WEDA 2002 Governor's Conference

Governor McCallum On Thursday, February 14, the nearly 400 attendees of the 2002 Governor's Conference on Economic Development got down to business at 8:30 a.m. with an opening address from Governor Scott McCallum. The Governor opened by expressing his love for the state of Wisconsin and his desire for a positive future for the state.

Under fire for his recent budget proposal, Gov. McCallum tackled the budget issue up front. "It's a competitive market place - between cities and nationally," he said. "It is so important that we make the right decisions at this time. I want to put us in a position to move ahead as a state."

McCallum stressed his commitment to getting Wisconsin out of the top five taxed states in the country.

"My first priority was to have no tax increase in this budget," said McCallum.

The Governor also said Wisconsin needs to maintain economic development in order to continue to create jobs and provide revenue.

He said he did not cut education funds because of its importance and mentioned the need for educators and business to work together. He also stressed the importance of a strong education system in order to have the kinds of jobs we want in the state. The state needs economic development to have educational excellence.

What did he cut? Government.

Gov. McCallum cited the Biostar program as a means to build higher paying technology jobs in the state and keep young workers in the state. He also saluted the Build Wisconsin program as a means to improve quality of life and create higher-paying jobs.

"We need to recognize how important manufacturing is to Wisconsin," McCallum said. "Manufacturing will be an important part of the future and the new economy." Other industries and issues mentioned by Gov. McCallum include agriculture and value added food processing, tourism, technology zones, and the University of Wisconsin and technical colleges. "Its not what I do, it's what you do," McCallum said. "There's a great strength in this state."