‘As States, We Compete,’ Wyo. Governor Says

Maybe it’s the tough times, but gaining the competitive edge seems to be on the minds of state officials more than usual.

Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) issued a stern reminder on Monday (Oct. 26) to lawmakers from at least 13 states that competition often trumps cooperation between states.

“Cooperation is contradictory to the fundamental way we relate to each other. As states, we compete,” Freudenthal said, according to an Associated Press account of an energy symposium in Jackson ,Wyo. “We compete for economic development; we compete for water resources; we compete for ink in the newspapers; we compete for attracting good and bright minds to our universities.”

And the recession does seem to be fueling Freudenthal’s words.

South Carolina lawmakers “voted unanimously Tuesday for a massive incentives package that appeared geared toward winning a new assembly line for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner,” potentially bringing the Palmetto State hundreds of new jobs, The State newspaper reports . The move would come at the expense of Washington state, Boeing’s home, where the firm is involved in talks with a workers’ union over the company’s demand for a 10-year no-strike agreement, The Seattle Times reports .

In New York City, residents of the Upper West Side may notice an attempt by New Jersey officials to lure visitors – and tourism dollars – to the Garden State, The New York Times notes . The state has opened a tourism store “to show that New Jersey offers attractions and sites that Manhattan does not.”

Meanwhile, the Associated Press notes that high-tech urban areas in states including California, North Carolina and Texas may emerge as winners from the recession, at the expense of the Sun Belt and industrial centers, according new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.