John is the ‘other’ Democrat for governor

Seven candidates are slated to appear on the 2010 Wisconsin gubernatorial ballot for the primary election in September.
Mark Neumann and Scott Walker will go head-to-head on the GOP ticket.
On the Democratic side, it may seem a foregone conclusion that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will win his party’s nomination, but voters will find another name on the “D” side of the ballot: Tim John.
John is also a Milwaukee native and great grandson of Miller Brewing Company founder Frederic Miller. He is the owner of Milwaukee-based Bluemound Graphics printing and publishing company. The company primarily publishes calendars for churches nationwide.
According to John’s campaign website, as governor he will focus on issues pertaining to reducing unemployment among black men, allowing raw milk sales and allowing same-sex marriage in Wisconsin.
“As governor, with the help of every Wisconsinite, I will focus on reducing our State’s unemployment, especially in places where thousands of unemployed black men face long odds finding family-supporting jobs,” John said in a campaign statement. “These Wisconsin men live in embarrassed silence. For too long we have allowed them to stay concentrated in places with scant hope of employment to support their families. Instead of burdening future generations with this worsening problem, we will discover solutions through personal involvement, hard work, and Main Street ingenuity.”
According to John’s campaign website, his campaign has raised only $5,000 in contributions. That’s compared with more than a $1 million raised for Barrett’s campaign.
“What a surprise when we discover on September 14 that the millions of dollars of special interest money given to the ‘major’ candidates was to no avail,” John said on his website. “I have walked – and still walk – the streets asking thousands of you voters for support in moving away from party politics to real government leadership. I work for every dollar donated – I carried a clipboard to gain required signatures to be on this ballot. I have earned your respect by listening and by being honest in every step of our successful journey.”
John’s campaign is focused now on scheduling a debate with Barrett before the primary election. So far, that request has not been answered.
Scott Paterick, a financial planner and a former Wisconsin Rapids councilman, is also running as a Republican candidate.
Germantown resident Jim Langer is running as an Independent candidate, and James James, a businessman from the Madison area, is running as a member of the Common Sense Party.
– BizTimes Milwaukee