Madison, Wis. (WFRV)-- Your Local Election headquarters is getting you ready for next Tuesday's democratic primary in the Governor Walker Recall by profiling all four of the candidates.
Monday we start with Kathleen Falk.
Local 5's Caroline Rowland sat down with Falk in Madison.
On being the union's chosen candidate:
"I've been so honored to earn the endorsement of this big tent of organizations that represent the heart and soul of this movement, environmental groups, women's group, community organizers, labor groups, that's what got us to this recall, and I'm the candidate they are endorsing. Politicians are not going to be deciding this election. It's this grassroots movement that arose a year ago, that is fired up and ready for election day in just a couple of weeks."
On why she became so involved in the recall movement:
"From the very beginning from when Governor Walker did in his words, "dropped the bomb on us," throwing out 50 years of workers' rights, I filed a lawsuit to stop that. That's different from some of the other candidates, and Tom Barrett, for example, instead he wrote a letter to the legislature wanting to make the law even worse for more employees, so there are differences in us candidates and that's what elections are about. All of these organizations representing this huge million person army have said I'm the best candidate to go toe to toe against Scott Walker on June 5th."
Falk has said she will repeal all of Act 10, how she plans to do that without raising taxes, by getting public employees to agree to concessions without a law:
"By negotiating with workers, just like i did with 2,500 county employees, I sat down with them repeatedly and was able to negotiate at the labor table a %5 cut in pay, a %3 cut in pay, more of their contributions for healthcare, and I got it done by treating people respectfully. I'm very proud of the work that they did to help tax payers. That's why I'm the candidate, I'm the one to go toe-to-toe with governor walker because he didn't' have to throw out 50 years of workers right in order to balance a budget. I'm proof that you can respect workers rights and protect taxpayers at the same time and I'm the only candidate that can do that. Not only will they, but I got it done, it's not theory it's not academics, I got it done."
On dealing with Wisconsin's looming budget deficit:
"I've spent my whole lifetime fighting for Wisconsin citizens, because we have problems to solve. Governor Walker said that his number 1 promise to us was to create 250,000 jobs and then he said he was going to do it by creating these big tax breaks for corporations, that somehow it would trickle down and create jobs. Well we now have seen the results of his effort, and that is the worst job loss record in the nation, his way failed us. and that's the kind of problem I love working on and love solving and why I've put together the plans here. "
Falk's Plan to Create Jobs:
"I'm the only candidate to put together the plans on how to create jobs, while I was county executive for 14 years, Dane county had the highest job growth rate of any place in the state, I'm eager to take that same experience and hard work to help our state. we've got about 30,000 plus jobs on the internet for good paying jobs like welders, program designers, nurses of every kind shape and size, and lots of people needing work. I don't need to tell people in the green bay area, we have lots of people needing work, needing good paying jobs, what governor walker did was cut the technical education system by 36 million dollars, a third of its funds, so it means people who are trying to get jobs, people who are trying to get the training to get these jobs that are open are having a harder time getting into classes, and so the last thing he should have done is cut the technical college system, so i will restore the funding to the technical college system get people who need work connected with these good paying jobs, how I will do it without raising taxes is by undoing even one of those new corporate tax breaks that cost $40 million dollars, so you can see you can restore the funding to the technical college without raising taxes and that's what I'll do."
"But I've got other plans too and they are really exciting, Governor Walker instead of doing the hard work that it takes to create jobs, he did these big tax breaks hoping it would work, and it didn't, he spent the rest of the time of this last year running around the county, giving speeches and collecting big campaign checks from far right extreme millionaires and literally billionaires. he's carrying out a national far right agenda that isn't ours here in Wisconsin. Instead of doing what you got to do, roll up your sleep and help people get jobs."
On bringing Wisconsin back together if elected as Governor:
"I have promised on the very day after the election, June 6th i will go to Waukesha, for a couple of reasons, one because I grew up there, where I learned to love of the outdoors, why I hunt and fish, but I'll go there because it's 2 to 1 republican, and we need to start healing our state and that's the right place to go right after the election."
On trailing behind Tom Barrett in the polls:
"We would expect that because Tom just ran for governor a year and a half ago, he fell short but he spent millions of dollars getting his name out so he has higher name recognition. But you know politicians won't be deciding who is our candidate to go toe-to-toe against Scott Walker in the final election. That's this grass roots army of a million people who have done this historic recall election that is going to decide who are candidate."
