Here & Now

Kelda Roys On Gubernatorial Run, Education, Jobs, Foxconn

Frederica Freyberg:

The list of Democratic candidates lining up to challenge Governor Scott Walker is long and getting longer. We’ve been interviewing the many candidates over the past several weeks. As the calendar turned to the new year we’re doubling up. In tonight's inside look, we bring you two Democratic challengers who this month threw their hat in the ring. We start with Kelda Roys. Roys is an attorney and the former executive director of NARAL Pro-choice Wisconsin. She served in the state Assembly from 2008 to 2012 and currently runs a real estate tech business. Kelda Roys joins us now. Thanks for being here.

Kelda Roys:

Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:

We first want to ask you what sets you apart from the many other Democrats wanting to go head to head with Scott Walker?

Kelda Roys:

Well, I think it’s great we have so much enthusiasm on our side and so many great people stepping forward to run. I don’t view myself as running against my Democratic colleagues. I don’t really even feel like I'm running against Scott Walker. I’m running for governor because I want Wisconsin to be a place of opportunity and fairness again. I want Wisconsin to be the best place to raise a family and the best place to grow a small business. I have a lot of energy and ideas that I’m looking forward to bringing to the campaign trail and to the governorship.

Frederica Freyberg:

How did your past experience prepare you for this role?

Kelda Roys:

I've had a long history of progressive accomplishments on a wide range of legislative issues. Certainly from my time in the legislature and as a legislative leader but also even before that as a law student working on the Innocence Project to prevent wrongful convictions. When I was the head of NARAL Pro-choice Wisconsin working on common ground, common sense initiatives to help reduce the need for abortion, help women who have been victims of sexual assault, et cetera.

Frederica Freyberg:

On the issues, what's the most important thing in your mind that Wisconsin needs to do for its education system?

Kelda Roys:

Well, we need to prioritize it in the budget. You simply cannot say that you value education if you devalue educators and if you take money away from schools. Under the current governor, we have divested about a billion dollars from our K-12 education system. I think that’s absolutely wrong. I say that as a parent, someone who is a product of public schools, and as an employer, who knows that the way that we’re going to be successful now and in the future is by having educated workers.

Frederica Freyberg:

And so on that score, what’s the best way to grow good-paying jobs in Wisconsin?

Kelda Roys:

Well, the majority of net new jobs come from small businesses. They come from start-ups and new firms, companies like mine. So if we’re going to have a sustainable economy with good-paying jobs, we need to make sure that people can start small businesses and that small businesses can grow. Right now we have a situation where the biggest businesses that already have billions of dollars in capital are getting massive incentives and tax breaks. And all the rest of us are paying the price for that. And small businesses do, too. I have a number of ideas for how we can help small businesses like mine succeed and I'm looking forward to talking about all those ideas on the campaign trail.

Frederica Freyberg:

We're talking about businesses, large and small. What’s your opinion of the Foxconn project?

Kelda Roys:

Well, Foxconn is — to me it’s clearly a desperate Hail Mary pass by the current governor. He knows his record on job creation and the economy is terrible. Wisconsin is doing worse than a lot of our peers. Our middle class is shrinking. And so I can understand why he was so eager to make that deal. But it was — you know, the idea that we are going to give now $4 billion and counting to this foreign corporation with very little security for us and only benefiting even one small part of the state, to me that’s not leadership. That’s desperation. I want to see home-grown innovators given a chance in all 72 counties in the state. And I want to make sure that we’re investing resources where they’re actually needed, in small businesses.

Frederica Freyberg:

How should Wisconsin in your mind create a sustainable funding source for Wisconsin's roads and highways?

Kelda Roys:

Well, this is an area where I think we have great potential for bipartisan cooperation. Roads and transit and transportation infrastructure generally are absolutely essential for a strong and growing economy and I think there’s a lot of agreement amongst Republicans in the legislature as well as Democrats. So I would like to see us exploring a lot of different revenue sources. I mean, certainly I think looking at being willing to look at revenue sources like the gas tax are important, but we also need to think in longer terms because as people move more towards more efficient vehicles or electric-powered vehicles, the gas tax is not going to be sustainable for instance, as my children grow up.

Frederica Freyberg:

Why do you think you could unseat Scott Walker?

Kelda Roys:

I think that Governor Walker has had eight years to do what he wants in Wisconsin. He’s had a very compliant legislature. And a lot of us have been really disappointed by the outcomes. Wisconsin is ready for new leadership. We’re ready for someone who is willing to say I'm not going to put my big donors first, I'm not going to put the biggest corporations first. When I'm governor, I'm going to put every Wisconsinite first. I’m not going to leave anybody behind. We’re going to make sure the economy works for all of us.

Frederica Freyberg:

Kelda Roys, thanks very much.

Kelda Roys:

Thank you.