Tag: Governor

Puerto Rico's Ricardo Rossello addresses scandal, says he won't seek re-election but won't immediately resign in first interview since 'Rickygate' scandal broke. #ShepSmith #FoxNews FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX…

Democrats say Republicans spoiled chances for bipartisanship with a lame-duck session that peeled power away from Democratic Gov. No," Evers said. As we get further down the line in the budget-making, I’m sure we’ll meet more often.” Fitzgerald said lawsuits challenging the laws Republican legislators passed to limit Evers' power are hampering progress. RELATED: Lame-duck scorecard: Where the cases stand in the fight over GOP laws limiting Wisconsin governor "I think we’re still trying to figure out who to talk to, how to talk to them, and when to talk to them," Fitzgerald said in a statement. If they talked regularly, Evers might be able to persuade Republicans to adopt some of his budget plans, Vos said. Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz said Evers is not interested in political strategy but in addressing public policies. Evers." "Is this something that could be done without legislation?" "I’m happy with the relationship we’ve been able to build with Speaker Vos and the Assembly — we’ll continue to work together and hopefully the governor will decide to engage," Fitzgerald said. Hintz said it's also up to Republicans to be willing to negotiate with a Democratic governor.

The launch of the country’s maiden MRT system in Jakarta has regrettably descended into political bickering, with the elections right around the corner, between allies turned-rivals President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, particularly on the issue of fares. Their supporters also jumped into the ring, with Jakarta Council speaker Prasetio Edi Marsudi from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Gerindra Party politician M. Taufik each proposing low fares. They eventually reached a compromise, setting the fares between Rp 3,000 (21 US cents) and Rp 14,000, depending on the distance of the trip. Jokowi, who is seeking reelection, has also claimed credit for the MRT, saying the modern transportation mode would not be here without him as Jakarta governor and his then-deputy, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama. The unnecessary politicization of the MRT only shows the shortsightedness of our elite, while in fact the megaproject is a long-term investment with the aim of serving the public well and solving mobility problems facing metropolitans. Jakarta still has to raise a lot of money to fi nance the second phase of the MRT’s north-south lane and east-west route. It will take the eff ort of several presidents, governors, MRT Jakarta directors and thousands of workers to complete the dream MRT system. And don’t forget the subsidy that millions of taxpayers have to bear and the land many residents have to give up to realize the MRT. It may also take about the same time to build the east-west route connecting Cikarang in Bekasi and Balaraja in Tangerang, but just recently Jokowi said he wanted the project to go in parallel with the second part of the south-north lane’s construction. A lot more work will have to be done and for this reason everybody, especially politicians, has to put the MRT beyond politics.

Representative Robert Foster sits down to talk about his gubernatorial run in this years race. “I felt like what we really need in our state leadership is somebody with business experience that has on the ground experience in building a business, which I’ve done through the recession for the last 12 years and understands what the role of government should be in creating an environment for business.” With Foster being so new to politics, only having served in the House of Representatives since 2016, many were surprised he decided to go for governor so early in his career. He says that he gets the question “why so soon?” very often. Foster believes most politicians would agree with him, that everyone gets corrupted by power at some point and to some extent. He admitted that even in his short time as a Representative, he has experienced the pressures himself. Foster said he worried if he waited to make a move for a more impactful role in Mississippi’s future, like Governor, he too would be effected by the environment of politics. “I knew that if I waited and climbed the typical ladder one rung at a time over a 16 or 20 year period like most people do when they go for Governor in the state of Mississippi, that I would not have the same passions, convictions, or abilities to do what I know needs to be done to help our state, because I would have lost a lot of that autonomy.” said Foster. Foster believes education is more than a four year degree, and in many cases the most educated and qualified, not to mention in demand, workforce don’t have that degree. “That’s the number one issue that I want to address as governor, not making people feel like you’re a failure if you don’t get a college degree,” said Foster. Foster hopes to continue to recruit industry and improve education by encouraging skilled labor and not just the achievement of a college degree.

LITTLE ROCK — While the legislative session isn’t over yet, Gov. Asa Hutchinson is already focused on what will happen after the 92nd General Assembly dismisses. Appearing on this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics, Hutchinson is preparing for the implementation of his transformation plan and the campaign for a highway package. He also suggests his time in politics won’t end after his second term as governor. Hutchinson’s effort to streamline state government from 42 to 15 cabinet level reports still must clear the State Senate. Hutchinson thinks his plan will pass that chamber and he’s prepared to put a transition team in place to execute the transition. “There will be a transition team that will be set up to help guide the cabinet secretaries that will be named,” he said. “This sets the pattern for the 15 different agencies, and the first thing you’ve got to do is put the personnel in place, and then you got to have, where can you concentrate on areas of efficiencies, better management of it The transformation doesn’t happen on day one. It is a process.” Hutchinson said that part of that process will be naming new cabinet secretaries, which might not correlate directly to current agency directors.

Paul LePage, geared up in recent months to protect fiscally conservative policies he favored. Paul LePage has geared up in recent months to protect fiscally conservative policies he favored. It is rallying opposition to a proposed carbon tax, criticizing Democratic Gov. LePage’s push to influence state politics even as he lives in Florida is an unusual move for a former governor. But his spokespeople say the governor, who has threatened to run against Mills in 2020 and wants to launch a “conservative mouthpiece” for Mainers, is concerned about state’s future. LePage was named the group’s honorary chairman. The newspaper’s review of tax filings show the group raised $1.1 million before fundraising halted after 2015. It paid out nearly $100,000 combined to the former governor’s daughter, Lauren LePage, and top political adviser, Brent Littlefield, in 2016 and 2017. The conservative-leaning group does not name its donors under IRS rules governing what are often called “social welfare nonprofits,” which can advocate for issues and raise unlimited amounts of money. Rabinowitz said Maine People Before Politics will file amended forms with the IRS to disclose more information about the group’s activities.

Former Florida governor candidate Andrew Gillum on Friday night laid out how Democrats might win the White House in 2020. But homestate audiences noticed when he suggested his most recent electoral contest might have seen a different outcome. Earlier in his conversation with Maher, Gillum noted he and Abrams both lost by “rounding error” margins. But while Gillum lost by a closer margin than previously witnessed in a gubernatorial election, few Democrats label DeSantis’ victory as invalid. Democratic political consultant Matthew Isbell said he’d like to know how Gillum imagines any action could have produced a different outcome in Florida. Someone show me this math.” But days before Gillum makes a “major announcement” in South Florida, panelists seemed most focused on the Florida Democrat’s next move. After former Texas Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke announced he would run for president, Maher noted losing in 2018 didn’t prohibit a run. But he stressed the need for the electorate to witness diversity in the candidate pool. “I’m most interested in your beliefs.” But he did tout his recent run for governor, noting he had been severely outspent in a broad primary field but came out victorious. In the general election, black voters turned out at a rate consistent with the share of the population for the first time.

John Bazemore/Associated Press The House Oversight and Reform Committee is investigating allegations of voter suppression in Georgia under Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who has since become governor. The letters instructed Mr. Kemp and Mr. Raffensperger — both Republicans — to provide by March 20 a wide range of documents concerning voter roll purges; holds placed on voter registration applications; polling site changes and closings; and other voting-related issues. The committee also requested all documents related to the potential conflict of interest Mr. Kemp faced in administering an election in which he was a candidate. [Make sense of the people, issues and ideas shaping American politics with our newsletter.] The letter outlined several points of scrutiny during the 2018 governor’s race, in which Stacey Abrams, a Democrat, posed a strong challenge to Mr. Kemp in a normally solidly Republican state. Mr. Kemp’s office purged more than 1.4 million voters from the rolls during his tenure. And county and state officials closed more than 200 polling places from 2012 to 2018. Asked for comment on Wednesday, his spokesman directed The Times to video of a news conference where Mr. Kemp suggested that the investigation was a politically motivated distraction from more important issues. “They need to quit playing politics up there,” Mr. Kemp said at the news conference, before pivoting to an attack on House Democrats for giving billions of dollars in disaster aid to Puerto Rico “when we have our own farmers that are fixing to lose their farm.” He said nothing about the substance of the allegations or the document requests, and his spokesman did not respond to a follow-up email. Mr. Raffensperger, the current secretary of state, said that he had received his own letter and that his office “looks forward to an open dialogue and a thorough process.” Mr. Cummings and Mr. Raskin, the Democratic committee leaders, were not immediately available for interviews on Wednesday.

MADISON (WKOW) — Governor Tony Evers will lay out his priorities for the next state budget Thursday, but he’ll face several roadblocks. Republican leadership has criticized almost all of Evers’ proposals he’s released prior to his speech. The governor’s budget is due July 1st, but several lawmakers have doubts it will pass on time with the anticipation of political showdowns and pressure to reach a deal. The nonpartisan group Wisconsin Policy Forum said it’s possible the state could experience a budget stalemate, but it also wouldn’t be the first time. In 2017, former governor Scott Walker’s budget was stalled for two months over a debate on how to fund transportation. Jason Stein, Research Director for the Policy Forum, said to plan for the political environment to be “tense” the next few months. “We had two years of Democratic control and eight years of Republican control and now we’re moving into a world where the two parties have to work something out, but it’s a much more polarized environment than we’ve seen before,” said Stein. Once lawmakers review Evers’ budget, they’re likely to make changes, though the governor will have the final say. Evers can sign the bill, veto it entirely or use his powerful partial veto pen to make changes. While the Legislature could try to muster enough votes to override the governor by a two-thirds vote in the case of a veto, it’s something not successfully done in the state since 1985.

Mike Dunleavy, and one of them is maintaining ownership of her advertising, marketing and political strategy firm even as she works as the governor’s acting communications director. The contract calls for her to work 37.5 hours a week, without benefits or vacation. In a phone interview Friday, Pruitt said she’s working 12 hours a day. In an emailed statement, Shuckerow said, “Her contract is focused on building out the governor’s communications team and the messaging behind his agenda.” Pruitt also remains the sole owner and president of Anchorage-based PS Strategies, according to documents filed with the state Division of Corporations. Pruitt said she still has “some involvement,” but that it entails limited oversight work like approving payroll. Pruitt said most of PS Strategies’ clients are from outside of Alaska. She added she does not see her outside work as conflicting with her state job. The state ethics attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. After Dunleavy beat Walker last year, Nizich was hired by the governor’s office in December under a two-month contract capped at $34,500. The contract called for Nizich to review the Alaska Constitution and state laws and regulations, consult with Dunleavy and senior staffers and analyze budgets and organizational structures.