U. grad looks to 1996 presidential race

When George Ballard announced he was running for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States this January, he wasn't just looking to become the 42nd president in history. Ballard, a Wharton graduate, was also looking to be the second Pennsylvanian, the youngest president and the first black person ever elected to that office. Although Ballard only appeared on the ballot in New Jersey's primary, and received barely one percent of the vote, he said Monday his ideas for economic renewal are genuine. "I believe the country needs somebody with fresh ideas and I believe I have some," Ballard said. "I have a background with the Federal Reserve and I attended Wharton." And because he believes in his economic package, Ballard declared his candidacy for the Presidency in 1996 during the Democratic National Convention this year held in New York City on a local radio station since he was not a delegate. "The country needs lay people who know the economy, and who are out of the political realm, to bring some common economic sense into the arena," he said. Reginald Bryant, Ballard's press secretary, said Ballard was not "wild-eyed," but "sophisticated." Ballard said he created and advocates an economic system called Urbanism, which he compares to capitalism. "Urbanism is an economic concept where decisions to allocate resources are based on merit in favor of society rather than self interest," Ballard said, "It is a superior form of capitalism and an objective way to make decisions." Ballard, a self-proclaimed "outsider of the Washington establishment," has never run for office before. He said, though, that this was "not a big disadvantage." "When you talk about outsiders, you are speaking in relative terms," Ballard said. "Everybody's basically an outsider until they get inside." Ballard said he thinks his Wharton connection is a strong asset which he hopes to build upon. "I kept in touch with former Wharton Dean Carroll and I'm getting ready to talk to Dean Thomas Gerrity," he said. The idea of running for president came to Ballard, he said, after observing the economic problems the country was experiencing. "It came to me that the best way to handle these problems was from the top down," he said. "I believe that if my ideas were heard, I would have had a better chance of winning." One of Ballard's ideas to stimulate the economy is to transfer income from the ten percent of the population which he said controls 60 percent of the income to the other 90 percent of the population. Ballard was quick to point out that he wasn't like independent presidential candidate and Texas billionaire Ross Perot. "Ross Perot has good, broad, general ideas," he said. "I have loads of specifics. I am like a mechanic. Bring in the economic engine and I'll roll up my sleeves and get under the hood. Ross Perot is like the man at the front desk signing the cars in." Preparing for his 1996 campaign, Ballard said he believes America is ready for a black president. "If my ideas are helpful in solving America's problems, the people will accept no matter who I am," Ballard said. "It is your contribution to society, how people perceive that and how it affects their lives." Aside from the obvious goal of becoming the presidential nominee for the Democratic party in 1996, Ballard said he would like to see his name on the ballot in all 50 states. "Based on the ideas I am espousing at the moment, I may have a more viable chance at winning," he said. "If everything goes well, you should see me on all 50 states' ballots."