Natalie Gonnella
Throughout his 2010 gubernatorial bid, Wisconsin Governor-elect Scott Walker heavily focused on his aims to make Wisconsin a more favorable place for business development and one of the top ten states in the country for job creation. Facing an unemployment rate of over 7%, the Governor-elect even went so far as to promise to create at least 250,000 new jobs during his first term in office:
I want my cabinet secretaries to have branded across their heads, '250,000 jobs…I want them to know their job is on the line because my job is on the line to create 250,000 jobs in the private sector.
Wasting little time in addressing his goals in the midst of a state budget deficit of over $3 billion, Walker today announced his plans to replace the existing Wisconsin Department of Commerce with a partly private “Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.” According to The Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel the new department will be structured like an authority, with a chief executive officer reporting to a 12 person board of directors, with the Governor acting as chairperson. The sole focus of the revamped department will be the creation of jobs in Wisconsin. Of his proposal Walker said:
For too long the Department of Commerce has spent more time regulating business than promoting it. Throughout the campaign I promised to fundamentally change our government's approach to job creation. I am serious about enacting aggressive reforms focused on revitalizing Wisconsin's private-sector economy.
Calling a special session of Wisconsin policymakers next week, Walker hopes the GOP-led Legislature will take up his proposal for the economic development authority as well as his plans for cutting taxes on small businesses, eliminating the state tax on health savings accounts and enacting overall regulatory reform.
With many states facing high unemployment and substantial budget shortfalls, Walker's plan (and promises) for Wisconsin will be one to keep track of as new GOP governors attempt to set their states on pathways to economic success.
