#WalkerAt20: Home Improvement, Governor’s Mansion Edition

MADISON, Wis. — In his twenty years in office, Scott Walker has amassed a truly astounding record of failure. To commemorate the looming anniversary of his first election to office, One Wisconsin Now is highlighting a different and depressing failure of Gov. Walker every day, for twenty days. Scott Walker has collected a handsome sum in taxpayer-funded salary over his twenty years of failure, and now, as Governor he gets to live in a mansion. Upon moving in, he decided to remodel, with taxpayers and the special interests footing the bill.

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross commented, “It didn’t take long after getting the keys to the Governor’s mansion for Scott Walker to kick off his own episode of ‘Home Improvement’, getting rid of a painting of minority kids and hitting up taxpayers and special interest lobbyists to foot the bill for new kitchens and upgrades to the mansion.”

Walker’s record of remodeling failures includes:

• Upon moving in, the first thing to go in the mansion redecorating was a painting of three low-income Milwaukee children. It was replaced with a painting of an eagle. [Mother Jones, 6/7/11]
• Hosting a special interest shakedown and croquet tournament on the lawn of the mansion to raise money for mansion remodeling. An A-list of wealthy and special interest lobbyists were in attendance and contributed generously to making sure the Governor lives comfortably in his mansion. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/5/11]
• Asking taxpayers to foot the bill for nearly $500,000 to remodel the mansions kitchens. Walker quickly backed off his request, instead declaring they’d hit up special interest lobbyists for the funds. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12/12/12]

One Wisconsin Now is commemorating over 20 days, the failings, scandals and imbroglios of Gov. Scott Walker’s 20-years in elected office. Gov. Walker, who was first elected to the State Assembly on June 29, 1993, has spent virtually no time in the private sector and has enjoyed nearly half his life on the taxpayers’ dime, including receiving well over $1 million in salary alone, as well as health care benefits for he and his family.

Previous information compiled by One Wisconsin Now about Scott Walker’s failure as Milwaukee County Executive is available at www.ScottWalkerFailureFiles.com, his first disastrous year as Governor is available at www.WalkerFailure.com and the millionaires and billionaires behind it all at http://pinterest.com/onewisconsinnow/who-s-buying-gov-scott-walker