“Maybe this job is just too big for her. …” These were the thoughts of many this week as the “October Surprise” came to a forefront in the news. As has been said a lot throughout this entire election cycle, we know very little about Mary Burke’s performance in past jobs despite her go-to claim of being a “businesswoman.” Evidently, her party did not take the time to find out very much about her either before endorsing her candidacy, given all the recent findings about her performance at Trek and her “my way or the highway” attitude in the Doyle administration.
Burke claims that during her time at Trek she increased European sales by millions. The reality of that claim is that overseas sales did climb, mostly in Japan and the United Kingdom, where Burke was not directly supervising. Germany, where her aim to grow sales was targeted, was metaphorically bleeding out. If the family wanted to halt the so-called “character assassination” on Burke all they’d have to do is release Trek sales statistics. However, they have refused to do so, therefore furthering my certainty that Burke failed at her job.
Beyond the numbers, there was a large personnel problem that was verified by two people, her own brother John Burke and Trek’s COO/VP Albers, before the decision to terminate her employment was made. In my opinion, we need someone holding the governorship that can bring people together to move Wisconsin forward, not someone who has been cited multiple times as bad at managing personnel.
Burke’s defense for these claims is that the company was “restructured” and her position was eliminated. Last time I checked, family companies like to be inclusive when possible, and I am sure if she was doing her job correctly a place for her could have been found within the company after the “restructuring.” The fact Burke took a two-year snowboarding sabbatical after her termination with Trek instead of trying to find a job elsewhere in the corporate world further proves the point that she did not have the business skills that were needed and was running away from her problems. As a candidate who is campaigning for the “hard-working people of Wisconsin,” I’d love to know how Burke validates her two-year break from reality. The candidate obviously has no idea what hardworking means and is not suited to make decisions for those Wisconsin families who embody the term.
In addition to her history at Trek, emails have recently surfaced from her time at the Doyle administration citing her as equally unfit as a Secretary of Commerce. People within Burke’s own party called her a “disaster.” Her leadership style has been cited as “her way or the highway” which could only potentially result in partisan gridlock. No one else in her party has stood up to denounce the claims about her Trek leadership, or lack thereof, either. How can you expect people to actively vote for a candidate when no one is even willing to claim arguments against her are false?
In contrast, we have Gov. Scott Walker. Walker did not come from a family of millionaires but instead a minister and a bookkeeper, putting him in a position to identify with other hard-working Wisconsin families. He began his professional career working for the American Red Cross, an organization known for its giving to others. Wisconsin citizens have chosen Walker over and over again due to his proven track record of getting things done. He has been elected to the state assembly four times. He was elected as Milwaukee County Executive twice. He has been elected as governor twice, while Burke wasn’t even chosen to continue her job by her own family.
I urge each of you reading this article to vote for someone in this upcoming election and not simply against someone else. I personally don’t feel comfortable voting for someone who had a job handed to them in their life and still failed to perform, someone who has proven time and time again to be bad at managing people, someone who can not relate with the struggles most Wisconsin citizens face day in and day out. So get out and vote Tuesday, Nov. 4 for a candidate that can identify with your needs: Walker.
Marie Jolly ([email protected]) is the secretary of the College Republican Executive Board. She is a junior who is graduating in spring with a political science major.
