Sanders receives endorsement, unveils jobs plan

Yesterday the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 388, which represents electrical workers in 15 counties throughout Central and Northern Wisconsin, announced it had endorsed Henry Sanders, Jr. for Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor. In making the endorsement, IBEW Local 388 Business Manager Dave Northrup issued a statement saying, “We need a Lieutenant Governor who understands what it’s like to work for a living, and has the necessary experience to help create good-paying, family-supporting jobs here in Wisconsin. Henry Sanders is the only candidate who has that experience, and we’re proud to endorse his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor.”

While the endorsement of Sanders’ candidacy by IBEW Local 388 is certainly news, the Sanders for Lt. Governor campaign made even bigger news with the announcement of its “Progressive Recovery” plan for creating jobs in Wisconsin. The “Progressive Recovery” plan is a collection of 18 proposals ranging from investing in new energy technology to consolidating the Departments of Commerce, Workforce Development and Financial Institutions.

“Tom Barrett recently put forward a bold and ambitious plan to jump-start Wisconsin’s economy, and I whole-heartedly endorse his plan,” Sanders said. “Mayor Barrett also said recently that he wants his Lieutenant Governor ‘focused like a laser’ on attracting, retaining and creating jobs. Anyone who knows Tom’s character knows that he wants this lieutenant to help champion and enact his proposals, but he also wants someone to bring real-world job creation experience and even more ideas to the table. “

“I bring a career’s worth of job creation experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. My Progressive Recovery plan draws on all that experience, plus the expertise of some of the state’s most impressive job creators.”

Sanders’ “Progressive Recovery” plan focuses on seven key goals spanning 18 specific proposals and initiatives:

Streamline State Job Creation Resources

  • Relocate Critical Business Assistance Programs
  • Consolidate the Departments of Commerce, Workforce Development, and Financial Institutions

Increase Access to Capital for Wisconsin Businesses

  • Match Federal SBIR Grants
  • Invest State Escheat Funds in Job Creation

Improve Wisconsin’s Infrastructure to Grow Our Economy

  • Expand the State Infrastructure Bank
  • Create a Next-Generation Smart Energy Grid

Prioritize Green Technologies

  • Increase Tax Credits for Next-Generation Windmill Factories
  • Put Agricultural Waste to Work

Assist Main Street

  • Create a Statewide Buy Wisconsin Initiative
  • Reinvigorate the Wisconsin Idea through Technical Colleges & Regional Development Groups
  • Create a Council on Small Business

Grow Wisconsin’s Non-Profit Sector

  • Create a Tax Credit for CDFI Investment
  • Create a Council on Philanthropy

Position Wisconsin to Complete Globally

  • Implement Best Value Contracting Policies
  • Expand Helmets to Hardhats Initiative
  • Restart Cluster Hire Program
  • Guarantee Full Equality for All Families
  • Create a Council on Young Professionals

While Sanders’ job creation plan is far from being as detailed as the job creation plan released by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett, it’s certainly a plan full of possibility, and it’s more than any other Lt. Governor candidate from either party has come up with. I’m particularly interested in Sanders’ proposal to put Wisconsin agricultural waste to work, because I think there’s tremendous potential for Wisconsin to become a national leader in the use of biomass as a means of producing cleaner energy to power our state. While some folks may argue that the state will never be able to provide enough power to meet its needs through wind turbines, the utilization of agricultural waste (of which our state obviously has plenty of) could help greatly reduce our state’s dependence on coal and natural gas power plants.

Share:

Related Articles

4 thoughts on “Sanders receives endorsement, unveils jobs plan

  1. In general, pretty irrelevant. What was Barbara Lawton’s economic development plan? Scott McCallum’s? Does it matter?

  2. Voters have yet to hear what any of the other candidates’ plans are for the office. Safe to assume it’s because they don’t have any.

Comments are closed.