With the semester coming to a close, PROFS is looking ahead to the fall. Most notably, the upcoming gubernatorial election. Right now, three major candidates are in the race — Scott Walker and Mark Neumann are running as Republicans, and Tom Barrett is running as a Democrat.
Walker has been Milwaukee County Executive since 2002 and served in the Assembly from 1993 until his election in 2002. While in the Assembly, he authored “truth-in-sentencing” legislation that abolished early release from prison on parole. He attended Marquette University.
Neumann represented Wisconsin’s first congressional district from 1992 until 1998, when he ran unsuccessfully for United States Senate against incumbent Senator Russ Feingold. Neumann graduated from UW-Whitewater and holds a Master’s Degree from UW-River Falls. He’s been involved in numerous home-building businesses and real estate enterprises.
Barrett has served as mayor of Milwaukee since 2004. He began his legislative career in the Assembly in 1984 and was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 1989. He served in the House of Representatives from 1993 until 2003 and finished a close second to Jim Doyle in the 2002 gubernatorial primary. He’s a graduate of UW-Madison and its Law School. Barrett made national headlines last year when he was attacked by a man with a tire iron while leaving the Wisconsin State Fair.
This is a great time to learn more about the candidates and their positions on issues important to UW-Madison faculty. The 2011-12 biennial budget will be difficult and its impact on the university is not yet known. Working together, we can make sure public higher education and UW-Madison in particular figure prominently in the election.