Fitzgerald Issues Request for Records to City, County of Madison
"Ultimately, the closure of the Oscar Meyer facility took place in the City of Madison under Mayor Soglin’s watch."
[Madison, WI] Late yesterday, Senator Scott Fitzgerald issued formal requests to Madison Mayor Soglin and County Executive Parisi for all records, documents, or other communications with or regarding any Kraft, Heinz, or Kraft-Heinz business. This request comes in the wake of recent reports that there may have been early indications of pressure to move Kraft business out of the state ahead of their 2015 merger with Heinz.
Senator Fitzgerald released the following statement:
“Mayor Soglin has boasted in the press that that he reached out to Kraft Heinz on ‘instinct’ with concerns about the Kraft Heinz merger; he even reports meeting with company officials prior to the first round of layoffs at Madison’s Oscar Meyer plant. If the Mayor did have advance knowledge of changes at the Madison location as he has suggested, the city’s residents deserve an explanation as to why no action was taken.
The Mayor has defended failing to share his purported concerns with the administration or the state job creation agency, but as a Dane County Legislator, I was also never notified of Mayor Soglin’s suspicions or of any subsequent meeting with representatives of Kraft Heinz.
Ultimately, the closure of the Oscar Meyer facility took place in the City of Madison under Mayor Soglin’s watch. His misguided attempts to shift blame onto WEDC or other state business groups are no more than a smokescreen to disguise his office’s culpability. I hope that this request will finally garner some answers about any knowledge the city may have had and whether action could have been taken.”
The request included communication with and between any employees, appointees, and elected officials of the city and county as well as communications with local and statewide economic development organizations.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) represent the 13th Senate District, which covers portions of Dodge, Jefferson, Waukesha, Washington, Dane, and Columbia counties.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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