Dillon: 'Yes, you need a strong governor'

This is one in a series of Detroit News interviews with candidates for governor. The following are edited excerpts of an interview with Democrat Andy Dillon,speaker of the Michigan House.

Q . You've been in the House for six years, correct? Not being the most productive time for Michigan, how would you defend your performance and leadership role during that period?

A . If you look on the policy side, actually quite a bit got done. Most of the confrontation is on the budgets and deciding where we are cutting budgets and looking at revenue for government.

Q . In many ways, isn't the budget and the inability to get that done, one of the reasons Michigan hasn't been able to do other things that might improve its competitiveness in business climate?

A . Absolutely. But it's not like this problem popped up overnight.

Q . You've looked at the Business Leaders for Michigan turnaround plan. Which elements of that do you support, which don't you support and why?

A . I support virtually all of it. There are two things that I question. They want to lower the gross margins rate. Gross receipts taxes are terrible. It's just not a good tax policy. The other one is the structure of the service tax. We have some minor disagreements with that.

Q . Do you support raising the gasoline tax to pay for the infrastructure needed in Michigan?

A . It's not an ideal way to go because it's going to be a shrinking pot. I think we have to look at different approaches, but it's one of the best solutions we have now.

Q . What's your position on a graduated income tax for individuals?

A . The voters have to approve it, and they've rejected it twice. If we were to try it, I'd want a constitutional cap in there. I wouldn't want people to think this thing is an open-ended Pandora's box that the Legislature can just do whatever they want.

Q . Have you been too deferential to the governor?

A . I don't think so. When I disagreed with her, I've made it clear, which got me in a lot of trouble with some people on my side.

Q . Give us an example.

A . She wanted the taxes raised in the spring of 2007 and that caused a lot of tension between her and I. My caucus wasn't ready for it and the plan wasn't crafted, so I resisted that.

Q . Are you going to allow the budget to go through that is once again balanced on gimmicks and one-time fixes?

A . Most of the gimmicks are gone, so you if you can find a couple for me, I'd like to know about them. The reality is we're in an election year and I don't see any meaningful substitute -- tackling the structural deficit reform.

Q . One of the ways you balanced the budget in the last couple years was to take the federal stimulus money and put it in the budget hole. Was there a better use for that money?

A . I had my staff really study the rules of the stimulus money. There wasn't a lot of discretion tied with it, at least with a state like ours, because if you accept the money, you have to follow the rules.

Q . You're a former investment banker. Is it really a smart idea to put so much weight on a concept that's so heavily dependent on green subsidies for batteries, for wind power?

A . I wouldn't put all my eggs in that basket because wind power does cost more than conventional power right now. I don't think we'd be experimenting as aggressively as we are now without incentives. So fine, let's keep them in place. Let's not overdo it because if we overdo it, we're going to increase the problems for people with unreliable power. But, should government be dictating these directions? I would say no. If we can get capital to the state, there are plenty of investment opportunities. Let them decide what the risks and rewards and what businesses to invest in. Having government pick these things gets me very nervous.

Q . What would you do with the film credits?

A . You have to let them play out a little bit, but I'd change a couple things. I want them geared more toward permanent investment, not the fly-bys.

Q . You're a Democrat running without much major union support. What freedom would that give you to do some of the things you've talked of, including privatizing services and consolidating benefits?

A . I was visiting someone recently, a labor leader, and someone approached him and was being critical, "How do you support this guy?" He says, "Because he looks you in the eye and tells you what he's going to do." That's been my practice.

Q . Given term limits and how it weakened legislative influence, does the governor need to be stronger in dealing with the special interests and the others who have now filled that leadership void in Lansing?

A . Yes, you need a strong governor.

Q . You're a pro-life candidate; your opponents are pro-choice; why does that matter in this election?

A . I don't think it does.

Q . As governor, would you sign bills that change the existing status quo of the abortion laws?

A . I'm pro-life and I will be a pro-life governor.

Q . If elected, you'd be governor of a state that has as its major city probably one of the most distressed communities in America, in Detroit. What's your urban strategy?

A . There's no magic bullet to fixing the cities. I've put together what we call a workbook. This is the beginning of my plan for the state but it's not a completed product. There are 12 points to this workbook. You're not just going to say, we're creating jobs in Detroit and the problems are going to go away. It's a little more complicated than that. It's jobs, but it's also transportation, access to health care, good quality schools and safety in the neighborhoods. The first thing I'll do is, I'm going to have a Cabinet-level position that is responsible for implementing the urban agenda, and it's going to be a person who has some ability to walk across departments within state government as well as have the ability to walk into the county executive's office or the mayor's office and know that this person is empowered by the governor and is expecting results.

Q . Corrections consumes a huge part of the state's budget, on a per capita basis much more than many of our neighboring states. What do you do with the corrections budget?

A . What I'm hearing now is that those that can be released from a safety perspective have been released. We need to go aggressively with tethers and GPS and get the ones we're mad at home with grandma or aunt and uncle or whatever. The ones we're afraid of, let's incarcerate them and keep them there. If there are more folks in there that can safely be released, I think we look at that.

Q . If you look at restructuring an education system that works in Michigan to deliver first-quality education at an efficient cost, what's it look like for your administration?

A . I was thinking about this the other day. When Tiger Woods came into the PGA, he shocked the system and then he elevated the play of all of the other players. We now look at our country, and we see these other countries that are much more rigorous with their K-12 focus than we are. I think we have to look at some really aggressive things.

Q . What about higher education?

A . I support the Promise Grants. I think what we have to do with them, though, is if you leave the state, it's a loan that you repay. If you stay in Michigan, we'll forgive it. Stay in the state for a period of time, and it will be a forgiven thing. But we need to continue to invest in higher ed. It's one of the legacy assets we have -- a great university system.

Q . Are there ways to give parents, particularly in troubled school districts, more choice? What's your plan?

A . I think we made a good first start with the legislation we passed last December. It basically said if you're a good operator with a proven track record, you can open up another one in an area of need. I think choice for parents is critically important especially if you're in an area with a broken school district.