Runs for Office

Walker seeks another four-year term as Milwaukee County Executive so he can continue streamlining county services and cutting costs. He wants to reduce the county workforce further, expand public-private partnerships, contract out or privatize county services, and encourage faith based groups to work with delinquent youth to increase public safety.

I look at a number of areas and say there’s a whole lot more we can do. . . . We’ve got to get even more aggressive at being innovative.

At the Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee, Walker debates David Riemer, for the office of County Executive. On funding for parks, Walker says that state government is the key. State mandated justice programs have limited county funding for quality-of-life services. On the increase of public transit fares, he says that it was caused by rising labor and fuel costs. But he is for shifting sales tax revenue from automobile sales that go to the state’s general fund to transit. He is also for a law allowing the carrying of concealed weapons. Riemer says that Walker should stop blaming labor unions, the state government and others for his failures to reverse trends that hurt county government:

You never hear any acceptance of responsibility to provide leadership.

Walker kicks off his reelection campaign at a cocktail-hour event at Villa Terrace Museum hosted by 107 backers who pledge to give $500 to $1,000. The event brings in more than $80,000 for his first fund-raiser.

In his reelection bid for State Assembly, Walker campaigns on a tough anti-crime and anti-tax message. He supports a tax-cut plan that will save the average household $1,494 in income taxes over five years, life-time imprisonment for pedophiles and laws to protect vulnerable senior citizens from abuse. Commenting on truth-in-sentencing legislation he co-authored:

You serve 100% of your time. Ten years means ten years. I’ve found even with people who lean left of center, they’re in favor of incarcerating prisoners.

His opponent, Jim Heidenreich, disagrees:

It’s gotten real punitive. Mr. Walker supports building neighborhood prisons, not neighborhood schools. He’s big on building prisons; he’s big on shipping prisoners out of state. But let’s quit shipping ’em out of state, and let’s put some money into rehabilitation. That’s just as important as punishment.

Running for reelection for State Assembly, Walker campaigns on a tough anti-crime and anti-tax message.

Crime is clearly still the most important issue in this district. I’ve been pleased to be able to deliver on that.

He also worked on property tax relief which resulted in spending restraints on education. Although the Wauwatosa school district increased its spending nearly 3%, matching the rate of inflation, school officials had to make difficult budgeting decisions.

That is not necessarily a bad thing. Some could argue that the school budget isn’t increasing at the level they would like it to be. That in part is what got us, as a state, into the problem of property taxes.

His opponent, Dale Dulberger, disagrees saying that the restraints have harmed schools:

On a whole range of issues, I think his voting record doesn’t reflect the values of the people of Wauwatosa. He’s taken some extreme positions that I think are out of step with the people of Wauwatosa.