Lt. Governor Kleefisch talks taxes, takes up criticism of Evers’ inaction in teacher porn case

Are local governments in Wisconsin spending state aid in the right way?

Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch said Madison is eager to provide transportation aid to cities and towns, but she wants to be sure those governments actually are spending that funding on road projects.

During a campaign visit to La Crosse Republican Party office on Wednesday, Kleefisch opposed the idea of communities collecting wheel taxes or a PRAT tax to raise highway money on their own.

“I think it’s really important that we continue to hold the line on taxes and not go in search of new taxes,” she said. “We have a $385-million surplus in this budget. We actually returned money back to the taxpayers.”

La Crosse County passed an advisory Premier Area Resort Tax (PRAT) referendum last year and both the county and the City of La Crosse are discussing possible wheel taxes.

Kleefisch, possibly on her way to La Crosse, also had this tweet Wednesday morning about rest stops.

Also during her campaign stop in La Crosse, Kleefisch continued her party’s charge in a controversy involving the Democratic nominee for governor.

She said parents should be ‘appalled’ that state school superintendent Tony Evers did not suspend the license of a Madison-area teacher who had looked at pornography while on the job.

“If he won’t protect the children of Wisconsin from teachers who are doing immoral things while they are within arms reach of the future of our state, how could we possibly trust him?” she said.

Evers says that at the time of the incident, he didn’t have the power under state law to revoke the teacher’s license in the Middleton case.

Kleefisch said the GOP has more examples of times when Evers failed to protect children.