ICYMI: Oshkosh Northwestern Endorses Scott Walker
Editorial: Walker best choice to lead transformation
Two anecdotes that happened before the 2010 campaign help illustrate why Scott Walker should be Wisconsin's next governor.
When he was chair of the Assembly Corrections Committee in the late 1990s while representing Wauwatosa, Walker made a point of visiting correctional facilities statewide, including Oshkosh, to get first-hand observations and direct feedback on how things were working. Later, as Milwaukee County Executive, he described traveling to EAA's AirVenture and being amazed at the massive scope of the event.
Whether it's gaining a ground level understanding of issues or attending signature state events even if they were outside of his backyard, Walker is serious about being an unabashed ambassador for Wisconsin, something that has been sorely lacking since Tommy Thompson left for Washington.
It runs deeper than a photo-op or fact-finding tour. Walker recognizes the opportunities for expanding and landing aviation related businesses in Wisconsin that come from hosting the convention in Oshkosh each year. We need a governor who will ask questions at state agencies and institutions about how we can do things fundamentally differently because our state is stuck in an economic rut that runs deeper than a recessionary cycle.
Walker is the best candidate to initiate the transformation in Wisconsin that go beyond simply balancing the state budget. He talks with genuine enthusiasm and intensity about re-examining shelved studies, such as the Kettl Commission report, to make changes that could help Wisconsin change, grow and stop simply treading water.
The campaign for governor has been exceptionally negative. That's a regrettable blemish for both Walker, and his opponent Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Barrett is a thoughtful and experienced leader who is tackling large and complex issues in the state's largest city.
The key difference — outside of pointed differences on specific issues — is that Walker recognizes that the change needed in Wisconsin is not cosmetic, but systemic. Walker has been making changes in Milwaukee County since he was elected in 2002, privatizing services where it made sense, reducing the number of employees and reducing county debt.
His record is not perfect. Troubling patient care lapses have been identified at the Milwaukee County Mental Health complex and spending on social services has been slashed too deeply. A few cautionary points have emerged on the campaign trail as well. Walker's ultimate success as governor will depend greatly on his ability to work constructively with state employees. He must not fall into the trap of demonizing state employees. Additionally, steps that would undermine Wisconsin's burgeoning biotechnology industry would be a blow to an economic growth engine for the future.
Barrett's biggest failure is to substantively differentiate his campaign from the policies of Gov. Jim Doyle, who spent most of his two terms moving from crisis to crisis. Wisconsin needs a governor like Scott Walker who will aggressively push for major changes in Madison.
The Final Thought: Scott Walker is the best choice for governor of Wisconsin.
