GOP challenges Barrett on budget plan

MADISON - Fresh off his win in the Democratic recall primary Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett made a campaign stop in De Pere Thursday.

"I'm trying to send the message that this has to be neighbor-to-neighbor, that we have to stop this ideological civil war in the state of Wisconsin," said Barrett.

Meanwhile, Republicans are calling on the Democratic nominee to provide more details about his fiscal plans for Wisconsin's future.

"I think we really need to know the answer from Mayor Barrett how would you have done things differently," said State Rep. Robin Vos (R-Burlington).

In Wisconsin's recall race for governor, Republican lawmakers are putting pressure on Governor Scott Walker's opponent.

They are calling on Barrett to explain his financial plans for the state should he win the general election.   

In a two-page letter, State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Rep. Vos asked Barrett to come clean with his specifics for Wisconsin's budget.

• Click here to read the letter

"It's the time now, as we go through the campaign, especially at the beginning knowing it's a really short time period, know with less than four weeks before voters will decide, how they want the next 2 1/2 years to be spent on their behalf," said Vos.

The lawmakers also want Barrett to explain how he would have tackled some of the financial issues Walker addressed, including education and health care.

"So that every single citizen understands the contrast between how we've done things, because we have a record, and instead of just making a bunch of empty promises that we see now, that Mayor Barrett will hopefully be able to answer the same basic questions," Vos said.

Barrett launched his new Neighbor-to Neighbor campaign in De Pere Thursday. He said the voter outreach effort is focused on ending Walker's divisiveness. After the event, we asked him about the letter.

"I think it was a pretty amazing letter given that the state is in a deficit situation right now, that they asked me how I would have done it when the Legislative Fiscal Bureau said in February this state currently is running a deficit," said Barrett.

That month, the bureau said the state will have a $143 million budget deficit by the end of June 2013.

When FOX 11 asked Mayor Barrett if he has a financial plan for Wisconsin and if so what it is, he didn't offer specifics.

"I think both Scott Walker and I will have an opportunity to talk about what our plans are for the future, but I certainly can point to my budget in Milwaukee and say my budget was balanced," said Barrett.

How would Barrett have done things differently from Walker? He said he would not have given out billions in corporate tax breaks or shut down the wind energy industry.

"His decision resulted in the suspension or cancellation of seven wind projects throughout the state of Wisconsin that would have employed between 750 to 900 workers - a value of over a billion dollars," Barrett said.

"I think that if you look at our way of operating, we have tried as hard as we can to focus on creating jobs and doing that through small businesses and luring companies to Wisconsin," said Vos.

Voters will decide who will make the best financial choices for the state next month.