- NEXT UP, POLITICS AND THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR.
IN TONIGHT'S CLOSER LOOK, WE CONTINUE A SERIES OF ONE-ON-ONE
INTERVIEWS WITH THE DEMOCRATS RUNNING IN THE VERY CROWDED
PRIMARY RACE.
TONIGHT, TONY EVERS.
EVERS IS THE CURRENT STATE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT, FIRST
ELECTED TO THAT POST IN 2009, HE WAS REELECTED IN 2013 AND AGAIN
IN 2017.
HE'S A FORMER CLASSROOM TEACHER AND HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.
EVERS IS ALSO THE FORMER OAKFIELD AND VERONA SCHOOL
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR.
TONY EVERS JOINS US NOW AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR DOING SO.
- THANKS, FREDERICA.
GOOD TO BE BACK.
- SO WHY DO YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE THE PROGRESSIVE VOICE FOR
WISCONSIN?
- WELL, I THINK WE ARE IN A POSITION IN THIS RACE TO REALLY
ARTICULATE WHAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY BELIEVE, WHAT THEIR VALUE
SYSTEMS ARE, WHETHER IT'S AROUND EDUCATION OR WHETHER IT'S
AROUND, FRANKLY, OUR NATURAL RESOURCES, HEALTH CARE.
THOSE TYPE OF VALUES THAT HAVE BEEN FRANKLY DECIMATED BY SCOTT
WALKER.
I BELIEVE THOSE ISSUES BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN DEMOCRATS AND
REPUBLICANS.
WE HEAR ALL ACROSS THE STATE WHEN WE GO THERE.
SO BEING A CAMPAIGN AROUND VALUES, WE'RE GOING TO SPEND OUR
TIME HAMMERING SCOTT WALKER.
THAT'S PART OF THE DEAL.
BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS IF WE'RE NOT POSITIVE ABOUT THE
FUTURE, WE WILL LIVE IN THE PAST, CONTINUE TO LIVE IN THE
PAST.
- AMONGST ALL THE MANY CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THIS
PRIMARY, WHY DO YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONE THAT COULD BEAT SCOTT
WALKER?
- WELL, QUITE SIMPLY THIS.
I'M THE ONLY CANDIDATE THAT HAS WON THREE TIMES AND WON.
LAST TIME I WON WAS 70% OF THE VOTE.
I WON 70, 72 COUNTIES.
I HAVE NEVER LOST A COUNTY IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL WISCONSIN
IN MY WINNING RACES.
SO THAT'S IMPORTANT.
I'VE ALSO LIVED, MY FAMILY HAS LIVED ALL ACROSS CENTRAL
WISCONSIN, WHERE I DID A LOT OF MY WORK AS A SUPERINTENDENT OR
AS A TEACHER.
AND CENTRAL WISCONSIN HAS A LOT OF VOTES, 70% -- OR 60% -- 40%
OF THE VOTES, EXCUSE ME, OF PEOPLE THAT VOTE FOR GOVERNOR,
COME FROM THERE.
AND THE LAST THING IS I'VE ACTUALLY RUN THINGS.
I MEAN, THAT'S IMPORTANT.
IF WE'RE GOING TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN, WE HAVE TO
KNOW HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS.
I'M NOW IN CHARGE OF AN AGENCY THAT'S ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE
FOR 860,000 KIDS AND 100,000 ADULTS THAT WORK IN THAT SYSTEM.
THAT COUNTS FOR SOMETHING.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS FOR THE PEOPLE OF
WISCONSIN.
- I WANT TO GET TO SOME ISSUES.
ON THE ECONOMY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU CALL TO DO IS DISBAND
THE WISCONSIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO THAT?
- BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL INTENT HAS NEVER BEEN MET.
IT USED TO BE THE IDEA WAS GOING TO BE SOME KIND OF
PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
WELL, IT'S NOT.
IT'S A PUBLIC ENTITY.
IT USES PUBLIC MONEY TO CREATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE
STATE AND, FRANKLY, IT HASN'T DONE A VERY GOOD JOB OF THAT.
SO THE INITIAL IDEA BEHIND IT IS GONE.
IT'S NEVER BEEN A PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
IN ADDITION, I THINK AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT IN THE STATE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GONE DOWN TO FOXCONN
RAT HOLE, FRANKLY, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE OTHER PARTS OF THE
STATE HAVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MONEY.
WE NEED TO REINVEST ALL ACROSS THE STATE, NOT JUST IN SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN.
- I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT ACT 10.
YOU OPPOSE IT, AND RIGHT TO WORK.
BUT HOW WOULD YOU COUNTER SUCH LAWS?
- WELL, THE GRAND THEORY WOULD BE TO HAVE A BILL THAT SAYS
WE'RE REDOING ACT 10.
AND WILL THAT HAPPEN?
UNLIKELY, IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO BUILDING BLOCKS AROUND THIS.
DO I THINK WE CAN REPEAL RIGHT TO WORK?
THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE.
YES, I THINK WE CAN.
CAN WE -- THE WHOLE ISSUE OF PREVAILING WAGES THAT WAS PASSED
LAST TIME?
THERE ARE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS THAT WILL SUPPORT
THAT.
IN ADDITION, I THINK THERE'S SOME REALLY ONEROUS THINGS ABOUT
PREVENTING PUBLIC EMPLOYEES FROM BARGAINING, SUCH AS MAKING --
RECERTIFYING EVERY YEAR, WHICH IS REALLY DIFFICULT FOR ANY
UNION TO DO.
AND ALSO DUES DEDUCTION.
SO WE CAN START THE BUILDING BLOCKS TO MAKE THAT INC. CHA.
--CHANGE.
I WAS AGAINST ACT 10 FROM THE BEGINNING.
I WOULD SUPPORT REPEALING IT.
BUT WE JUST CAN'T WAIT.
WE HAVE TO PUT THOSE BUILDING BLOCKS IN PLACE.
- CLEARLY YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT EDUCATION.
ONE OF THE THINGS YOU CALL FOR IS INVESTMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION.
WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE?
- WELL, TO PUT IT IN A NUTSHELL, THE MOST DIFFICULT
POVERTY-RIDDEN PART OF THE STATE OF WISCONSIN IS ONE OF OUR URBAN
AREAS.
AND THERE IS NO HIGH QUALITY-FIVE-STAR EARLY
CHILDHOOD PROGRAM IN THAT AREA.
I WOULD INVEST IN MAKING SURE EVERY CHILD IN THAT -- AS A PILOT
I THINK WE CAN DO THAT IN THE NEXT BUDGET.
EVERY CHILD THAT LIVES IN THAT ZIP CODE HAS A RIGHT TO A
FIVE-STAR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMMING.
WE START TO EXPAND THAT STATEWIDE.
ALL DATA SHOWS THAT THAT'S WHERE A CHANGE HAS TO HAPPEN.
- YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT CITY, WHAT DISTRICT?
- IN MILWAUKEE, 532 ON 6.
THINK OF THE CHILDREN THERE, COME FROM EXTRAORDINARY POVERTY
AND THE TRAUMA THAT BRINGS WITH WITH IT AND PARENTS WORKING TWO
OR THREE JOBS AND NOT HAVING ACCESS TO FREE EARLY CHILDHOOD
PROGRAMMING IS FRANKLY A STAIN ON OUR SOCIETY.
WE HAVE TO CHANGE THAT.
- ALL RIGHT.
WITH JUST ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT, WHAT'S THE SINGLE-MOST IMPORTANT
THING YOU THINK WISCONSIN COULD DO AROUND HEALTH CARE?
- TAKE THE MEDICAID MONEY.
THAT MONEY HAS BEEN SITTING IN WASHINGTON D.C. FOR SCOTT
WALKER'S REIGN, AND WE CAN CHANGE HOW HEALTH CARE IS
DELIVERED IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN BY TAKING THAT
MEDICAID MONEY.
THAT'S ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT.
AND WE'LL DO THAT.
AND WE'LL ALSO SET UP EXCHANGES.
ALL THOSE THINGS THAT SCOTT WALKER DIDN'T DO HAS CAUSED
MINNESOTA TO MOVE FORWARD AND HAVE CHEAPER AND BETTER HEALTH
CARE THAN WE DO IN WISCONSIN.
OUR WISCONSIN FOLKS NEED TO HAVE THAT SAME OPPORTUNITY.
- ALL RIGHT.
WE LEAVE IT THERE.
TONY EVERS, THANKS VERY MUCH.
- THANK YOU.