06/17/96 'ALL GOVERNMENT CAN DO IS CLEAR THE DEBRIS'

'ALL GOVERNMENT CAN DO IS CLEAR THE DEBRIS'

In a June 3 interview in Washington with BUSINESS WEEK Correspondent Amy Borrus, Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor discussed his goals for the agency and the challenges he faces in succeeding the popular Ronald H. Brown.

Q: How comfortable are you playing good cop after three years of being bad cop at USTR?
A: They ask you to play shortstop, you play shortstop. They ask you to play center field, you play center field. When I was first assigned USTR, some were skeptical that someone who had not had experience in the trade field could be an effective negotiator. I hope I was able to put those concerns to rest. Because I have been part of the NEC [National Economic Council] and worked so closely with Ron Brown, I walk in with a certain level of knowledge that I wouldn't have had 40 months ago.

Q: How do you balance having to follow in Ron Brown's footsteps with putting your own imprint on the department?
A: I can't replace him. I can only succeed him. I'm not as good as he was in certain things. There are other issues I may concentrate on more. But since we were both so committed to this President and worked so closely together, very little will change.

Q: Some Republicans on Capitol Hill would like to dismantle the Commerce Dept. Why do you oppose that?
A: We at Commerce are the advocates for, and representatives of, American industry and workers as we continue to build economic security and the technology base into the next century. If we say `Let's get rid of the institution,' we would be retreating, hiding behind walls of fear, looking for [political] trophies instead of answers, not be serious about America competing and winning.

Q: What are your goals at the Commerce Dept.?
A: One, to strengthen our technology and information base and make it clear to the American people how critical they are. Two, to rationalize the many programs that deal with the communities and people left out [of economic growth], because we need every asset we can muster to compete. Three, to make sure that our system for dealing with trade works well, everything from the advocacy center to export assistance centers to foreign commercial service officers and enforcing our trade laws. We also have to be more efficient. `Nice but not necessary' is no longer acceptable. It's got to be necessary or you shouldn't do it.

Q: Being Commerce Secretary gives you a stronger voice in economic policy discussions. What contribution do you want to make to the debate about how to fuel economic growth?
A: [We must] keep the emphasis on growth and opportunity. You can't have one without the other. I can talk about how to build rural and inner-city communities to try to make them more productive and competitive. All government can do is clear the debris. The engine of private growth is the private sector. That won't and shouldn't change.
By Amy Borrus in Washington, with Edith Hill Updike in Tokyo