Governor Evers speaks in Sheboygan along with Department of Tourism Interim Secretary Anne Sayers and Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson in 2021. Photo by Kevin Zimmermann
Governor Tony Evers made prominent references to his Sheboygan County background during his second inaugural address on Tuesday in Madison.
Evers, along with other elected constitutional office-holders in Wisconsin, took their oaths of office during ceremonies at noon on Tuesday in the Wisconsin State Capitol building in Madison before a packed house in the rotunda, beginning the 46th term of the Wisconsin governorship, and marking Evers’ second term after being reelected last November.
Among his inaugural remarks, Evers said: “I’m standing here as a born-and-raised Wisconsinite who grew up as a scrawny kid with glasses raising cane in Plymouth; who, as I was painting fences in Sheboygan County, wouldn’t have predicted that this is where I’d end up; who had no idea I’d marry my high school sweetheart, Kathy, and spend the next fifty years loving her and raising three kids and nine grandkids together; who never dreamed I’d take an oath to be the governor of the state that made me who I am, much less that I’d have the opportunity to do it twice.
So, I am humbled. And just as I did four years ago, I stand here again today with a grateful heart—for your trust, for your faith, and for your confidence. Thank you.”
Among the several key ambitions of his second term, the governor highlighted his goals of making “generational, transformative improvements as to how we invest in our local communities and keep them safe”; and acknowledged the challenges of “bringing more talented workers to the state, investing in good roads and infrastructure, good schools and good healthcare.”
The governor also drew attention to Wisconsin’s lingering 1800’s law outlawing abortion, saying that in order to make Wisconsin that “attractive destination for businesses and workers”, that “part of that calculus doesn’t include themselves, their loved ones, or their workers being stripped of their reproductive freedom just for moving here” and that “We must restore the freedoms that Wisconsinites had until June 23,2022, the day before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. And I believe that together we will.” That goal may be as hard as any for the Governor to achieve, as Republicans, who oppose such restoration, now control both the Assembly and Senate.
The Governor also invoked the need for protecting the environment, from protecting resources to balancing the needs of agriculture and industry, something that will be a key responsibility of former Sheboygan County Administrator Adam Payne, who was tagged by the governor to be the new Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources.
In closing his many remarks, Governor Tony Evers struck a light note, saying: “Wisconsin, we love you. Let’s polka tonight and get to work tomorrow. Thank you, and On, Wisconsin!”
You can read the Governor’s full address here
Comments