Democrat Barrett proposes $1.1 billion in savings, including closing secretary of state office

Barrett proposes $1.1 billion in savings for Wis.

MADISON, Wis. — Democratic candidate for governor Tom Barrett wants to eliminate the secretary of state and treasurer’s offices as part of a plan he released Monday that he said would save Wisconsin more than $1 billion.

The plan includes savings that the governor could enact on his own, some that would require legislative approval and others, like eliminating those constitutional offices, that would also take a vote of the people.

Barrett said some of the savings could be achieved every year, while others like eliminating the offices would be one-time only. He did not break down how of the $1 billion in savings could be ongoing.

Other cost-saving moves Barrett called for included closing nonessential state agencies on Fridays, barring elective medical procedures like sex changes for prison inmates, and combining government workers statewide into pools to purchase lower health insurance.

He also called for “right-sizing” the state employee work force, but did not say if that would involve layoffs or simply not replacing retirees or filling vacant jobs.

Barrett said his goal was to provide a substantive plan to differentiate himself from the two main Republican candidates who have not released many details about how they would balance the state budget, which is projected to be $2 billion in the red when the next governor takes office.

“There’s something here substantive to be critical of,” Barrett said at the news conference held on the steps of the Capitol. He said the plan moves away from “gimmicks and trickery” that have been used over the past 20 years to balance the state budget.

Barrett is the only major Democratic candidate for governor. The two main Republicans running for office are Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann.

Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus called Barrett’s plan a sham, saying his record shows that he supported spending increases throughout his career in the state Legislature, Congress and as mayor of Milwaukee.

Walker’s campaign manager Keith Gilkes issued a statement in which he did not criticize Barrett’s plan specifically, but said it was part of a “’say anything to get elected’ playbook.” Walker spokeswoman Jill Bader said more details about his plans for the state budget will be released soon.

Neumann, who served four years in Congress and owns a home building business, touted his plan to order state agencies to take a 1 percent cut to help balance the budget. He said he would be better than Walker or Barrett at addressing the budget because he has more experience in the private sector.

Barrett criticized both Walker and Neumann for supporting repealing recently passed tax increases that target big businesses and those earning over $300,000 a year. Doing that wouldn’t benefit the middle class, Barrett said, and would only compound the state’s budget problem by nearly doubling the projected deficit.

Walker and Neumann have both said they want to reduce government spending by targeting waste, fraud and abuse, at the same time they lower taxes. Neither has offered a detailed plan about how they would achieve that.

Barrett’s 26-page plan called “Putting Madison on a Diet” came just 18 days after he released a 67-page economic development plan. The latest one will be the subject of Barrett’s second television ad, slated to run sometime this week before the state Democratic Party convention Friday in Middleton, Barrett’s spokesman Phil Walzak said.

Barrett’s plan to eliminate the secretary of state and treasurer’s offices would save about $1 million, he said. Proposals to do that have been introduced regularly in the Legislature but never passed.

Democrats currently hold each of those offices.

“To say the least I think it’s a dumb idea,” Secretary of State Doug La Follette said.

He said eliminating his office would only transfer his duties to government bureaucrats and not result in any cost savings.

“It’s a mystery to me,” La Follette said. “I don’t think he studied the issue and that’s too bad.”

State Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass had no comment, her spokesman Ron Giordan said.

Barrett said he could save nearly $340 million by pooling government workers’ purchasing power, $200 million by offering incentives for BadgerCare Plus enrollees to purchase lower-cost plans, and $9.5 million by reducing spending on inmate medical costs.

He also proposed requiring online reporting within 48 hours of lobbyists meeting with state lawmakers and banning legislators from becoming lobbyists for one year after they leave office.

Online:

Tom Barrett: www.barrettforwisconsin.com/

Mark Neumann: markforgov.com/

Scott Walker: www.scottwalker.org/