U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene assured a small group of Leon County residents Monday that, if elected this fall, he would fight for education reform and funding, and job creation.
The way that technology is changing in the workplace, if somebody wants to invent an application for an iPhone or an iPad, they can be doing it from a desk in India or a desk in Brazil or a desk in Tallahassee, Greene said to the small crowd of people seated around him at RedEye Coffee in Tallahassee. If we want our kids to compete globally, theres absolutely no doubt in my mind that they have to be the most educated kids.
In his first campaign stop in the Florida capital, the billionaire and political outsider running for the Democratic nomination pushed his credentials as a job creator who would stay independent of special interests. The private campaign event drew only a handful of Tallahassee-area public officials, and candidates for public office, such as Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel-Vasilinda, a Tallahassee Democrat campaigning to keep her House seat.
Greene, the West Palm Beach real estate investor, locked in a close fight with U.S. Rep Kendrick Meek for the Democratic nomination to the Senate, said he supported raising test scores and increasing public-education funding.
As a country, and in Washington, we have to understand that, if we want to be competitive globally, we have to start programs and make sure that theyre funded so we can make our kids competitive, he said.
Greene said that Floridas elected lawmakers have failed, and that special interests and near-sightedness has made them ineffective.
I have a 9-month-old baby, and Im not willing to put his future in the hands of these failures. Greene said.
One of the biggest failures of current politicians is that they have not given businesses the confidence in the economy or the capital needed to expand and create jobs, Greene said. Congress has bailed out the big banks, but has not ensured that they increase their loans to small businesses, he said.
Ive stood up to the big banks before, and Ill stand up to them again, he said.
Polls show Greene, estimated to be worth $1 billion, is essentially locked in a tie with Meek. As Greene campaigned in the St. Petersburg area Monday morning, Meeks campaign criticized Greene for being obtuse about his past politics and finances. The campaign said that it was eagerly awaiting what would be revealed when Greene releases campaign finance by the Thursday deadline.
Instead of being straight with Floridians, he relies on an endless stream of campaign ads that paper over his past, said Adam Sharon, the "Kendrick Meek for Florida" communications director. As his campaign's first filing deadline nears, Greene will be forced to provide the first glimmer of transparency from his Senate bid."
Rep. Rehwinkel-Vasilinda used her brief moment with Greene to ask how renewable energy development could be advanced in the state. Rehwinkel-Vasilinda voted for off-shore oil drilling when legislation allowing it came before the House last year, insisting it was in return for support of renewable energy legislation. She is now fighting for the introduction of new renewable energy incentive legislation during the special session to be held next week.
I think weve got everything we need to be No. 1 in renewable energy, she said. So, how do we do that?
Greene said he would fight for investment in research and development in the state, especially for the advancement of renewable energy. Greene said he is in favor of increasing rebates and incentives to compete with other states.
"We have to think about how we can get green technologies to come here," he said.
Reach Alex Tiegen at 561-329-5389 or atiegen@sunshinestatenews.com.
