good banks and businesses will survive. The weak ones will fail. When you bail out those firms that are mismanaged, you reward pathetic management and you penalize the businesses that were managed efficiently. Along those lines, we’ve got to break this umbilical cord connecting the political establishment and the financial interests in Washington.

TBC: Some people might question your lack of political experience since you’ve never held public office. How would you answer those who express such reservations?

James: Well, we have the Alabama Legislature with hundreds of years of combined experience. Look at what they do. I think now an outsider is in order. I’ve had solid business experience and real life experience. Politics is as much about creating a feeling of trust and confidence in people as it is about experience, and we’re working real hard to cover every county in the state to create that confidence.

TBC: The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is studying the possibility of closing or curtailing the operation of a number of state parks and concentrating its efforts on relatively few parks that are profitable. Do you agree with that policy at a time when others emphasize the need to increase tourism revenues throughout the state?

James: In times like these, you have to concentrate on those parks that are profitable. You can’t continue to operate at a loss in tough times.

TBC: Blount County’s Rickwood Caverns State Park is one that has been targeted for cutbacks and possible closure. A group of citizens has tried to form a county/ state/private nonprofit coalition to keep the park open and to manage it toward profitability. Would you support their efforts as governor?

James: Honestly, I’d have to have a lot more facts and details before I could answer that. How much money is it losing? What are the prospects for becoming profitable and what are the costs involved? I’d be willing to take a look at it and hear them out. That’s all I can say without more to go on.

TBC: With all the problems the state will face during the next governor’s term, why would anyone in their right mind want the job? It appears to be a perfect lose/lose dilemma.

James: Anybody can be governor when times are good, with revenue growth at 7 or 8 percent. At a time like this, the job has real meaning. And as I’ve said, I have a genuine desire to serve the people of Alabama.

TBC: If you were a brand of washing machine faced with selling yourself to the voters, what are the benefits of your brand you would present in a 30-second ad to make them buy you instead of one of your (several) competitors?

James: I’d say with me you get the same wash with less water and less expense, thus I’m much more efficient. And what comes out is cleaner than the other brands.