A head of the panel trying to keep General Motors in Janesville says he was "very surprised" by recent comments made by the chairman of the automaker. GM Chairman Rick Wagoner painted a dim picture of the automaker's future in the city saying Janesville should not be "overly optimistic" about the company reopening the plant.
Tim Cullen, co-chair of the GM Retention Task Force, says for nine months GM has asked the committee to communicate directly with them rather than through the media. He also says officials in Detroit didn't contact any of the offices of Governor Jim Doyle, Congressman Paul Ryan or Senator Russ Feingold.
Cullen believes other efforts the panel has been working on may lead to another company using the plant and bringing jobs to the area.
He and Task Force co-chair Brad Dutcher have a pre-scheduled meeting with the Governor Friday.