Who\u2019s the real pro-business, pro-jobs candidate in this year\u2019s election for governor of Wisconsin? Mary Burke, who is mounting a major campaign as a Democrat, used an \u201cOn the Issues with Mike Gousha\u201d program Tuesday in the Appellate Courtroom of Eckstein Hall to say it\u2019s her.<\/p>\n
Her visit provided her first public comments on her long-awaited economic development plan, which was released late Monday night. With the presumption that jobs and the economy will be the central issue, Burke said she\u2019s the one with specific plans that will create a better business climate in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
Burke held up a four-page position paper on the subject from Walker\u2019s 2010 race for governor and said, \u201cI\u2019ve seen eighth grade term papers that frankly had more work put into them.\u201d She said that in terms of job creation, Wisconsin still ranked 35th in the country and ninth among 10 Midwestern states after three a half years of Walker as governor. Wisconsin also ranks 48th in business start-ups, she said, and she criticized the track record of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., which Walker created to succeed the state Commerce Department that Burke headed under Gov. Jim Doyle a decade ago.<\/p>\n
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Burke\u2019s 40-page plan calls for steps such as focusing on strategies to strengthen sectors of Wisconsin\u2019s economy, and not individual firms; greater support and investment in entrepreneurial ventures; and increased emphasis on the number of people receiving college degrees that ready them for careers. She said more could be accomplished by having a cooperative environment on economic issues than a confrontational one. While Walker has emphasized tax cuts, Burke\u2019s plan does not call for them. \u201cI\u2019m running to create a much better business climate, and much better economy,\u201d she said. She said what Walker has done \u201chas not moved the needle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked by Gousha about educational issues in Milwaukee and Racine, Burke said she would not try to dismantle the private school voucher or the independent charter school programs that enroll tens of thousands of students. \u201cWe have to operate within the framework that exists,\u201d she said. Rather, she said, she would seek to bring leaders of all the sectors together to work on building up the quality of schools. There are good and bad schools that parents choose within each stream of schools, she said. \u201cWe have to make sure the choices are good ones,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But she repeated stands she took recently to halt the statewide voucher program and to eliminate tax deductions for private school tuition. Both plans were launched in 2013 and remain small and, therefore, relatively easy to stop. Walker supports both.<\/p>\n
Burke said she is not in favor of reviving the idea of putting Milwaukee Public Schools under mayoral control, a proposal that failed in a divisive battle in 2009. Effort now, she said, should focus on improving schools overall. She said, \u201cWe can be successful if we find common ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
News media interest in the session was high, with six camera crews from Madison and Milwaukee television stations present. Looking at more\u00a0than a dozen reporters and camera people in a “press scrum” around Burke after the program was over,\u00a0it was easy to forget that the election is more than seven months away.<\/p>\n
Gov. Walker has been invited several times to take part in an \u201cOn the Issues\u201d program, but has declined to date.<\/p>\n