By Bud Foster - email
(KOLD) - There will likely be no more debates between Governor Jan Brewer and Democrat Terry Goddard before the general election November 2, 2010.
Brewer has refused any more face to face conversations since their first and only debate last month.
So we sat down with the two candidates individually to talk issues.
By they way, Barry Hess is also a candidate for governor on the Libertarian ticket and Larry Gist is the Green Party candidate. We chose to interview the major party candidates because they are polling as the top two by far.
When it comes to education, the pair disagrees on whether education should be used to help balance the budget.
By some estimates, Governor Brewer and state lawmakers have cut $1B from the state's education budget. She readily acknowledges, if elected, there will be more to come.
"Moving forward, we need to do additional cutting. Education is probably one of those areas where we can go" Brewer told us.
Goddard is on the other end of the scale.
"I don't believe in cutting education to balance the budget," he says. "For too long, this state has used K through12 education as its ATM because it's half the general fund and its clearly the most obvious target. But I say, enough."
But Governor Brewer says because of voter mandates, the options are few.
"There are only so many areas we can go in and address those kinds of issues to bring that kind of money to the table," she says. "And generally its DHS, DES and education."
One of those mandates is First Things First, an early childhood development program approved by voters four years ago.
Funded by cigarette taxes, it now has an estimated reserve of $350 million.
Voters have the option this year of sweeping the funds to be used elsewhere.
The decision has the two candidates on opposite sides of the fence.
"During these difficult times we have this huge amount of money sitting over in First Things First that we can't utilize," Governor Brewer says.
"Well, balancing the budget is certainly going to be tough," Goddard said. "It won't be simple at all but you don't do it by making, rash or long term destructive decisions like getting rid of First Things First."
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