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‘Burlington Bob’ Geason proud to be county’s sole delegate to GOP convention
By Pete Wicklund
Journal Times
BURLINGTON — There are no shades of grey when it comes to Bob Geason’s political beliefs. Why anyone would steer clear of conservatism is beyond him.
“I believe everyone should take a handful of personal responsibility. And in order to have that, you have to be a conservative,” Geason said. “If you’re a liberal, you just expect me to pay for everything.”
Geason, 62, brings his rock solid core beliefs with him as Racine County’s only delegate to the Republican National Convention, which kicks off Sept. 1 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
It will be Geason’s first convention, and he couldn’t be more excited.
Geason was the top vote getter among 1st Congressional District Republicans for a delegate spot. Known affectionately as “Burlington Bob,” Geason has thrown himself fully into politics since his retirement. And, he has reached some impressive heights since first getting involved just eight years ago during the successful state Senate campaign of Cathy Stepp.
Geason has worked his way up to vice chairman of the 1st District Republican Party and is southeast Wisconsin regional chairman for the McCain campaign. He also serves on the board of the Racine County Republican Party and on the executive committee for the state party.
During an interview last week at Burlington’s Charcoal Grill restaurant, Geason took a cell phone call to help make arrangements for the Republican’s “Victory Center,” a high-tech regional campaign headquarters that is being set up at the Speedway Plaza on Highway 50 in Kenosha.
“It just means a lot of work,” Geason says of all his titles. “All of a sudden it’s like I have a phone growing out of both ears and a computer going all at the same time.”
Hard work is not a new concept for Geason, who along with his wife, Jackie, ran BJ Builders, a general contracting firm, for 35 years that specialized in building custom homes in Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties. He also has some experience in financial planning, having worked for Aid Association for Lutherans (now Thrivent Financical) — a few years of which were done simultaneously with his
building business.
“There’s never been a day I regretted my choice,” Geason said of his decision to go into building full time.
Geason has lived in Burlington for 28 years; the rest of his life was spent in the Union Grove area. Bob has a daughter from a previous marriage and Jackie has three sons. The Geasons have three grandchildren.
As would be appropriate for a man who believes in individual responsibility and who ran his own company, for recreation, Geason enjoys riding his Harley.
“We have to support that Milwaukee company. They’re one of the few (large-scale manufacturers) still left in Wisconsin,” Geason said. “The governor (Democrat Jim Doyle) is going to tax them all out of the state.”
Geason is quick to share his disdain for Doyle, as well as other Democrats on all levels of government, from Sen. Barack Obama, to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to state Sen. Bob Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie.
He’s quick to point out what he perceives as flip-flops in Obama’s positions and mannerisms, from the senator’s stand on off-shore oil drilling to Obama’s reversal on wearing patriotic lapel pins and initially not putting his hand over his heart for the Pledge
of Allegiance.
Geason is just as quick to sing the praises of McCain and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the 1st District’s representative in Congress. He was able to meet with John and Cindy McCain during their July 31 visit to Racine.
Geason shares something in common with McCain — both served in Vietnam. But Geason, who served as an MP at the U.S. forces command center, is quick to point out that his service overseas was a “cakewalk” compared to the torture McCain endured as a five-year prisoner of war.
At the convention, Geason said delegates will keep busy working on platform resolutions, listening to keynote speakers and meeting one on one with party leaders and supporters.
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