Opening some Wisconsin businesses leads to controversy

Governor Tony Evers is telling some smaller businesses in Wisconsin that they can reopen with limited customers, but critics of the Democratic governor say that’s not fair to all business owners. 

Third District Republican Party chair Bill Feehan and his wife Sue Kolve run a hair salon, and salons have not gotten permission to reopen yet. 

“There are a lot of people that question whether this is bad intentions on the governor, or just incompetence,” said Feehan. “Most of the time, my experience is the things we think come from malfeasance are really just incompetence.”   

Feehan would rather allow individual businesses to set their own limits on the number of people in a building, than let the state set a number like 5 customers as a maximum.  

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says everyone in the state has to be allowed back to work, instead of only certain small businesses. 

La Crosse political scientist Joe Heim says the legal dispute between the governor and Republicans centers around who gets to decide when businesses open or close, and how much of a voice the legislature has.    

On WIZM’s La Crosse Talk, Heim predicted that people may have to practice social distancing for a ‘long, long time.’