Andy Gronik
Press Release

Will The Last Young Person In Wisconsin Please Turn Off The Light?

After Seven Years, Career Politician Gov. Scott Walker Finally Realizes Disturbing WI Trend

By - Dec 1st, 2017 03:15 pm
Andy Gronik. Photo from Gronik for Wisconsin Inc.

Andy Gronik. Photo from Gronik for Wisconsin Inc.

MILWAUKEE – Ads, really? After seven years of being the top executive in the state, Gov. Scott Walker finally recognized a disturbing trend that his failed policies have created in Wisconsin: young people are leaving the state in droves for good-paying jobs and lives elsewhere. The future of our state depends on attracting young people to live within our borders, something Gov. Walker thinks can be done by spending millions on advertising instead of having a comprehensive strategy and plan to recruit and retain young workers.

“You don’t have to be a Ph.D in Economics to recognize that our population is aging and young people have been fleeing our state under Gov Walker,” said gubernatorial candidate Andy Gronik. “It’s absurd that it took Gov. Walker seven years to recognize this trend instead of dealing with the loss of our young people, proactively. And, adding insult to severe injury, Walker’s assertion that he can attract young people back to Wisconsin by paying $6.8 million to run ads in other states is juvenile and doesn’t address the institutional failure of his administration to create the living and work environments that young people desire.”

The bottom line is that young people want good-paying jobs; they want to live in communities that offer a 21st-century economy, and most importantly, they want respect and a seat at the table. Gov Walker’s policies haven’t scratched the surface of all that’s necessary to demonstrate to young people that we want them here in our state.

“I plan to make young people the architects of our future and that’s why I’m already holding youth forums to identify the leaders of our future and the very best ideas for attracting young people back to Wisconsin,” said Gronik.

In August, Gronik proposed a plan to recruit and retain young graduates by helping them pay back student loans instead of paying state income taxes – a plan that gives every company in Wisconsin a recruiting and retention tool.

“I’ll invest in statewide in creating common spaces for work and brainstorming; recreation spaces for bike commuters and dog walkers; and the lightning-fast Internet needed to connect devices in cities spaces and remote areas. Career politicians like Gov. Scott Walker aren’t going to get the job done with gimmicks and conventional thinking,” concluded Gronik. “That’s why I’m already listening to young people on their terms, and not mine, and working on fresh solutions that I will make actionable on the very first day of my administration. It’s time to finally stop telling millennials that ‘they don’t work right’ and let them know that they are the key to the future of our state.”

Gronik for Wisconsin

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

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3 thoughts on “Will The Last Young Person In Wisconsin Please Turn Off The Light?”

  1. mkwagner says:

    Walker has nothing to offer but low taxes. Wisconsin’s lower cost of living has everything to do with the stagnant wages and lack of public services that attract millennials. I can suggest that if Scott Walker wants to attract millennials back to Wisconsin, he should take a look at the cities and states that do attract millennials. Cities like Portland OR, Seattle WA, Atlanta GA Mpls/St. Paul MN and Chicago IL. A common denominator among these cities is a vibrant public transportation system. Even Amazon has indicated how important public transportation is to attracting millennial-appealing jobs. It doesn’t take $6.8 million to figure that out. It might help to spend $6.8 million to expand public transit in this state.

  2. Al Lindro says:

    “… our population is aging and young people have been fleeing our state under Gov Walker”.

    Not saying this Isn’t the case, buy is there some credible data to support this statement, which is wording as it it is clearly the case?

    One thought I would add is: People I know who are (also?) leaving the state are empty nesters, at or near retirement age. Our friends in this category never tire of telling me how much less their taxes are now than they were in Milwaukee. Does anyone else notice this, or do I have a bad sample? IF this is true, then it would seem the average age of residents might not be changing so much — perhaps balanced between youth going elsewhere and mature adults also doing so, but for different reasons.

  3. Ralphie says:

    Who’s the 6.8 mil going to? Kickback anyone?

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