Johnson receives award from maritime group

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson credits a “businessman’s approach” of finding areas of agreement for his success in passing nearly two dozen pieces of legislation into law since being named chairman of the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Johnson was in Sturgeon Bay on Saturday to accept the Legislator of the Year award from the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, a business-labor coalition that the first-term senator said is dedicated to preserving the Great Lakes not only for commercial shipping but the environment.

“Let’s face it, we all want a clean environment, we all want to make sure that we have these opportunities to use the Great Lakes for shipping and for recreation,” Johnson told reporters later in the day before the Republican Party of Door County’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner, where he was a featured speaker. “(The award) just kind of confirms that approach – a businessman’s approach, not exploiting differences but trying to find areas of agreement to unify us.”

Johnson is the third Wisconsin lawmaker to receive the award, which is presented annually to a legislator who has helped advance waterborne commerce on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Past recipients include former U.S. Reps. David Obey, a Democrat, and Mark Green, a Republican.

The former chief executive of the plastics and polyester manufacturer PACUR of Oshkosh, Johnson was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 after a six-month campaign over three-term incumbent Sen. Russ Feingold. Last May Feingold announced he would run against Johnson, 18 months ahead of the November 2016 election.

Johnson said Saturday he found that six months of campaigning was plenty and he’s been busy “doing my job” since Feingold’s announcement. That has included crafting legislation on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which he said has passed 20 bills into law with two more currently awaiting President Barack Obama’s signature.

“I would say the No. 1 component of the solution for so many of the problems facing this nation is economic growth,” he said. “You’ve got to get the government out of the way, you have to reduce the regulatory burden, you have to have a competitive tax system, and let’s keep energy prices low so we’re competitive while we maintain a clean environment.”

He acknowledged this has been an “interesting” political season and said he expects to support the eventual Republican nominee for president, whoever that may be.

“The basic fact of the matter is Americans are pretty disgusted with the federal government. I understand that level of frustration, that anger, that angst,” Johnson said. “All these well-intentioned government programs – they just haven’t panned out, they haven’t provided the sense of safety, security and certainty that the American people are looking for, so Americans are really kind of hungering for the leadership that will restore to them that sense of security, those types of opportunity they’re looking for.”