GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany pledged in a speech to the Wisconsin Counties Association that he would reduce state regulations by 25% while expressing support for renewing the stewardship program.

Meanwhile, Dem rival David Crowley promised fellow county officials in the Wisconsin Dells that they would have a seat at the table in his administration.

The two separately addressed the WCA during its meeting yesterday in the Wisconsin Dells, along with Dem AG Josh Kaul and his GOP opponent, Fond du Lac County DA Eric Toney.

Tiffany’s pledge for a “red tape reset” is similar to past efforts by GOP lawmakers, who announced a similarly themed package in spring 2025. GOP lawmakers launched a “Right the Rules” effort that was rebranded the “Red Tape Review” at the start of the 2017-18 session when Tiffany was still in the Senate.

Tiffany said his effort will review outdated and unnecessary regulations, streamline permitting and look at mandates that place burdens on counties.

“I want to get Madison out of the way where it makes sense,” Tiffany said.

Tiffany didn’t offer any specifics on his support for reauthorizing the stewardship program other than making sure counties would have meaningful input on decisions made by the Department of Natural Resources.

The program had been funded at $33 million a year before its authorization expired June 30. Republicans have proposed legislation this session to continue the program at $28 million a year while significantly curtailing the ability to purchase new property.

After his speech, Tiffany declined to commit to specifics with the program other than he would focus on “maintaining the properties that we have.”

Crowley, who has been the Milwaukee County executive since 2020, said if elected he would have three priorities for the state’s relationship with local governments: sustainable funding, flexibility and shared accountability.

He didn’t offer specifics of what those policies would mean for counties other than promising that when the state requires them to provide a series, the funding provided would reflect the “true cost of delivering it.”

“Counties in this state should not have to choose between maintaining core services and balanced budgets,” Crowley said.

Toney, the GOP nominee for attorney general, ripped Dem incumbent Kaul for what he said was a series of broken promises while leading the Department of Justice.

Kaul, meanwhile, touted to the Wisconsin Counties Association new figures that show violent crime in Wisconsin last year was the lowest it’s been since 2011.

Toney focused much of his speech on the heart surgery he had in 2023 and criticism of Kaul, who he unsuccessfully challenged in 2022. That criticism included the state crime labs, which Toney said are taking twice as long to test DNA evidence than under Kaul’s predecessor, Brad Schimel, a Republican, despite now having more resources and better technology.

“We can have an attorney general who puts public safety over politics,” Toney said.

He also listed fentanyl as a broken promise from Kaul, pointing to the State of the Tribes delivered by Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Chair Nicole Boyd earlier this year. She criticized Kaul for the elimination of state drug investigator positions in northern Wisconsin, saying it left the region without adequate resources to combat the methamphetamine and fentanyl epidemic.

Kaul didn’t mention Toney in his speech, focusing on what he said were successes in his agency’s mission to keep the public safe. such as the 40% drop in opioid deaths between 2023 and 2024.

He also talked about his work as “the people’s lawyer,” including going after prescription drug companies, suing to overturn an 1849 abortion ban, and blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to get unredacted information on Wisconsin voters.

“We need an AG who’s going to keep fighting for our best interests and stand up for the people of Wisconsin and put their interests ahead of those of special interests,” Kaul said.

After his speech, Kaul said Toney was running a misleading campaign. He defended his department’s fight against fentanyl, pointing to the drop in opioid overdose deaths, which he said includes the synthetic drug. He added the DOJ doesn’t have the final 2025 numbers yet, but it “appears” those deaths will drop more.

“Fentanyl is an opioid, and Eric seems to keep trying to draw a distinction between the two,” Kaul said. “But the reality is, we’ve made enormous progress in the fight against the opioid epidemic.”