Walker Defends UW’s Decision To Hire One Of His Former Aides

Gov. Scott Walker is defending the choice of one of his longtime friends to be a vice president of the University of Wisconsin System.

The UW System has chosen Commercial Association of Realtors executive Jim Villa to be vice president for university relations. It’s a newly created job that will pay $178,000 a year.

Villa was a Walker aide when Walker was Milwaukee County executive. Villa is often mentioned in the recently released emails from the first John Doe probe into Walker’s 2010 campaign, but the governor says Villa has not been tainted by that investigation.

“He worked for me,” Walker said, “but as the commercial real estate association, worked very closely with the county executive and the mayor here in Milwaukee and, I think, has a pretty good reputation across party lines and on different levels of government.”

Walker says UW officials reviewed the John Doe issue before hiring Villa. The governor says he gave a reference for Villa, but Walker denies he plans for his friend to be extra eyes and ears for him at the UW.

The liberal group One Wisconsin Now criticized the hiring of Jim Villa.