Gubernatorial candidates mum on budget fixes; Outcome of treasurer race may determine fate of office itself; more election briefs

Talk about it

With a week to go before Election Day, neither candidate for governor has given a complete picture of what he'd cut to balance the state budget.

The next two-year budget deficit is at least $2.5 billion, but experts say it's probably closer to $3 billion. In other words, it's $1.5 billion in the first year alone.

Todd Berry of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance said people should realize that any revenue growth the state sees from a recovering economy will likely be eaten up by that deficit. He said in that context, it makes this coming budget a really tough one.

“Probably in terms of a structural problem, it may very well be the worst we've ever seen," said Berry.

Neither Democrat Tom Barrett nor Republican Scott Walker said he wants to raise taxes to balance the budget, which means they have to cut spending.

Barrett has offered a lengthy list of ideas. The biggest one in terms of dollars--having local governments join the state employee health care plan -- only saves the state money if it cuts funding for local governments. Barrett said he doesn't want to do that.

Walker's biggest proposed cut in sheer dollars is to have a commission identify $300 million in waste, fraud and abuse to cut after he's elected.

Wisconsin Council on Children and Families Director Jon Peacock said what's missing from the discussion is that the next governor will have to make hard, unpopular choices to fill the budget hole.

"What people want to hear is that we can balance the budget by tightening our belts, cutting out waste, fraud and abuse and have tax cuts on top of that,” said Peacock. “And I wish that were so, but it just simply isn't."

Peacock said to put the size of the shortfall in perspective, you could cut all state funding for Wisconsin's prison system and still not completely balance the books.

--Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio

---------

Barrett puts faith in black congregations

MILWAUKEE--Democratic candidate for governor Tom Barrett spent Sunday morning in church – as many as six -- courting African-American voters.

For any Democrat to win a statewide race in Wisconsin, it's almost essential to run up big majorities among the tens of thousands of black voters in Milwaukee. So Milwaukee Mayor Barrett made the rounds of African-American churches.

At Holy Cathedral Church of God in Christ, Barrett told hundreds of people that some pundits are forecasting a big falloff in black turnout compared to the presidential election of two years ago. He told the audience that he's helped create summer jobs programs for African-American teens, backed a fatherhood initiative and met with prison parolees before they return to Milwaukee neighborhoods.

State Republicans note the unemployment rate in some of those neighborhoods remains well into the double digits. But Sandra Harrison who heads the ushers at St. Gabriel’s Church of God in Christ said she's still backing Barrett. Harrison said the mayor comes to the black community.

Church leaders at St. Gabriel did not tell their audience to vote for Barrett but did promise a robust get out the vote effort on Election Day.

--Chuck Quirmbach, WPR

---------

Outcome of treasurer race may determine fate of office itself

The Republican candidate for state treasurer has made the very existence of the office the major issue in the race. As a result, both candidates are spending most of their time explaining what the treasurer does and doesn't do.

The incumbent Democrat, Dawn Marie Sass, has been a party stalwart for her entire professional career, serving as a delegate at the national conventions in the last four presidential elections. Up until her election as treasurer in 2006, she was an active member of the state employees union through her work as a probation officer and child welfare worker.

Sass said eliminating the office of treasurer would not save the taxpayers anything because someone would still have to administer the unclaimed properties fund.

"Whoever that will be, will be most likely an administrator who makes way over $100,000, which is more than I make,” she said. “Those people are not going to go out and promote this program. They are not going to have that one of their priorities to give back the $350 million that does not belong to us."

Sass also said her role as the administrator of the EdVest program is not one that could be easily absorbed by the Department of Revenue.

But Republican challenger Kurt Schuller said he believes voters will support his plan to eliminate the office when they realize it will save them money. That's why he decided to run.

“It was like a little light when off in my head, ‘Yeah that's an idea’ that is in keeping with the mood of the people… ‘Yeah. I want to see smaller government.’”

Schuller said if elected, he'll use his experience as a restaurant owner to manage the treasurer's duties while using his position to push for a constitutional amendment to eliminate the office. He said he then hopes to run for the Assembly and continue to push for shrinking state government and tearing down the wall he sees between the public and private sector.

--Gil Halsted, WPR

---------

Hmong hold historic general elections for statewide clan system

Just a few days after people cast their vote in the Nov. 2 election, many of the state’s Hmong residents will be casting theirs in an historic election of their own.

For the first time in its 35-year history, the 18 Clan Council of Wisconsin is holding a general election. In decades past, its president was largely handpicked by General Vang Pao, one of the Hmong’s most revered leaders. But Yer Yang, a Sheboygan high school teacher and coordinator of the elections, said this didn’t always result in strong leadership.

“Whenever you are picked and did not agree to the role wholeheartedly, then… likely you won’t work as hard and… you won’t put forth all the energy and effort and the vision necessary to improve the Hmong community.”

Yang is with an 11-member committee that’s working to change how the Hmong clan system works in Wisconsin. She said right now, there are three candidates running for president. Over time she hopes to see more Hmong get involved and tackle issues that the traditional clan system hasn’t been the most proactive on. This includes domestic violence in Hmong families, which led to several recent murder-suicides in Marathon County and other areas.

“So there’s an outcry from the Hmong families to ask for help,” said Yang. “And the 18 clans are supposed to hypothetically to be able to resolve some of these problems, but our leaders are not always on top of things and many problems went unresolved, or couples were sent home not being counseled appropriately.”

Yang said candidates -- and their running mates-- will be sharing their stances on issues over several Hmong radio programs in the days leading up to the Nov. 6 election.

The 18 Clan Council represents Wisconsin’s Hmong population in state and federal matters and also works to help their communities with economic development and cultural preservation.

-- Brian Bull, WPR

Tags: elections, politics