Sarah Godlewski is leaving the State Treasurer’s office after four years on the job. Why did she step down from her run for the democratic senate nomination, making way for Mandela Barnes and his eventual loss to incumbent Ron Johnson? Sarah explains why she did it and so much more with Libby Collins on this week’s WTMJ Conversations.
Listen in the player above.
A portion of the conversation was transcribed below, courtesy of eCourt Reporters, Inc.Â
LIBBY COLLINS: So, when you got to the office and you became state treasurer, was it everything you thought it was going to be or did you find things that surprised you, and if so, what did you do with them?
SARAH GODLEWSKI: Well, my first day, I would say, was a pretty surprising experience within itself, because when I walked into my office, there were wires that were hanging down from the ceiling, my WiFi had been turned off, and I was given a pay-as-you-go flip phone as a way to talk to constituents. And I’m like, this is ridiculous, like, this office is not set up to succeed. And so, for me, it was very clear that despite maybe what I was walking into, I was going to do everything I can to serve the people of Wisconsin.
LIBBY COLLINS: Was it like that for your predecessor, or did something happen while the offices were changing?
SARAH GODLEWSKI: I mean, I think this just goes back to elected officials should be held accountable. I think there are questions about, you know, my predecessor wanted to get rid of the office, and so if you want to get rid of the office, why do much, because you’re trying to get rid of it. But I think that was at the detriment of the people of Wisconsin.
LIBBY COLLINS: So, how did you change that, wires hanging from the ceiling, flip phone, people who were kind of just writing off whatever? I’m assuming you inherited individuals in your office from your predecessor. Explain what the process was, were you able to get them all on the same page, did you have to clean house, what happened?
SARAH GODLEWSKI: Yeah, so the office literally didn’t have people, because that was part of the process was just gutting it and leaving it with nothing. And so, it was rebuilding, I would say, and making sure that, you know, I’m hiring an individual that really cares about this work and making a difference. And then it was getting into figuring out how are we really using its roles and responsibilities to impact day-to-day lives. And so, part of this was, okay, we’re overseeing a $1.3 billion trust fund, what are we going to do to make sure we’re continuing to invest in Wisconsin.
