Gov.-elect Tony Evers said Tuesday that after taking office he will propose to dissolve Gov. Scott Walker’s public-private jobs agency, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
“I think it’s important that economic development be part of state government rather than a public-private partnership,” Evers said.
An Evers spokeswoman declined to address specifics of when and how he will propose to eliminate WEDC. Evers spoke during the campaign about moving economic development functions back to the Department of Commerce, which handled them before the creation of WEDC.
WEDC spokesman Mark Maley declined to comment Tuesday on Evers’ remarks.
Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, co-chairman of the Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee, posted on Twitter that Evers’ position is “concerning.”
“The public-private partnership WEDC has fostered is crucial,” Nygren wrote. “Reverting back to the ways of the failed Department of Commerce is a recipe for over-burdensome government regulation. This will not only stifle the (Wisconsin) comeback but could end it.”