Outsource ethics oversight, Libertarian candidate for governor says | members.jacksonville.com

ATLANTA | The Libertarian nominee for governor blasted both parties Wednesday for steering favors to friends, and he offered a novel solution for improving the state’s oversight of ethics – outsourcing.

Andrew Hunt met with reporters at the Capitol and said voters were frustrated with Democrats and Republicans. In responding to a question about why he is running against Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, Hunt used a broad brush.

“There’s enough coverage of his different ethical issues that I don’t need to go into that. But there are some issues there, and I think it has to do with both parties where there’s a lot of crony capitalism,” said Hunt. “There’s a lot of special-interest deals.”

Hunt, the founder of a small business specializing in nano-technology, is critical of tax breaks and freebies the governor can award as incentives for large companies bringing jobs. He said Deal shouldn’t have a say in which firms get the goodies, arguing instead that no special favors be available to any company.

Deal has hinged his re-election campaign largely on the jobs promised by companies his administration has recruited through use of incentives.

The Libertarian also addressed the operations of the state ethics committee, the tiny agency that oversees campaign spending. Commission members and staffers have complained for years of having inadequate funding, and the campaigns and activists that use the agency have complained just as much about poor operation.

Hunt said the solution is to hire an outside company to run it.

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