Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s criticism related to the Talgo company came just two weeks after the company owned by a top Walker campaign donor and finance co-chair of his failed 2006 gubernatorial campaign did not receive a contract from the Spanish train maker according to One Wisconisn Now, a progressive advocacy group.
Walker’s criticism, in which he also leveled charges at Gov. Jim Doyle and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, came after Super Steel, owned by Republican donor Fred Luber, was told it would not receive a Talgo contract.
Luber and his wife have given more than $150,000 to Republican campaigns in the last 20 years, including over $13,000 to Walker alone, according to totals gathered by One Wisconsin Now through the Federal Election Commission; Wisconsin Campaign Finance Information System and Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
"For Scott Walker, it’s not about creating jobs in Milwaukee, but looking out for his biggest campaign donors," said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now executive director. "First, Walker wants to bankrupt the state’s treasury for tax cuts for corporations and the richest households, and now he’s trashing potential job creation in Milwaukee because his former campaign co-chair didn’t get a contract … This is the worst in politics by Scott Walker. That Scott Walker is willing to pause his gubernatorial campaign to argue for a longtime donor shows the premium Walker places on campaign cash."
Luber is chair of the MacIver Institute, a conservative advocacy group. The MacIver Institute has been a staunch opponent of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which provided the $810 million in funding that in part helped the Talgo train-making in Milwaukee to become a reality.
Meanwhile, Mark Jefferson, executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said the Talgo deal “reeks of cronyism” and left Super Steel in the cold.
“The sweetheart deals of the Doyle Administration are only going to continue under Tom Barrett,” Jefferson said. “While Spanish firms win, Wisconsin companies struggle–but as long as it helps Democrats like Jim Doyle and Tom Barrett stay in power, they’re willing to sell out Wisconsin workers.”
Proving the City of Milwaukee now wants to cover the back of Barrett on the issue, former Barrett campaign spokesman Jeff Flemming appears now to be a “taxpayer-funded campaign lackey for Barrett,” based on the contact information for a biased “fact-sheet” released earlier by the city, Jefferson said.
– BizTimes Milwaukee
