Barrett Calls Gov’s Ideas For Residency Requirements ‘Orwellian’

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says Governor Scott Walker’s plan to end residency requirements for local government employees is an example of the state acting as an Orwellian “Big Brother.”

Mayor Tom Barrett used his State of the City speech on Monday to launch another attack on Walker’s state budget proposal.

“For the state to now swoop in and wipe out our home authority is the very definition of Big Brother government. This is not the way to govern. [applause] And I am asking the state legislature to leave residency a local issue: take it out of the budget.”

More than 100 Wisconsin communities have local residency laws.

Governor Walker said over the weekend that Mayor Barrett’s argument for maintaining residency requirements is weak. He also says he supported residency laws as Milwaukee County Executive, because he thought that the Milwaukee County Board would not change the law.