MADISON, Wis. — Yesterday, Governor Tony Evers, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Assembly Candidate Christy Welch, and Chef Dan Jacobs held a virtual press conference to urge Wisconsinites to vote no on two proposed constitutional amendments on the August 13th primary ballot.
Gov. Evers and others spoke out on the serious risks associated with these Republican-backed amendments. If passed, they would give Republicans in the legislature sole power to allocate federal funds, even during emergency situations like a global pandemic or natural disaster.
See what speakers had to say, in part, below:
“I will tell you as Milwaukee County Executive it was extremely important to have a governor like Governor Tony Evers, who understood what was at hand and how to make these investments, particularly when it came down to local units of government,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “There’s no way that I would think that giving sole responsibility to the Legislature to make these decisions to where we’ll be able to benefit many communities across the entire state of Wisconsin.”
“The language is obviously elaborately very, very confusing. The bottom line here is that this is a takeover by the Republican Party,” said Governor Tony Evers. “Because of those investments that we made, our economy is strong. We have the lowest unemployment, or very close to the lowest unemployment ever. We have more people working than ever. People are going to bars and restaurants again. The investments that we made were wise investments.”
“These amendments give sole control over federal funds to the majority in the legislature, removing the governor’s ability to distribute these funds,” said Dan Jacobs, Head Chef and Co-Owner at Milwaukee’s DanDan and Esterev. “This isn’t a question of Democrat versus Republican. This is a question of whether we want a government that can be responsive to the needs of the people. That’s why I’m voting no on one and two in the August primary and why I’m asking all Wisconsinites and Wisconsin business owners to do the same.”
“It’s very clear that we need to continue our efforts to inform and educate our community and voters about this issue,” said Christy Welch, Brown County Democratic Party Chair and Candidate for Wisconsin Assembly. “And without a proper understanding, many voters could either skip the primary altogether, thinking that there’s nothing for them to vote on in their district, or else find themselves unsure of how to vote when they see these questions for the first time in the voting booth. So it’s crucial for us to spread the word and ensure that everyone understands the importance of voting no on questions one and two.”
