Gov. Scott McCallum’s support rally this weekend was not all flags and banners for his campaign.
At his budget rally in Wauwatosa, the governor met as many boos as cries of support.
Approximately 200 protestors met McCallum’s entourage outside Washington Elementary School in preparation for a speech defending his budget-cut decisions and preparing for the gubernatorial primary Feb. 19.
Firefighters, labor-union representatives, municipal officials and taxpayers gathered to protest the phasing out of Wisconsin’s shared-revenue program.
Protestors, including the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin and Milwaukee Area Technical College, said they would not support a budget plan that would jeopardize public safety in Wisconsin.
Rick Gale, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, said in an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal the governor’s plan would affect the response time of emergency officials.
“We do not believe communities can withstand the drastic reductions proposed by the governor without affecting staffing and response time,” Gale said. “We will not stand by silently and allow this proposal to destroy the quality of life in Wisconsin and, at the same time, dismantle public safety.”
Tim Sheeby, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, said the governor came to further explain the impact of his budget proposal and to clear up misunderstandings about his proposal.
“I think there was a strong balance supporting the governor’s effort to balance the budget,” Sheeby said. “I give the governor a lot of credit for talking about his priorities.”
Before the governor arrived, protestors held a pre-rally with picket signs that read, “McCallum’s cut hurt out schools” and, “Cut your state bureaucracy first”.
“[The state is at a] time when we are spending more than we are taking in,” Sheeby said. “Now we have to make some tough choices, and the governor has decided to not cut funding in senior-citizen programs or programs that help the neediest people.”
Michael Rosen, chairman of the economics department at MATC, told the State Journal he supported protests by union workers.
“Isn’t it ironic that only four months ago, firefighters, police social workers, emergency medical workers and teachers were the toast of this nation?” Rosen asked. “Because when the chips fell down, public unionized workers were the ones who stood up.”
Rosen said under the governor’s plan, the MATC budget would be reduced by $5.2 million, which could force some class sections to be cut.
Sheeby said because of the budget deficit, there needs to be cuts in all areas of state government, including the UW System.
“The heart of contention for Milwaukee Area Technical College was that they were saying the governor should not cut funding,” Sheeby said. “But technical colleges are doing better than the rest of government because their cuts are smaller than they could be.”
