Growing the Wisconsin economy? Missy Hughes has a plan for that

The former leader of the state’s economic development agency is now running for governor.

With seven candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in the Wisconsin governor’s race, each one will try to convince voters that their particular skill set is best for the state. They may emphasize political experience, executive experience, or their passion as a tireless progressive fighter or a consensus builder. So it’s not unexpected that the state’s former top economic official has come out of the gate with a plan that emphasizes small business creation, job training, and building a lot of affordable homes.

Missy Hughes, former CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, calls her plan “Unlock Wisconsin” and is based on three clear goals.

“We’re going to create 50,000 small businesses,” Hughes told UpNorthNews. “We also want to build 200,000 homes. And we want to provide training to 100,000 more Wisconsinites a year to be able to help them get into higher paying, higher skilled jobs.”

Hughes bases the small business part of her agenda on the success of the Main Street Bounceback program that used pandemic aid to provide $10,000 grants to more than 9,000 businesses.

“The program demonstrated that Wisconsinites are hungry to be able to follow their passion to take their business from their garage to Main Street,” Hughes said. “And we want to help them do that by providing some small access to capital and the resources they need for marketing and for being successful.”

The housing component is designed to address an ongoing shortage of affordable housing options for Wisconsin families, an issue being stressed by multiple candidates.

“The reality is we need more homes,” Hughes said. “It’s a supply problem that’s causing this really increased costs around rent and being able to afford a home. So by unlocking our ability to build more housing, we’re going to be able to solve that problem.”

Hughes said her plan would provide innovative financing solutions, zoning improvements, revolving loan funds, reuse incentives, and pre-approved fabrication plans.

The job training component addresses a gap that exists between workers’ current skills and the better pay grades they want to pursue.

“There are folks who are in low-skilled jobs, but they’re working so incredibly hard.” Hughes said. “They’re working, two shifts, two jobs — and they’re still not making ends meet.”  

Hughes’ plan would expand capacity at technical colleges, cover tuition and fees for degrees and apprenticeships for in-demand jobs, and help workers with childcare, transportation, tools, and books needed to train for better paying jobs.”

Avoiding the Walker trap

By setting up three different metrics, Hughes understands she’s setting herself up for easy criticism if she were to fall short of any single goal. Former Gov. Scott Walker was dogged about his failure to create 250,000 jobs in his first term as he initially promised, but Hughes says it’s worth the personal risk to aim high.

“Well, you know, this is how the private sector works,” Hughes said. “Businesses set out goals and strive to work towards those goals. Everybody’s got to know what that North Star is and where we’re working towards it. In every house that gets built, every business that gets created is a step towards those goals. Yeah, it is a double edged sword. But voters deserve and Wisconsinites deserve to be able to know what we are working towards. And I want to be able to be held accountable to those goals.”