Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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Posted by: Melinda Starkweather
It is hard to believe we are barely a month into 2010. President Obama
was sworn into office just over a year ago and again we are on the cusp
of another important election cycle.
Nationally, the talking
heads will be focusing on this mid-term election as a referendum on
Congress and President Obama’s two years in office. Here in Wisconsin,
voters face a scenario they haven’t seen in generations, the incumbent
governor is not seeking re-election.
Governor Jim Doyle, who
has held statewide elective office since 1991 when he was first sworn
in as attorney general and then as governor since 2003, announced last
August he will not seek a third term as governor.
Insiders in
Washington speculate Governor Doyle’s decision not to run makes
Wisconsin a key battleground state and one of the most competitive
gubernatorial races in the country.
By announcing his intentions
more than a year in advance, Governor Doyle has certainly given pundits
plenty of time to speculate about which candidates will step forward
with hopes of becoming the 45th Governor of Wisconsin.
While
many names have been tossed around over the last few months, at this
point there seem to be three front-runners; Mayor Tom Barrett of
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former
Congressman Mark Neumann.
Tom Barrett (D-Milwaukee)
Mayor
Barrett (age 56) has served as the Mayor of Milwaukee since 2004. Prior
to being elected mayor, Barrett ran for governor and finished a close
second to Governor Doyle in the Democratic primary in 2002.
Barrett
began his career in politics when he was elected to the State Assembly
in 1984 where he served two terms before running for the State Senate
in 1988. In 1992 Barrett successfully ran for congress where he served
the 5th congressional district until his bid for governor in 2002.
Scott Walker (R-Wauwatosa)
Scott
Walker (age 42) has served as the County Executive of Milwaukee since
April of 2002 when he was elected in a special election and has been
successfully re-elected since.
Walker was elected in 1993 to the
State Assembly in a special election to represent the people of the
14th Assembly District. He served this district which essentially
covers Wauwatosa until his election as County Executive.
Mark Neumann (R-Nashotah)
After
several unsuccessful congressional bids in 1992 and 1993, Mark Neumann
(age 56) was elected to Congress in 1994 where he served two terms
representing the 1st congressional district of Wisconsin.
In
1998, Neumann relinquished his seat in the House of Representatives for
an unsuccessful challenge of Senator Russ Feingold during his first
re-election effort.
Because the front-runners are known
political commodities, the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association
(WFDA) has established a working relationship with these candidates
over the years. Going forward we hope to sit down and open a dialogue
with each of the candidates to get their views on important issues to
the WFDA such as combo law and caps on medical assistance funerals.
As
a strong association with more than 1,000 funeral directors, it is
important WFDA flexes its political muscle in this election cycle. If
every member contributes just $100 we can raise more than $100,000 to
support candidates we believe can make a difference in Madison.
As
republicans fight to retake the Governor’s mansion and democrats try to
build on their recent success there is no doubt 2010 is shaping up to
be an engaging election cycle. Please consider making a contribution to
Friends of Wisconsin Funeral Directors today or in the near future in
order to protect our future.
Visit the following websites to learn more about the three leading candidates for governor:
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