MILWAUKEE — Steve Scaffidi was joined by Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos on Wednesday morning to discuss his recent conversations with Governor Tony Evers, the state surplus, abortion laws, tax breaks and more.
Mere days after speaking with the Governor, Scaffidi asked Vos about the relationship between Evers and Wisconsin Republicans including the Assembly Speaker himself. Vos remains hopeful that bipartisan cooperation can become a reality in Wisconsin, though initial conversations have grown silent ever since.
“The door is definitely open on my side,” Vos said. “We have a lot that we disagree on, and there are principles that I’m not going to violate, but not everything that we do is based on some deep-seated principle. I don’t care if you’re the most conservative Republican or liberal Democrat, you want to have local government that functions.”
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Vos told Scaffidi that he met with former Governor Scott Walker weekly while he was in the role, but hasn’t maintained similar communication with Evers in his tenure. The Wisconsin Assembly Speaker also praised Milwaukee County leaders, though he admitted that there’s a lot of work to be done in the city.
Despite recent improvements, Robin Vos believes that Wisconsin is far from reaching a level of bipartistan cooperation that would produce tangible results.
“Compromise should not, and in my mind is not, a bad word,” Vos said. “There’s probably a common sense middle ground.”
Scaffidi inquired about the Wisconsin state surplus, which is estimated around $6.5 million and has been a contentious topic of conversation recently. Republican Sen. Devin LeMahieu suggested the state implement a 3.5% flat tax. Vos put his support behind this idea and claimed that Gov. Evers has adamantly refused it.
The pair also discussed potential tax breaks for senior citizens or small businesses as an option for the surplus. Vos mentioned an investment into Wisconsin’s public school system as an alternative plan for the money. Regardless of which way they decide, Vos believes it’s critical that Wisconsin leaders aren’t short-sighted.
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“It’s really important for us to realize that using one-time money for long-term spending is a bad idea for the way that the government used to function,” Vos said.
Another key topic of conversation was the role of local government across Wisconsin. Robin Vos believes that the state’s municipalities, cities and counties can consolidate their resources to save money while improving the quality and quickness of essential services.
“We have more local governments than California. We have more school districts than Florida. I’m not saying that either of those is the model, but the amount of local government we have isn’t necessarily fixed in stone,” Vos said.
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