Marketplace Today Blog

By Patrick Marley
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on Tuesday said the state should create 180,000 jobs over three years — fewer jobs than called for by one of his opponents in the governor's race but a total Barrett envisions achieving at a faster rate.

“I’d like to see us be able to re-establish the job loss we’ve had — the 180,000 job loss — I’d like to see us re-establish that within three years,” Barrett, a Democrat, told reporters after touring small retail businesses in Madison. “And I think that’s an obtainable goal if we can just push, push, push. But that’s a goal.”

That contrasts with a plan by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a Republican, to create 250,000 jobs by 2015.

To meet Walker’s goal, the state would have to create 4,167 jobs a month over five years. Barrett’s proposal would mean creating 5,000 a jobs a month over three years.

Barrett didn’t spell out how he would create those jobs, but called Walker’s jobs figure arbitrary.

“I don’t know that I would call it a plan. It’s certainly a political document and it’s a campaign document,” Barrett said of his goal. “I don’t think it makes sense to pull a number out of the air.”

Walker’s campaign has said its plan is achievable, noting Wisconsin gained 258,000 jobs between 1985 and 1990 and 233,000 jobs between 1990 and 1995.

Also running for governor as a Republican is former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann. He has said Walker should have been doing more on job creation over the past eight years as county executive.