More on the Milwaukee County Mess
From the Journal Sentinel's coverage on today's Milwaukee County Board meeting:
This isn't about race. It's about ethics. It's about integrity. It's about a legislative body's ability to choose it's own leader through majority vote. In fact, the next chair of the county board most likely will be a person of color.County Board delays vote on Holloway
The Milwaukee County Board today delayed a vote on a new chairman, choosing to wait for more definitive legal advice from state Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager on the legality of replacing embattled Board Chairman Lee Holloway in midterm.The 11-8 vote to lay over the item came after an emotional and racially charged debate at a special meeting forced by 10 supervisors who contend that Holloway's aggressive defense against civil ethics charges has destroyed his leadership ability.
Lautenschlager came under attack from several Holloway supporters for providing a quick informal opinion Friday that raised hopes among the group of 10 that supplanting Holloway would not require a two-thirds majority. But others praised her for giving some guidance on short notice at the county's request.
She is expected to provide a formal opinion in the coming weeks or months.
The NAACP's Milwaukee chapter held a press conference in the County Board room before the meeting and speakers declared the vote as a "lynching." Holloway is the first African-American chairman of the board. The 10 supervisors who sought the
special meeting are white.Backers of the special meeting said the issue was about removing the cloud of public distrust over county politics, not racism. Holloway is fighting a 90-count ethics complaint that accuses him of using his office for political gain in a real estate deal with a county-funded social service agency.
The NAACP will try to intervene on Holloway's behalf in his lawsuit against the county Ethics Board, an agency official said. He is challening the prosecution with the state Court of Appeals.
Supporters of the layover argued that the issue has statewide import because county boards across Wisconsin could be affected if it is ultimately decided that only a simple majority of supervisors is needed to unseat a chairman in midterm, with no showing of malfeasance by the chairman.
That is the legal argument advanced by the group of 10 Milwaukee County Supervisors.
Holloway joined the 11-vote majority to lay over the election issue. He was joined by Toni Clark, Elizabeth Coggs-Jones, Marina Dimitrijevic, Willie Johnson Jr., Michael Mayo Sr., Ryan McCue, Richard Nyklewicz Jr., Roger Quindel, Peggy West and James White.
Opposing the delay were Supervisors Mark Borkowski, Gerry Broderick, Paul Cesarz, Lynne DeBruin, Dan Devine, Joseph Rice, James Schmitt and John Weishan Jr.
Quindel and McCue orginally called for this meeting. Since then, they received an informal opinion from the attorney general which aided their cause. Yet, today, they back tracked. Maybe they were intimidated by the accusations of racism? Maybe they were confused by the fact the attorney general didn't issue a formal opinion?
In any event, their weakness was on display today. And it's Ground Hog day all over again.
5 Comments:
You guys don't get the votes to go your way, the people keep electing officials you don't like and all you do is call names and stomp your feet. Some basic grammer school civics lessons are in order.
Also - you know why the law has, for at least 80 years, required 2/3 to remove a chair? If 1/2 of the board can replace the chair at any time, there would be total instability, with new chairs (and committee assignments, etc.) every time a new issue opped up.
Anyway, don't mean to trouble you with history, law, and facts. You may continue name-calling and pouting.
I wish we didn't have to work with votes and removing the thug from office.
I just wish he had the decency to step aside...which is what the left calls for anytime a leader from the right is ACCUSED of anything.
But we do know that Holloway wouldn't have a clue about being a decent person.
Hmmmmm. Remind me. Did Walker step aside when he took $25,000 from Bear Stearns folks, gave Bear Stearns a sweetheart contract -- and all the paperwork disappeared? How about when his nice white Bear Stearns buddy was indicted?
Or, how about, after telling the voters that his people had all waived the pension $$$, an open records request gets made and Walker is caught running around trying to get the waivers after the fact?
Where were you then?
Did Cesarz step aside for doing exactly what Holloway is alleged to have done?
Where were you then?
And, I know you can't stand the idea that people who don't agree with (or look like) you still get a vote. Welcome to the US of A.
(Yawn) If anyone dares question the THUG they play the race card. It's so tiresome and unimaginative.
That and they try and point fingers to others to deflect attention.
Not going to work this time. Just a little delay, but the King will fall.
A wonderful confession that you can't respond to my questions or to the facts. And, I don't see a race card in my questions.
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