DALLAS — Louisiana Treasurer John N. Kennedy came close to throwing his hat into the 2015 governor's race but declined to set a deadline for a decision.
Kennedy said he was "very, very seriously considering" entering the contest to replace Gov. Bobby Jindal, who cannot seek a third consecutive term after his current four-year stint because of term limits.
"I want a governor that will govern this state with knowledge and wisdom, not ambition," Kennedy said in an appearance Monday at the Press Club of Baton Rouge.
Kennedy has frequently differed with Jindal and his appointees on state fiscal issues.
The most recent disputes involved July's refunding of Louisiana's tobacco settlement revenue bonds. The two also clashed during the 2013 legislative session over capital program at the state's community and technical colleges funded with $254 million of state bonds.
Kennedy never criticized Jindal directly, but left little doubt of his disagreements with some of the current governor's decisions on funding for higher education and Jindal's presidential ambitions.
"I want a governor who cares more about Louisiana's future than his own," Kennedy said at the press session called to outline the new Office of Debt Recovery.
"I want a governor who will treat our universities as sacred ground, not as a line item in a budget," he said. "I want a governor who will fire our bad teachers and pay our good ones, and do it without demonizing the entire teaching profession."
In March, Kennedy said Jindal's proposed budget for fiscal 2014 was a "fond illusion" that relied on one-time revenues to meet recurring expenses.
"There's a better way," he said of the spending plan. "Don't spend more than you take in, and when you do spend money, spend it on things you need, not things you simply want."
Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols, Jindal's chief budget aide, said that Kennedy's opposition to the budget proposal showed the treasurer to be "a big government defender of the status quo."
In May, Kennedy slammed Jindal for counting on up-front savings from the $663 million tobacco bond refunding to fund a popular college scholarship program.
"The Jindal administration is counting on $60 million from raiding this tobacco debt to plug our budget shortfall," said Kennedy at the time. "If you grab this one-time savings up front and spend it now, it's gone forever."
Kennedy backed a structure with lower, level payments but Nichols supported early savings due to concerns that tobacco settlement revenues would decline later.
The deal provided savings of $83 million, well short of the $143 million expected when the issue's structure was approved by the State Bond Commission and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget before June's market sell-off.
Kennedy is currently serving his fourth term as state treasurer. He was first elected in 2000 after serving as the state's chief revenue officer for four years.
A former Democrat, Kennedy became a Republican in 2008 to begin an unsuccessful challenge to Sen. Mary Landrieu.
Kennedy's possible opponents in the 2015 governor's race are expected to include Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, a Republican who said in May that he would run, and state Rep. John Bel Edwards, D-Amite, leader of the Democratic caucus in the House.
U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a Republican, may enter the governor's race.
Supporters have formed political action committees to raise campaign funds if Vitter seeks re-election to a third term in the Senate in 2016 or opts for a state office in 2015.
