[Waukesha, Wis.] — In case you missed it, Tim Michels is continuing to avoid responsibility for the liberal political positions he’s taken and lobbied for while running his company.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel revealed on Tuesday that Michels led a group that opposed legislation to ban companies that employed illegal immigrants from receiving state contracts, tax exemptions and loans.
This follows reporting outlining Michels’ leadership of organizations that advocated for a higher gas tax under his watch. Michels’ company gave employees the day off to protest right to work, fired a worker for not paying union dues, and was a part of a group opposed to the Walker/Kleefisch administration’s right-to-work law.
“Tim Michels won’t take responsibility for his company’s campaign contributions for a higher gas tax, and now he won’t take responsibility for a group he was president of lobbying to allow illegal immigrants to work on government contracts,” said Charles Nichols, Kleefisch’s campaign manager. “Wisconsinites are sick of a governor who won’t take responsibility, we shouldn’t replace him with another.”
Read the full story here or find excerpts below:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Daniel Bice
Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels wants you to believe he was clueless.
From 2007-08, Michels — co-owner of construction firm Michels Corp. — was the president of the board for the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, the lobbying organization for road builders in the state.
During that legislative session, the organization’s team of lobbyists opposed an Assembly bill that would have prevented companies that employ “illegal aliens” from getting government contracts, tax exemptions and loans. The bill died in committee.
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Even though he was head of the group’s board, Michels — who critics say was recruited to run by prominent Madison lobbyists — didn’t know what its lobbyists were doing. He hadn’t a clue.
Let’s hope he’s more on top of things if he is elected governor later this year.
Michels’ main Republican opponent, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, was quick to criticize him over the inconsistency. The two are running neck-and-neck in polls; the winner of the August primary will challenge Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in the fall.
“Tim Michels won’t take responsibility for his company’s campaign contributions for a higher gas tax, and now he won’t take responsibility for a group he was president of lobbying to allow illegal immigrants to work on government contracts,” said Charles Nichols, Kleefisch’s campaign manager. “Wisconsinites are sick of a governor who won’t take responsibility, we shouldn’t replace him with another.”
That’s right — this isn’t the first time there has been some inconsistency between his current campaign and the past actions of his company or his trade group.
Wisconsin Right Now recently reported that two groups with which Michels has long ties, the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association and the Transportation Development Association, have advocated for higher gas taxes.
Michels Corp. has also directly funded attempts to increase the gas tax in other states, Wisconsin Right Now reported.
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Kleefisch’s campaign is running a TV ad attacking Michels on this issue.
“Tim Michels pushed for years to raise our gas tax while getting rich from massive government contracts,” the commercial says. “Tim Michels is out for himself.”
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But the Journal Sentinel recently reported that Michels Corp. was part of the Wisconsin Contractor Coalition that opposed the state’s right-to-work law. The construction company’s employees were also a part of protests against the proposed right-to-work law at the time.
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In short, Michels is staking out a hardline conservative platform. As for what his company, his employees and even his trade groups have done in the past, he hasn’t a clue.
Read the story here.
