DED head says there may be a way to handle Vision Iowa grants

The director of Iowa’s Department of Economic Development says there’s probably a way to make the “Vision Iowa” grants the state’s handed 36 businesses legit. The economic development program was put in limbo by a court ruling last month. Lawmakers and the governor have been trying to develop a compromise plan to restore the program, a plan that would be ratified in a special legislative session. D-E-D director Michael Blouin says lawyers tell him there’s an “administrative solution” but that solution isn’t fully defined yet. Blouin says the fact that this is an election year puts added pressure on democrat Governor Tom Vilsack and the republican-led legislature. Blouin says neither party wants to hit November without having this dilemma resolved, even if that resolution comes through an executive order from the governor rather than a bill passed by the legislature. Blouin says neither party wants to give the other “a leg up” especially since Governor Vilsack is rumored to be a potential runningmate for democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. But Blouin says once Kerry makes his decision known, the two parties will still be wary of giving the other too much advantage in an election year. Blouin made his comments during taping of the Iowa Public Television program “Iowa Press.”