Walker, Neumann echo same themes at candidates' forum (Kenosha News)

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BY JON OLSON
GOP hopefuls say next governor should get out of business' way

Cutting spending and getting government out of the way of private enterprise were the major chords struck Friday by Republican gubernatorial candidates Mark Neumann and Scott Walker.

The candidates spoke at a breakfast forum at the Club at Strawberry Creek in Kenosha. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a Democrat, was invited to attend, but was prevented by scheduling difficulties, organizers said.

"I love the state and I believe in Wisconsin. I believe that this government is taking us in the wrong direction in some serious ways," Walker said, apparently referring to the administration of Democrat Jim Doyle, in his introductory salvo.

The Milwaukee county executive outlined a number of principles of a government led by him, including "don't spend what you don't have," and "smaller government is better," themes that ran throughout the forum. Walker frequently stressed his intiatives to cut spending in Milwaukee County.

Neumann, a businessman and former member of Congress, emphasized his background and strove to reach across hard idoelogical lines. "It's not really about Democrat or Republican, it's about the mission," he said. He evoked his fights to cut spending during his service in the House of Representatives, and frequently referred to his experience in private business.

"When we cut taxes you get to keep more of the money," boosting spending, and thereby business activity, he said.

Neumann said his plans for addressing economic problems included establishing an economic development team to study where the state stands, identifying its problems and opportunities, then setting a vision for change and developing a strategy to reach that vision. "If we can't bring jobs and economic development back to the state, our children and grandchildren will not have opportunities in the future."

Walker took a shot at the absent Barrett, whom he called a "bureaucrat in chief," and said, "I want to go from being a bureaucrat in chief to advocate in chief." As governor, two questions would guide his decisionmaking, he said. The questions were, "what will this do to help business create jobs," and "what will this do ... to locate jobs here."

The candidates almost never referred to each other's proposals, but saved their criticisms for Doyle and Barrett. In general, the two Republican candidates' plans aligned, differing mostly in details.

Both agreed that the state needs a world-class education system - "an economic imperative," Walker called it. While he criticized Doyle for repealing the qualified economic offer, which school districts could impose on teachers when bargaining failed, Neumann pressed for an expansion of the choice and charter programs as alternatives to struggling public schools. But added, "when we have great public schools I'd encourage that we expand, replicate and copy them."

Both candidates were unenthused about rail initiatives, though for different reasons. Neumann said he was not opposed in principle, but asked, "How much does it cost and who's going to pay for it?" He added, "'I'm opposed to taxpayers not using the rail having to pay for the rail" -- that is, for example, people who live up north, nowhere near new rail lines. Walker scoffed at a Milwaukee to Madison rail line, which he said would create just 55 jobs, and said, "we should use that money to update roads and bridges we have today. The entire freeway system in southeastern Wisconsin needs to be updated."

Neumann spoke generally about his support for alternative energy use, saying leadership on this could come from the private sector. Walker was less interested in new initiatives. "I'm all for being green, but it should be about saving green and making green, not taking more green out of our pockets.

The forum was moderated by Len Iaquinta, president of Excellence in Communications. It was sponsored by the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Bank of Kenosha.

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