State budget an example of bipartisan leadership

In an increasingly polarized society, the recently passed Wisconsin state budget was a refreshing change of pace.

Last week, Gov. Tony Evers and Republican leaders in the legislature announced they had reached agreement on key parts of the budget. Within days the budget bill came out of committee, was debated in the legislature with both supporters and opponents on both sides of the political aisle, and was passed on a bipartisan vote.

Evers moved to quickly sign the bill into law with only a relative handful of low-stakes line item veto changes — a far cry from previous budgets in his administration which saw extensive use of the line item veto.

“Wisconsin is a purple state. At the end of the day, it is my job as governor to get things done, and it is my job to be a governor for the whole state. I made a promise to always work to do the right thing for Wisconsin. And I believe that working together to find common ground so we can pass a bipartisan budget that reflects the will of the people of this state is part of keeping that promise,” Gov. Evers said.

There are no illusions that the new state budget is a perfect document. Like any work of human hands, the new state budget has its flaws and areas where more could have been done. What those imperfections are vary greatly depending on the politics of the speaker and to whom they are talking.

Effective governing has always been about finding the middle ground and being willing to make compromises to achieve the best outcomes possible. Unfortunately, in recent decades, those in positions of leadership have become increasingly enamored of scoring political points with their bases at the expense of effectively governing. Effective leadership is not about winning every time you come to the table, but in finding a workable balance.

In a world of finite resources, choices must be made about how those resources are to be used. The end goal is to do the most with the resources you have at hand. It is both unrealistic and counterproductive to hold up the workings of government in order to attempt to get your way in all things.

There is a truism in politics and life that if everyone is unhappy with you, then you must be doing something right. In that case, Gov. Evers and the Republican legislative leadership are doing something right given the statements from politicians in both major parties who have expressed disappointment that their specific issue or advocacy point did not score an absolute win.

Well done, Wisconsin Legislature and Gov. Evers, for working together on a budget that gets the job done for state residents and will allow schools and local governments to move forward with their own budget processes.

The Tribune Record Gleaner editorial board consists of publisher Kris O’Leary and Star News editor Brian Wilson.