Spence questions Nelson’s record at debate
By ueura Janssen
Senior Reporter
Sparks flew this weekend at the
first gubernatorial debate of the year,
as Republican Gene Spence challenged
incumbent Ben Nelson for his leader
ship on issues ranging from spending
to crime to low-level waste.
Spence, who during the debate on
Friday often challenged the gover
nor’s record, called Nelson hypocriti
cal on spending and irresponsible on
low-level waste.
“I just don’t see your leadership,
Ben,” Spence told the governor during
the debate in the Open Air Auditorium
at the Nebraska State Fair. “If I were in
your shoes, I would have trouble look
ing people in the eye.”
Nelson defended his record on all
issues addressed during the debate.
“I’m proud of my record as gover
nor of the stale of Nebraska,” Nelson
said. “Since you elected me as gover
nor four years ago. I have made prom
ises. and, yes, I have kept those prom
ises.”
Spence began by questioning
Nelson’s record on spending. Since
Nelson has been governor, Spence said,
state spending had increased 25 per
cent.
“I don’t know that we’re 25 percent
better off,” he said.
But Nelson, referring to a chart,
said spending had gone down since he
became governor. Nelson said spend
ing in the 1994 fiscal year had de
creased .15 percent.
Spence also said Nelson increased
bonuses given to state employees dur
ing a time of budget crises.
“I find that hypocritical,” Spence
said.
Nelson responded by say i ng bonus
es had, in fact, decreased by 10 per
cent.
Bonuses given to his administra
tion had been eliminated. Nelson said.
and bonuses given to other state em
ployees were well-deserved and based
on work performance.
Spence criticized the governor for
his failure to get an adult crime bill
passed through the Nebraska Legisla
ture.
“If Ben had worked half as hard on
the adult crime bill as he had on the
lottery, we’d have had an adult crime
bill,” Spence said.
Spence also criticized the state pa
role board.
“After four years of Ben and his
parole board, we continue to release
violent criminals,” he said.
Spence said the parole board should
be abolished, and the governor should
review personally the cases of violent
criminals who were eligible forparole.
Nelson called that proposal imprac
tical.
“You can’t become the parole
board,” Nelson said. “You’ve got to
work with the system that’s there.”
Nelson proposed two changes for
the parole board.
First, the governor should be able to
hire and fire members of the parole
board for any reason, he said. Second,
the governor should have the authority
to overrule decisions made by the pa
role board. Nelson said.
Another key issue during the de
bate was low-level radioactive waste.
Spence said Nelson had a responsi
bility to see that a low-level radioac
tive waste repository was built in the
state in a timely fashion.
Several years ago, the state was
contracted to house the repository for
five states, including Nebraska. Boyd
County was selected as the site for the
repository, which has not been built
yet.
“The governor has been irresponsi
ble by not going ahead with low-level
waste,” he said. '‘When will it be
housed, Ben?”
Nelson said the repository would
“I just don't see your
leadership, Ben. If I were
in your shoes, I would
have trouble looking
people in the eye. ”
■
SPENCE
Republican gubernatorial
candidate
be built only when it had received
community consent and only if it was
absolutely safe.
The state is trying to get communi
ty consent, Nelson said.
“You can’t spend too much time
being loo safe,” he said.
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