by Tony Palmeri
March 22, 2002
(Oshkosh) Democratic Party Gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett held a luncheon/listening session with local goverment officials from the Fox Valley today at Robbins restaurant. Barrett, currently serving his 5th term as US Congressman from Milwaukee, told the officials that Governor McCallum has failed to show the leadership necessary to solve the state's budget crisis. The candidate expressed dismay at McCallum's reference to local government officials as "big spenders," and said that state and local goverments must "work together" to solve problems. Citing the recent news that McCallum had used a state airplane to fly from Madison to Janesville, Barrett said that the Governor clearly does not practice what he has been preaching to local officials.
While making no specific commitment to increase funding for the state's shared revenue program or even to maintain it at its current level of funding, Barrett faulted McCallum for proposing to slash the program without providing any direction for counties and municipalities as to how to replace monies already budgeted. Barrett theorized that the Governor's original plan was to cut shared revenues while providing local governments with a "sales tax option." But that option was probably "not acceptable to McCallum's political base," and so the plan will be "reintroduced after the election" if McCallum wins.
Brown County Executive Nancy Nussbaum said that the McCallum flight to Janesville story "made her day." She added that she will "never forget" McCallum coming to Brown County and telling citizens not to listen to the "scare tactics" coming from local officials about how the elimination of shared revenues will lead to loss of police and fire services.
Other officials spotted at the luncheon in addition to Nussbaum were: Winnebago County Executive Jane Van De Hey; Oshosh Mayor Jon Dell'Antonia and Oshkosh Common Councilors Paul Esslinger, Mark Harris, and Melanie Bloechl; Outagamie County Executive Toby Paltzer; Winnebago Couny Supervisors Jim Lauson, Bill Wingren, and Paul Sundquist (and Sundquist's opponent in the April 2nd election Cheryl Hentz); Greg Weyenberg of the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers; Winnebago County Labor Council official Joan Kaeding; and Menasha Mayor Joe Laux. Attendance at the function did not necessarily indicate an intent to support Barrett, though Mayor Laux has already endorsed him, as has the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers.
Barrett closed his brief talk by expressing encouragement in recent poll numbers that show him ahead of McCallum and with steadily increasing favorability ratings. To put the numbers in perspective, Barrett said that polls numbers are like SAT scores: if they are high they are evidence of success but if they are low you don't talk about them.
Earlier today, Barrett sat for a one-hour interview with Jim Mather and Tony Palmeri for "Commentary." The interview will be broadcast the week of April 15. Democratic candidates Kathleen Falk and James Doyle will also appear on Commentary, as will Libertarian Party candidate Ed Thompson and the Green Party's Jim Young. Scott McCallum has not responded to an invitation to appear.