Wisconsin Gov. Scott McCallum will give his first State of the State address tonight at 7 p.m., and many officials have high expectations for the speech.
\We're confident that the governor will have an optimistic address and will continue to push for lower taxes and less government spending,"" said Steve Baas, press secretary for Speaker of the Assembly Scott Jensen, R-Waukesha.
The address, traditionally given in January, comes more than a month after McCallum presented his controversial budget proposal to a joint session of the state Legislature.
""The major issue before the Legislature is the budget-adjustment legislation,"" said Mike Browne, press secretary for state Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala, D-Madison.
Browne said that until now the governor has been acting in a very confrontational manner toward municipalities by targeting them as ""big spenders"" and trying to make local governments the enemy for the budget crisis.
Sharyn Wisniewski, executive assistant to Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, said she hopes the governor will address the budget situation.
""I guess what most people want to hear is any further thoughts on how the state can get back on top of its budget situation without unfairly making the local municipalities pay the price for the state's mismanagement,"" Wisniewski said.
However, John Torphy, UW-Madison vice chancellor for administration, said he believes the governor has been more than fair in his budget regarding the University of Wisconsin.
Traditionally, the speech has been positive and forward-looking, but Browne said the circumstances the governor faces now are quite different from in the past.
""To this point, the rhetoric has been more divisive, and it remains to be seen whether he will lay out a vision for the future and use the power of the bully pulpit to influence debate and bring people together and move them forward,"" Browne said.
Baas said he believes the address will be optimistic and continue to build on the vision for the state that the governor laid out in his budget address.
""We hope he will continue to push for lower taxes and less government spending and will make a case for how those sorts of things are the best way to stimulate Wisconsin's economy,"" Baas said.
