Walker aide discusses selling roads, rejects idea

MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker’s transportation secretary told business officials and others last week he had talked to a London financier about selling off Wisconsin’s highways but had rejected the idea.

Transportation Secretary Dave Ross told a group last week that Walker’s administration was adopting new ways of getting its work done and mentioned in passing his discussion about selling off roads, according to people familiar with the meeting.

He then said he was not pursuing the proposal because Wisconsin has good contractors to maintain the state’s roads.

“This is what he explained to them, that there are folks out there who borrow money and spend it on your roads. That’s just a different way of borrowing money. That’s why he was saying it wasn’t a good idea,” Deputy Secretary Bob Seitz said Friday.

Seitz was present when Ross made his comments last week at a meeting at Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce headquarters in Madison. He said he hadn’t heard about Ross’ meeting with the businessperson until then and didn’t know the person’s name.

“It was twenty seconds of a presentation, a discussion, in response to questions,” Seitz said.

The idea comes as road funding emerges as a central issue in the GOP governor’s re-election bid. Walker has fought raising the gas tax, but has faced pressure from some of his fellow Republicans who want to do that to get more projects done.

Walker’s Democratic opponent, state schools Superintendent Tony Evers, has made road funding a top priority and said he would raise the gas tax or implement tolls to get more work done. He hasn’t said how much he would be willing to increase the gas tax of 32.9 cents per gallon.