Scott Walker opponents hit him over flights on state planes

MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker used a state plane for 29 flights of less than 40 miles — including one between Kenosha and Milwaukee — since September 2015, according to a database released Monday by a liberal group.

Those short legs were part of trips that included other stops as the GOP governor made his way around the state. 

In other instances, the governor took short jaunts without traveling further. Three times in the fall of 2017, a state plane ferried Walker from Madison to West Bend — 64 miles — and then returned to Madison. 

In May 2017, Walker flew from Madison to West Bend for a “Walk with Walker” event before flying on to other parts of the state. 

“They flew a plane to take a walk,” said Joanna Beilman-Dulin, research director of One Wisconsin Now.

Walker spokeswoman Amy Hasenberg said One Wisconsin Now was mischaracterizing the travel of a governor who is dedicated to meeting with people around the state.

“From visiting communities recovering from disasters, to attending funerals of fallen officers and public officials, to discussing the positive things getting done throughout the state, Governor Walker has shown he stands ready to support Wisconsin and our citizens at any time,” she said in a statement.

The One Wisconsin Now database covers Walker’s travel from late September 2015 — when he dropped out of the race for president — through April 2018. During that time, Walker took 869 flights totaling about 114,000 miles at a cost of about $818,000 to taxpayers.

The database was published as Walker seeks re-election. The use of state planes is a perennial campaign issue, with the party out of power making much of the sitting governor’s travel.

From 2011 to 2017, Walker and his cabinet on average have spent about $272,000 on state planes, according to state Department of Administration figures. That is slightly below the average for Walker’s predecessor, Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, according to figures calculated by the administration.

Like Walker, Doyle at times took short legs on a day of travel around the state, as in February 2010, when he flew about 10 miles from Kenosha to Racine.

Walker’s travel has increased dramatically since 2015, when he spent much of the year preparing for and launching his run for president. That year, he and his cabinet spent about $122,000 on state planes, records show.

In 2016, the total came to about $336,000 and in 2017 it came to about $342,000, according to state figures.