What a time for Arun Raha to take over as economist
THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Posted by Joe Turner at 4:11 p.m. Wednesday
Good thing the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council doesn’t have a “shoot the messenger” policy, or newly hired Arun Raha wouldn’t have lasted beyond his first forecast.
Raha had the unhappy task of informing legislators and the governor’s Cabinet that tax collections are expected to plunge by nearly $2 billion over the next 31 months. That will help produce a budget shortfall upward of $5 billion.
When the news releases were being handed out Wednesday just a few minutes before the 10 a.m. meeting, I saw the precipitous revenue drop and told Raha that his predecessor, Chang Mook Sohn, had earned the nickname of “Dr. Doom” because of his conservative and often gloomy forecasts.
I told Raha he was at risk of earning a similar nickname.
Before Raha could say much, Kriss Sjoblom, vice president for research for the Washington Research Council, who was standing within earshot blurted out, “Doom and Doomer.”
Pray the nickname doesn’t stick, Arun.
