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Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch’s leadership role in Madison hasn’t brought much to the 94th District, his Democratic challenger Cheryl Hancock said Tuesday.

Huebsch retorted that his leadership has helped local taxpayers.

Hancock, president of the Holmen School Board, is running against West Salem’s Huebsch, the highest-ranking Republican in state government.

During a taping Tuesday of WLSU-FM’s “Newsmakers” program, Hancock was asked why voters should give up the benefit of having a representative in the leadership “for a chance on you.”

“I can honestly say I don’t see ... the benefit that has been brought to us,” Hancock said. “In fact, it was almost embarrassing to us and to the state of Wisconsin, some of the issues with the budget process last year and the fact that the state was the last state to complete their budgetary process.”

In her 12 years on the school board, Hancock said they’ve had to pass balanced budgets on time each year.

“And that is the kind of leadership I think we need in Madison. We’ve given Mike the opportunity to provide that kind of leadership, and I don’t think it’s happened,” Hancock said.

In an interview later, Huebsch defended the delays, saying they benefitted local taxpayers.

“The main reason — actually the only reason — that the Wisconsin budget was late was that I would not raise taxes,” Huebsch said. “As Cheryl has admitted even in her announcement, she has readily passed taxes and increased taxes in the past. If you’re going to give in and continually raise taxes on the people of Wisconsin, it’s easy to pass a budget. I could have passed that budget long ago, well before the due date.

“If holding out and standing up for the taxpayers is embarrassing to Cheryl Hancock, she’s going to have a tough time winning election in the 94th Assembly District,” Huebsch said.