- Now to state politics and the start of our series of
interviews with Democrats running in the primary race
for governor.
It's a big field.
In fact, starting tonight our weekly series of one-on-one
interviews will take us through the month of July.
First up, Kelda Roys.
Ms. Roys grew up in Marshfield and Madison.
She's an attorney.
After serving as Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice
Wisconsin, she spent four years in the State Assembly.
She ran unsuccessfully for Congress
in the state's 2nd District.
Kelda Roys joins us now. Thanks very much for doing so.
- Thank you.
- Why do you believe you are the progressive voice
for Wisconsin?
- Well, I believe I'm ready to lead Wisconsin and help us
become a place of opportunity and fairness again.
That's why I'm running.
I have a strong track record of turning big ideas into real
results on all kinds of issues.
Common sense issues like health care and public education and
protecting our natural resources.
We need a governor who is ready on day one.
- Why can you beat Scott Walker?
- I can beat Scott Walker
because people are ready to turn the page.
I think a lot of the other folks in the race are eager to make
this a referendum on Walker, but I don't think that's enough.
I'm running for governor because I have a vision for the state to
make it the best place to raise a child and the best place to
grow business.
And I think people are responding to that positive,
proactive message, not just the sort of negativity
we've been mired in for the last eight years.
- On the economy, in your mind, what is the single-most
important thing to do even as our unemployment rate is really
at historic lows?
- Well, I think we have to increase wages because a lot of
people, what's reflected in that unemployment rate,
might be working two or three jobs and still unable to make
ends meet.
We have too many people who are working full-time
and they are still living in poverty.
So we have to increase wages.
And that's true for the middle class
as well as the working poor.
And to do that, we need to be much more supportive
of small businesses.
Whether it's a family farmer or a main street business
or somebody with an idea for a tech company.
- You talk about wanting to invest more money in
infrastructure for the state of Wisconsin.
How much money?
- Well I think we need to look and see what
the needs of the state are.
I think we have to address our crumbling roads.
I think we need to invest in 21st century infrastructure,
like broadband connectivity statewide and improving our
wireless network.
All of these things are really important if we want to have a
strong economy in the future.
- Now, you are out with a new ad blasting Governor Walker over
the Foxconn deal.
But won't Foxconn in fact bring jobs and business to Wisconsin?
- Well, I think my video focused on the stories of
homeowners who are being forced to move from the home that they
have planned for nine years and have lived in for less than a
year and a half without due consideration.
There is a human cost to a project like Foxconn in addition
to the $4.5 billion cost to taxpayers and the environmental
damage that is likely going to be wrought by Foxconn.
I think we need a governor who is going to stand up to Foxconn
and say, "You are not going to be allowed to destroy our
environment and we're going to make sure our taxpayers and
workers are protected and we'll pay attention to the needs of
all Wisconsinites and not just those of a wealthy few."
- What do you say to voters about what you would want to do
about Act 10?
- Well, I think Act 10 was a mistake and we're seeing the
effects, terrible effects in terms of being able to attract
and retain great teachers, nurses and even in our prisons,
in our correctional facilities.
It's very, very difficult for us to recruit and retain good state
workers who ultimately serve the people of the state.
Had a negative effect on the economy by taking money out of
the pockets of working people.
I think all workers deserve a voice in the workplace.
We should restore collective bargaining rights.
Obviously there's a Supreme Court case that's addressing
this issue.
So that's going to perhaps hamstring some of the options
available to us but I think it's really important.
I say this as a small business owner and employer myself.
It's really important to treat our employees with respect and
as governor I'm going to make sure that I hear the concerns of
our citizens and our public workers and not ignore them.
- On education, you say that you want to end the private
school voucher program, but what do you say to students and
families who are now sending their children
to these private schools?
- Well, my program would not displace any of the students
in Milwaukee and Racine who are currently attending
these voucher schools.
I think we have to do this with as minimal disruption as
possible to existing students.
But ultimately we cannot keep funneling our taxpayer dollars
into private schools when we're not even adequately funding our
public schools.
It's time we end this failed experiment especially
considering the children who we're experimenting on are those
who can the least afford it because they are often coming
from some of the more challenging circumstances,
neighborhoods in our community.
- What would you do regarding college education?
- I think we should have free tuition for all students
going to our two-year colleges, technical colleges.
I think-- I'm very supportive of the plan by the chancellor at
UW-Madison to make tuition free for students whose families earn
less than the median income in the state.
I think we also have to address the student loan debt crisis
because there are now decades of students,
nearly a million people in Wisconsin who still have student
debt and it's a massive weight around our economy
as well as individuals.
- With just about a minute left,
you want to make BadgerCare a public option.
What does that mean?
- Well, when the Affordable Care Act was passed,
I and John Richards and others set up a plan to create our own
state exchange so we could have affordable health insurance
that people could buy on the marketplace.
People like me, a small business owner.
Unfortunately, that plan was jettisoned because of efforts
to undermine Obamacare.
I think we should have a state exchange and make BadgerCare a
public option that anybody could buy into so you don't
necessarily have to buy private insurance.
You have a public option which would be
a lower cost for everyone.
- All right, Kelda Roys. Thanks very much.
- Thanks, Frederica.