David Michael Miller
Earlier this week, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi joined the ranks of Democrats who are not challenging Scott Walker for the governor’s seat in 2018. Meanwhile, Milwaukee businessman Andy Gronik has paid a polling firm to survey Wisconsinites (or Wisconsinians, as they were referred to in the out-of-state firm’s poll) on Gronik’s appeal as a gubernatorial candidate.
Gronik has no political experience, but he’s rich — so that means he feels qualified to lead us. After all, the best candidate to ride an anti-Trump backlash is a rich political neophyte who wants to run for high office because he feels entitled to it.
I’ve heard Gronik’s name tossed out a few times over the last few months, but I honestly know very little about him. However, Gronik has started StageW, a political nonprofit. For legal and fundraising purposes, StageW is not Gronik’s campaign website. But it sure as heck looks and sounds like one.
The rest of this article is going to be my real-time impressions as I browse StageW in my quest to learn more about Andy Gronik, potential gubernatorial candidate.
Let’s take a look at the front page of this site. Right here at the center of the page it says, “Bringing Wisconsin Alive by Bridging the Political Divide.”
I’ve seen this time and time again from different left-leaning groups. Stop it! Just stop it! Bringing people together is not a campaign platform. Getting along is not a policy. Voters don’t elect people to be “less divisive,” they elect people to get things done. If they can accomplish that in a less divisive way, congratulations — they’ll have an easier time being reelected.
Now, to check the About Our Leadership Team page, let’s read Gronik’s approved — and most likely self-written — bio.
“After college he worked with Quaker Oats before returning to Wisconsin to grow his dad’s company. In a short time he expanded his dad’s business to national prominence by fundamentally changing the way the company served clients and helping to create the standards used by banks nationwide to lend money on machinery and inventory. Eventually Andy cofounded his own appraisal, consulting, asset management and disposition companies and grew them to international significance.”
“National prominence.” “International significance.” Such humility. I’m surprised there isn’t a line where it mentions “The Gronik name is hallowed in the Ice Castles on Jupiter’s moon Europa.”
And, of course, the dude comes from multigenerational wealth. Now he’s a rich political neophyte who inherited money from his dad and wants to run for high office because he feels entitled to it.
Enough about the intro and the “about us” section; let’s get into some policy. Let’s read StageW’s Education Plan. (And yes, the trademark signs are real.)
“Eliminate Achievement Gaps
W-Alive™ eliminates achievement gaps by bringing kids together in grade-level classrooms to receive the same quality instruction, encouragement, support and mentorship.”
What does any of that mean? It kinda sounds like inclusion, where students in special education programs are placed, whenever possible, in regular-ed classrooms. But it’s mostly just a word salad of education-y terms.
“One-On-One Teaching
Teachers connecting with kids one-on-one are best positioned to accurately assess their skills and provide focused instruction. This finely tunes the educational experience to each kid’s academic, emotional and social development and allows teachers to inspire classroom participation, reduce fear, eliminate boredom and empower creativity.”
Oh, teachers should connect with students? Why has no one thought of such a brilliant idea before? Unless Gronik has a plan for the billions of dollars it would take to cut class sizes to make this possible, this is as realistic an education policy as a crime policy that states “people should just stop hurting each other.”
“Locally Controlled Flexible Spending Plans
W-Alive invites local school districts to appoint a non-partisan local commission consisting of the school board members, educators, parents and stakeholders to decide how new flexible funding categories will be used to address the unique requirements of kids in their district.”
We already have these. They are called school boards. It’s like asking local communities to create a brand-new city office that will take care of any fires that may break out in area residences and businesses.
“ScoreA’s™ Academic Teamwork
ScoreA’s is a team-building academic program that helps teammates lift each other to academic success. Peer supported education as a productive complement to learning programs and an added benefit for kids more likely to succeed when they feel support/pressure from their friends and teammates. Student athletes committed to higher education but struggling in school are mentored from willing and able teammates, boosting learning for everyone involved. The program is being piloted.
Hmm, I guess it’s neat that they are supporting a mentoring program. I wonder what academic framework they have behind this. Is this a WIAA thing? Is there a research base here? Maybe a professor from some UW education school?
Let’s take a quick break from StageW and check out ScoreA’s About page.
“a message from ScoreA's founder Andy Gronik”
Come on!
Yep, they built another website, with another glowing bio of Andy Gronik.
“I transferred to the University of Georgia after my first year; made it into Georgia’s top-ranked Terry School of Business; was named to the dean’s list on multiple occasions; graduated in four years.”
A program meant to inspire student athletes has a whole page to make sure we remember how awesome Andy Gronik is.
So now Gronik is a rich political neophyte who inherited wealth from his family who wants to run for high office because he feels entitled to it and he wants you to know how amazingly talented and successful he is.
I’m knocking Gronik for his education ideas, but he’s not an experienced educator; he’s a wealthy businessman, as he loves to remind us. So let’s look to StageW’s Jobs Plan to see how this titan of industry is going to turn Wisconsin’s economy around.
To be fair, some of the ideas promoted on the jobs page are good, if overly generic. For example, there’s support for urban farming and biodigesters as a way to turn waste into water. But there’s no specificity on how to spread existing successes and how to pay for them.
Most of the ideas boil down to something like this:
“Family Job Training Programs for a Fertile Economic Ecosystem
W-Alive addresses the labor shortage and removes restrictions to growth, bridging the needs of our families with the needs of our industries; returning prosperity to our cities, towns and villages throughout Wisconsin; cultivating economic development for businesses of all sizes and; creating a substantial benefit for taxpayers as families living in poverty graduate from government assistance to productive new lives where everyone thrives.”
Everyone’s lives are going to be better and more prosperous. How? Who cares? Gronik is going to Make Wisconsin Great Again.
“Spark Statewide Commercial Development
W-Alive has plans to restore Main Streets as popular places to shop, socialize and network. ReBrix™ CubeCenters™ are attractive Lego©-like developments that make it feasible for popular retailers and restaurants to offer a “favorites menu” to new and underserved communities. These customized shipping containers are assembled on highly visibility [sic] but underutilized commercial sites. They generate tax revenue, incubate commercial development and minimize development risk.”
That’s their big idea on how to bring back Main Street in the world of Amazon and Walmart — Lego shanty towns. I decided to look up these doubly-trademarked ReBrix CubeCenters to see if they were used anywhere. Heck, maybe there was some place in Europe that had used them to great success.
Nope, the only website that seems to mention them is StageW. It’s another brand that Gronix has copyrighted, and he’s using StageW to market it.
Gronik is a rich political neophyte who inherited wealth from his family who wants to run for high office because he feels entitled to it, and he wants you to know how amazingly talented and successful he is, and he wants to use this race as an opportunity to push his personal brands.
Does this sound familiar?
I’ll say this: My time browsing StageW is making Bob “Magic Trains” Harlow look like a better and better candidate.
Please run, Rep. Dana Wachs.
