Neumann brings conservatism to Main Street

PLYMOUTH — Having sat on the sidelines for 12 years, former Congressman Mark Neumann has jumped back into the political fray this year, running for governor not for himself, but for his grandchildren.

Neumann, a businessman and former educator, served two terms in Congress in the mid-1990s, then left government to return to the public sector, building up several businesses and helping to create Hope Christian School, a Milwaukee inner-city choice school.

Asked during a recent visit to Plymouth why he would give that up to run for governor, Neumann cited his three grandchildren.

“I’m very concerned about their future,” Neumann admitted. “I’ve watched as our nation is spending more money than we have. I’ve watched as 100,000 jobs have left Wisconsin in the last 12 months. I’m concerned about what’s happening around us,” and the impact that will have on his grandchildren’s future.

“I don’t want my grandchildren to be working in China or India when they grow up,” he added.

Neumann contrasted his background with his chief Republican rival, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, and the leading Democratic candidate, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

“I’m a small business owner as compared to a career politician,” he pointed out. “I’m clearly on the outside compared to both of the people I’m running against.

“What people have to decide in this race is, do they want somebody who’s had to meet a payroll every week or someone who has served (most of their life) in government, honorably in both cases, I might add.”

The former congressman points with pride to his record during his brief period in elected office.

Elected from the 1st Congressional District in southeastern Wisconsin in the 1994 Republican Revolution, Neumann was a fiscal conservative.

“When I left Congress 12 years ago, the federal budget was balanced, we passed the biggest tax cut in U.S. history, and the economy was booming,” Neumann noted.

“I want to draw on that public service experience, coupled with my private sector experience meeting a payroll, lay that (record) up against the other guys, and let the voters decide,” he said.

Neumann conceded that it will not be an easy task to turn around the state economy, with high unemployment and huge budget deficits, but he said he feels he is best suited among the major candidates to address those issues.

“If you look back 16 years ago, when I went into Congress, we had huge deficits and growing deficits. It took us four years to turn that back around, but we did.

“I don’t think you can turn on a dime, but if we can place people with business experience in government positions, bring together an economic development team with private sector experience, people should expect to turn things around and start bringing jobs into the state in four years. They should hold us accountable,” Neumann stated.

“Conservative solutions to the problems facing Wisconsin are resonating everywhere we go. Lower taxes, less government, less government intrusion into our lives, clearly that’s what they’re looking for,” Neumann said of the people he’s met on the campaign trail.

The candidate said he has been taking his campaign to downtowns and Main streets in all parts of the state, and the picture he has found has been the same.

“The loss of jobs and the impact on Main Street businesses is not political rhetoric, it’s very real,” Neumann said, citing vacant storefronts he has seen downtowns everywhere, including Plymouth.

“We need to focus on changing the environment here so this is the best place in the best country in the world to do business. Then, when I come back to Plymouth in four years, the problem will be that you don’t have enough storefronts for all the businesses and the jobs that have been created are good for your community,” Neumann concluded.