Politician of the Year

Vrakas finds common ground for construction

By Jeremy Harrell

Vrakas There are so many competing forces on legislation affecting the construction industry that it sometimes seems a wonder that anything gets passed at all.

It's not uncommon, at one table, to find general contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects, state and local governments, labor unions and open-shop companies, all looking to protect their various interests.

In the middle of most, if not all, of these discussions is state Rep. Dan Vrakas, R-Hartland. He's so often taken the lead for construction that it's like he's got a red phone on his desk that connects directly to the industry.

"I'm not sure how he got to be that guy, but he is," said Jeff Beiriger, executive director of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Wisconsin. "On balance, Dan's been carrying a lot of the construction industry's issues for four, five, six years. He's been at the center of every storm."

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Vrakas has earned the Legislator of the Year Award from The Daily Reporter Publishing Co.

In the last year, Vrakas helped the industry meet a long sought-after goal of reducing retainage on public works projects, which demanded that he broker a peace between the industry and local governments.

During the same span, Vrakas, as a member of the State Building Commission, spearheaded discussions among contractors, subcontractors and the University of Wisconsin over the univer-sity's increasing reliance on bidding waivers.

John Mielke, lobbyist for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin, said Vrakas' hallmark is his ability to root out consensus among groups that frequently disagree. "He brings sides together, which ain't easy."

Normally, when a politician calls for further discussion, it signals a delaying tactic or uncertainty. Not so with Vrakas, Mielke said. "In the wrong context, it could be seen as a weakness. In the way Dan uses it, it's respect for all the parties."

In fact, Beiriger said Vrakas' insistence on dialogue was exactly the right course for dealing with state bidding waivers. The Building Commission passed the waivers to avoid having a discussion about bidding practices, Beiriger said, and two open forums in the last year have given it the attention it deserves.

"I think he's been able to drill down to what the issue is," he said. "That's all we can ask for."

For many who work with Vrakas in the state Capitol, his interest in the construction industry dates to the mid-1990s, when he led successful negotiations to rewrite the state's prevailing-wage law and served on a government committee on work-force development. Both required Vrakas to toe the tricky line between contractors and unions.

"He understands the importance of working with labor and contractors to move issues forward," said Mark Reihl, executive director of the Wisconsin State Council of Carpenters.

His colleagues, too, look to Vrakas for guidance on construction issues, Mielke said.

"When you talk about people in the Legislature who have a good grasp of construction, his name is at the top of the list," Mielke said.