‘92 POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE: : How Business Views the Election
Name: Frank Perna Jr.
Company: MagneTek Inc., a Los Angeles manufacturer of electrical equipment
Position: President and chief executive
Registration: Republican
Q. Who are you going to vote for?
A: I won’t make up my mind until the campaign is over, but I’m leaning toward Bush.
Q: Why?
A: I have very strong beliefs on business and productivity from a global point of view. What I’m looking for is a clear picture of a mission that will help deal with the success of the Cold War and the peace dividend, that will get skilled and unskilled workers back to work not only in the U.S., but in many of the countries I’ve recently visited, including Russia, Hungary, Germany and France. Bush’s perspective of the global situation is much better than what I’ve heard so far from the other candidates. He has more actual experience in international affairs than the other candidates. He’s more credible with foreign leaders. But if I don’t get a clear picture of how we’re going to deal with the productivity issues in the various economies, I’ll choose whichever candidate convinces me there’s a higher probability of increasing our productivity and being able to participate and win in the global economies.
Q: What are the main issues for your business?
A: The main issue is the global economy and productivity in the various markets. If there are high levels of productivity, we will end up selling more electrical equipment. I also believe there are some opportunities for very good missions that can be beneficial not only to the U.S. economy, but to a number of other economies: joint programs on space exploration, a supercollider, ecological programs that will not only produce jobs but improve the standard of living for generations to come. Also, I’m always opposed to government regulations, unless they’re specifically related to increased productivity. Any types of administrative actions that slow down progress or make it easier for a lot of people not to add those types of things are troublesome.
