"At 84 years old, I never thought I’d live long enough to have the city take business from us."
– Fred Luber, the chairman of Super Steel Products Corp. and a longtime GOP backer, alleging that the state and the city of Milwaukee sold out Super Steel as the company attempted to bid on work from Spanish high-speed rail manufacturer Talgo. Luber and his preferred candidate for governor – Scott Walker – ripped Gov. Jim Doyle and Mayor Tom Barrett in a press conference Wednesday.
"They were only looking for space. They were only offering space to Talgo."
– Jeff Fleming, spokesman for the City Development Office, countering that Talgo had ruled out Super Steel long ago, that the Spanish company never intended to hire local workers, and that the city "aggressively supported" Super Steel’s bid.
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"It’s a way for them to kill it or stall it without having to take that difficult vote."
– Milwaukee Coounty Supervisor Joe Sanfelippo, author of a measure to cut the county’s pension system, on an alternative proposal to merge the county system with the state’s pension plan. Supporters of the merger plan say it would results in more savings than the 20 percent cut proposed by Sanfelippo.
