Supporting Budget Repair Bill (Act 10) is Reason for Wanggaard Recall

Racine County Democrats may have many reasons for wanting to recall State Sen. Van Wanggaard, but Randy Brandt has only one.

"When you spend your career benefitting from the very system you're working to dismantle, that is hypocrisy at a level that cannot be allowed to stand," Brandt told Patch during a phone interview on Nov. 29. He is the treasurer for the Committee to Recall Wanggaard.

Brandt was referring to Wanggaard's years in law enforcement, both as a uniformed officer and a union representative.

"Van Wanggaard has been a traitorous supporter of Governor Walker's assault on workers, especially public employees, when he continues to benefit from retirement plans he helped negotiate," Brandt continued.

But Wanggaard said his refusal to sign the Budget Repair Bill without certain protections for workers helped cover a lot of the issues collective bargaining would normally have included.

"By making sure we had language that preserved the grievance process, disciplinary steps, worker safety and protection from unfair termination," he said. "It's about protecting the worker and we did that by keeping these measures intact."

Further, Wanggaard said it was imperative to balance the budget and solve the state's structural deficit for good and without raising taxes.

"The last administration had $50 million in account juggling, which cut funding from schools and transferred that burden to the taxpayer because there wasn't any levy protection," he continued. "We wanted to balance the budget in two years if possible, but we figured out how to do it in the first year, fully eliminating the structural deficit and not raising taxes."

Wanggaard does admit that he would have included protective services in the Budget Repair Bill.

"I think it's reasonable to expect everyone to give equally," he stated.

As for who could run against Wanggaard in the event of a recall election, Brandt said that decision is for the future, though .

"I am confident we'll get the required signatures and beyond," he said. "It's important to first achieve the recall and then choose the best candidate for the election."