One of the “accomplishments” Gov. Scott Walker has been touting as he’s traveled the country promoting himself for president is that he is a government reformer.
In the case of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), the job creation agency Gov. Walker created in place of the Department of Commerce, let’s look at what Gov. Walker’s reforms got Wisconsin.
In the four years since the creation of WEDC, that agency has had:
2 (soon to be three) spokespersons
2 two chief executive officers
3 chief operating officers
5 chief financial officers
$12 million in untracked loans
$126 million in loans that were not properly underwritten/vetted
If that’s the Republican idea of “government reform,” then I’ll pass.
Yes, WEDC has not been good, some victories but it has not and the right leadership so 5% of what Scott has done has not been perfect, a couple of small loans went bad. That is 95% good, while with Doyle and the Left, it was 95% bad, over budget, lousy leaders, nothing worked. Would have been Ill. if it had not been for ?Scott.
all the Scott haters are here, nice to know you. Take some giggle juice kiddies.
Most fun part of this blog is listening to the Left whine and realize that they lost to him three times.
Let’s not forget the WEDC “handout of $1.3 Billion in economic incentives” over four years or as nonquixote says elsewhere on this board, ” Premeditated theft of public resources.”
http://bloggingblue.com/2015/08/scott-walkers-wedc-acted-politically-instead-of-prudently-say-it-aint-so/#comment-149345
Walker should be sent to a “Reform School.”
This morning’s MJS notes that WEDC’s controller has also recently left, giving no specifics as to when or why (Paul Labonte “left to pursue other opportunities”). Controllers are the head of accounting, responsible for all financial statements, and Labonte had been there since September 2013. Doesn’t look like he had another job opportunity lined up when leaving. Was Labonte fired or was he just abandoning ship for some reason?
Wonder if the most recent Legislative Audit Bureau findings had anything to do with all this? The public hearing for the LAB on WEDC is set for September 2, and Kathleen Vinehout’s latest column, courtesy of Uppity Wisconsin (https://www.uppitywis.org/blogarticle/should-tax-dollars-go-companies-just-create-jobs), asks very important questions about WEDC’s operations, some of which conflict with state law. If WEDC people weren’t following the law, they should be held responsible, and not merely criticized as being incompetent.
Doling out $1.3 billion in tax money as economic incentives to businesses needs oversight and accountability, especially when that money could have been better spent on priorities that would benefit the public.