Sex Predators and Work Release

Lawmakers Move to Amend Wisconsin’s Jessica’s Law to Prohibit Work Release Privileges for Convicted Child Sex Predators

Madison…Madison law enforcement officials today are searching for a child sex predator who was granted work release privileges despite pleading no contest last month to repeatedly sexually assaulting a young child near Madison. After learning of the disappearance of the child sex predator this morning, State Representative Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) and State Representative Mark Honadel (R-South Milwaukee) immediately drafted an amendment to their Wisconsin’s Jessica’s Law to bar state courts from granting work release privileges for all child sex offenders awaiting sentencing in state courts. Suder and Honadel said they were outraged by the court’s decision to allow this monster to walk back out onto the streets of Wisconsin unsupervised while he was awaiting sentencing for his attacks.

“Thanks to a ridiculous decision by a Dane County court this monster is now back out on the street instead of behind bars where he belongs,” Suder said. “This unfortunate case highlights the fact that our criminal justice system is failing to protect the public from these monsters. That is why we must immediately pass Jessica’s Law and Project KidSafe to protect our children from these predators.”

Suder and Honadel said Verne A. Hahn slipped away from his work release job last week while serving time for a burglary conviction. In addition to his recent child sexual assault conviction, Hahn’s extensive criminal background includes a string of prior offenses including bail jumping and four drunken driving convictions. The lawmakers said their Jessica’s Law proposal with the amendment would prevent state courts from granting work release privileges and lenient sentences in these cases by instituting a strong mandatory minimum prison term of 25 years to life for any person convicted of sexually assaulting a child in Wisconsin. Suder and Honadel called on members of the state Senate to immediately pass their legislation.

"Cases like this make it all the more evident that we must pass a strong Jessica's Law without delay. Citizens in my district and around the state are calling for these dangerous individuals to stay behind bars. Wisconsin has been a national leader on many issues and we should now lead the way to strengthen penalties against sexual predators."

The lawmakers said as of this morning, Verne Hahn’s whereabouts are unknown. Suder and Honadel urge anyone with information on the case to call their local law enforcement authorities or 911.

Life in the Fast Lanes?

The Small Business Times Reports:

How much would you be willing to pay to get out of a traffic jam on Milwaukee's congested freeways? A new study by transportation experts is proposing the construction of a new tollway of "Fast Lanes" throughout southeastern Wisconsin's freeway system. The study contends that the state's planned $6.2 billion freeway modernization would provide only a temporary fix for the region's growing traffic congestion.

According to the study, a network of variable-priced toll lanes, if included in the plan, would permanently offer buses and emergency vehicles free access to lanes that are guaranteed to move at the maximum speed limit, and tolled access to the same uncongested lanes for automobile drivers who are willing to pay a fee.

Those are among the recommendations in a new report, "Adding Fast Lanes to Milwaukee's Freeways: Congestion Relief, Improved Transit and Help with Funding Reconstruction." The report was compiled by the Reason Foundation, an independent think tank, and Kevin Soucie, a former state legislator and a transportation consultant at Milwaukee-based Soucie & Associates.

The authors of the report are proposing a network of toll lanes that would encompass the approaches to downtown on Interstate 94, Interstate 43 and U.S. 45.

I heard this proposal was coming, but I don't think there is much here except a mere idea. I guess it's the ultimate 'user fee,' but I am not to hot on the concept of having two tiers of infrastructure.

The price to use the Fast Lanes would vary with demand, meaning drivers would pay higher prices during rush hours and much lower rates at off-peak times. Drivers wouldn't need to slow down to make payments and there would be no toll booths. Instead, all payments would be made electronically, via windshield-mounted transponders.

The full report is available on line at www.reason.org/ps342_FASTlanes.pdf.

Martinifest Story Tough to Swallow

Something about this story doesn't sit right with me.

The glistening white Santiago Calatrava addition has made the Milwaukee Art Museum one of the city's classiest social addresses. But a recent martini fete held there turned into an overcrowded, drunken affair. Some unruly guests accosted artworks, which have been taken off display for a checkup.

People threw up, passed out, were injured, got into altercations and climbed onto sculptures at Martinifest, a semi- formal event organized by Clear Channel Radio and held at the museum Feb. 11, according to several people who attended or worked at the event.

First, this event took place nearly three weeks ago. It was heavily promoted. The largest NEWS paper in the state devotes the lead story in the paper and countless column inches to the story today?

Second. This event was sponsored by Clear Channel, a multi-media company which owns a half dozen stations in the Milwaukee market, which compete directly against stations owned by the Journal Sentinel's parent company.

The story itself was long on outrage and short on facts.

Did people actually drink to the point of vomiting in the Art Museum? Was it crowded beyond capacity? Were any artworks damaged? Were the Art Museum operators duped into gettng into something different than they anticipated?

My gut tells me this has more to do with a Journal Communications v. Clear Channel grudge than actual lead story-worthy newsreporting.

It's true that I occasionally am on the Early Spin program on Clear Channel's NewsTalk1130 WISN. Before anyone tries to sniff out any conspiracy, you should also note that my site links to JSOnline, Charlie Sykes, Jeff Wagner and Jessica McBride all the time. I'm not pushing any agenda here. Just wondering aloud why a well known event which took place nearly three weeks ago merited such manufactured outrage.

As for who is at fault here? There is probably enough blame to go around.

But is anyone surprised that an event in Milwaukee with the moniker 'Martinifest' resulted in excess alcohol consumption and some obnoxious behavior? If you are, you've never been to Church festival.

I love the Calatrava addition. But I don't revere it. I think this has been blown out of proportion.

The lead story? Really?

Wigderson on Reynolds

A great recap by James Wigderson on the Senator Tom Reynold's incomprehensible position(s) on the School Choice compromise.

State Senator Tom Reynolds (R-West Allis) may be the deciding vote in the school choice compromise. With all of the State Senate Democrats opposed to the school choice compromise (except possible Jeff Plale) and with Senators Mike Ellis and Robert Cowles opposed to the compromise because of the money going to the SAGE program, the State Senate could come down to one vote. If you had told me last week that the one vote would be Reynolds, I would have jumped up and down and said we win! This week, Reynolds is giving school choice supporters an ulcer.

Click here and read the whole thing.

Audit on UW Employing Hoodlums

Getting slammed with work requests from those who pay the bills today, but had to quickly comment on this LAB report of hoodlums in the UW System.

A must, if disgusting read.

From the Forward.

Using Department of Corrections’ felony data and UW System’s payroll data, we identified 40 felons employed by UW System in September 2005 and under state supervision in November 2005. UW-Madison employed 27 of the 40 felons we identified, including 4 who are incarcerated.

Section 111.321, Wis. Stats., generally prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of arrest or conviction record, but under s. 111.335(1)(c), Wis. Stats., employment can be terminated when a conviction is substantially related to the circumstances of an individual’s job. The decision to terminate is typically determined by an internal investigation. Because UW institutions were unaware of most of the 40 felons and could not provide complete information on how many internal investigations had been conducted, we have recommended that internal investigations be conducted to determine whether the convictions of any of the felons we identified are substantially job-related and any action is appropriate.

Terminating employment is often a lengthy process. In February 2006, the Board of Regents approved changes to expedite the termination of faculty who are convicted of serious criminal misconduct. We have recommended that it also clarify its termination process for academic staff and discuss the process for classified staff.

Finally, we found great variation in how UW institutions conduct background checks of candidates for employment. We have recommended that the Board of Regents promulgate uniform policies to identify the types of jobs for which background checks should be conducted.

Blue Light Special in Aisle Four

How in the world could KMart, a company whose financial troubles were widespread and well known, purchase Sears, one of America's largest retail chains?

That was the question many folks had when the deal was anounced last year.

Many analysts speculated the deal had more to do with real estate than it did with corporate synergy. That Sears coveted the off-mall real estate and that KMart was looking at some sears locations in smaller shopping malls across the country.

That take would appear to have been correct.

Four Wisconsin Kmart stores are among 14 in the United States that will be turned into Sears Grand stores by May. The stores are in Menomonee Falls, West Bend, Oshkosh and West Baraboo.

"These are the next wave of the off-mall format," said Chris Brathwaite, spokesman for Sears Holdings Inc., which operates both Kmart and Sears stores.

Since Kmart Corp. bought Sears, Roebuck and Co. last year, 50 Kmart locations around the U.S. have been changed to Sears Essentials stores, a sort of hybrid of both formats, but with Sears brands. There are no Sears Essentials stores in Wisconsin.

Last week, Sears said it was dropping the Sears Essentials format in favor of Sears Grand, a large-scale off-mall format that Sears introduced at just a few locations before the merger.

KMart couldn't keep up with Wal-Mart's supply chain management systems. Their products weren't as low cost or as diverse as the Arkansas-based retail behemoth. I have my doubts about the long-term success of the chain, but would imagine that Sears will be able to survive, thanks in part to the new off-mall locations.

I can't remember the last time I went to KMart.

Choice Deal Passes Finance

I just received an email from Madison.

The School Choice compromise passed the Joint Committee on Finance 11-5.

Republican Senator Rob Cowles joined all four Democrat legislators in opposition.

Reader Mail

As much as I enjoy the comments which call me a liar and/or a racist pig, the most interesting response to any of my posts within the last week had to do with the Tavern League's capitulation on the smoking ban legislation. The comment, posted verbatim below, was directed more broadly, to the idea of a smoking ban in general.

We forget who pays for the medical cost of smoking. We do, the taxpayers pay the cost. How? Medicare and Medicaid. As as Family Physician Practicing 26 years in Wausau Wisconsin it is disconcerting to repeatedly deal with the anguish patients and families go thru when their loved one has lung cancer, Heart attacks or damaging strokes. Thes patients don't die right a way. They linger on for many years with the most scientifically advanced medical care in the world. Need I add expensive? Hospital costs, Physician costs, Highly trained nurses, Lab personel, X-ray people, CAT scan operators, MRI specialists, all highly trained and highly educated people that cost money. These patients eventually end up in assisted living and nursing homes. After their personal money runs out(unless they divest themselves 3 or more years before they need nursing home care) Medical assistance pays the bill. We want our individual rights to smoke and damage ourselves prematurely; then the rest of society pays the bill. Medical economists claim that 50% of medical costs in America are the direct and indirect result of smoking. Yes, we human beings have to be baby sat. We are not as wise as we like to think we are. (emphasis, mine) Frank J. Rubino MD Family Practice Wausau Wisconsin 54401

In a nutshell, this is the impetus behind the nanny state. Protecting ourselves from ourselves.

We get the government we deserve. And members of the Tavern League get the leadership they elect. I can't imagine TLW members in Appleton, Oshkosh, Milwaukee and elsewhere are too pleased, however.

Much more on the smoking ban issue here later, but this comment was too good to simply go without highlighting.

Holloway Saga Now a State Issue

Many interested observers who live outside Milwaukee County view the Holloway saga as nothing more than a ‘Milwaukee problem.’

No longer.

Thanks to the actions of the Wisconsin Counties Association, taxpayers in nearly every county in Wisconsin are now paying the price for Milwaukee County’s Lee Holloway mess.

The Association, which receives dues (tax dollars) from nearly every county in the state, has paid for legal research which (they believe) supports Holloway’s contention that it would take a two-thirds vote of the Board to remove him as chair in the middle of his term.

It is conceivable that the WCA could be encouraged to intervene in the case on Holloway’s behalf, just as the NAACP has asserted it will. For the sake of taxpayers across the state, let’s hope not.

From social services to criminal justice and from law enforcement to cultural enrichment, I know that the work of county government is vital to all of us in Wisconsin. I’ve been a supporter of county government and of the WCA for many years. I’ve been honored to be a three-time recipient of their legislative staff recognition award and I’ve been a lecturer at their annual conference on more than one occasion. In short, I’m a fan of the WCA.

But their findings with regard to this matter are more than disheartening. Frankly, it smacks of an organization going out of its way to prop up a major funding source. We all know Holloway plays hardball. He's even bragged about that. I imagine he could take steps to reduce or eliminate Milwaukee’s membership dues to WCA if he was so moved.

The one upside, this development has raised the stakes and made it an issue that should concern taxpayers in nearly every county across the state. Now, their tax dollars have been spent to keep Holloway at the helm of the Milwaukee County Board.

Michael Joyce, RIP

Michael Joyce was perhaps the most influential conservative in Wisconsin in my lifetime.

The Bradley Foundation's impact is clearly nationwide, yet they have never lost their focus on Wisconsin.

John Miller writes:

In 1985, Rockwell International bought Milwaukee’s Allen-Bradley Company. One result of the purchase was to pump nearly $300 million into the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. The suddenly enriched philanthropy recruited Joyce to lead it, with a mandate that he turn it into what one of the board members called “Olin West.”

To the extent that the Bradley Foundation funded conservative intellectuals, Joyce stayed true to this objective. Yet the Bradley Foundation was not simply a clone of the John M. Olin Foundation. Instead, it was committed to supporting local initiatives in Wisconsin. Joyce’s genius was to leverage conservatism’s best ideas and apply them on the state, county, and city level, where they wound up nevertheless having a national impact.

At the Olin Foundation, for instance, Joyce helped Charles Murray secure a grant that contributed to the success of Losing Ground, a landmark book on welfare. At the Bradley Foundation, Joyce worked with political figures in Wisconsin, such as Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson, to push through welfare-reform measures that were inspired by the work of Murray and others. This in turn helped create the conditions for Congress and President Clinton to overhaul welfare at the federal level in 1996.

Joyce was even more closely connected to school choice, which has achieved greater success in Milwaukee than anywhere else. Earlier this month, Wisconsin’s current governor, Democrat Jim Doyle, agreed to raise the number of Milwaukee students who can use public money to attend private schools from 15,000 to 22,500. It is safe to say that without Joyce’s influence at the Bradley Foundation, few of these voucher kids would have had an alternative to the city’s government-run schools. Moreover, the very cause of school choice would not be nearly as prominent as it is today — it might still be a fantasy in the mind of Milton Friedman rather than a reality in one of America’s big cities.

In Milwaukee, Joyce also gained a deep appreciation for the importance of faith-based organizations in the lives of the poor, whether it was church groups that provided job training or Catholic schools that offered an education. Through his work on welfare and school choice, Joyce became a founding father of “compassionate conservatism” — a term that may mean many things, but one that also would have been nearly impossible for George W. Bush ever to utter without Joyce’s work at the Bradley Foundation. After Joyce left the foundation in 2001, he worked in conjunction with the Bush administration to promote the president’s agenda on faith-based initiatives. At a speech in 2002, Bush praised Joyce and his legacy: “The Bradley Foundation has always been willing to seek different solutions. They’ve been willing to challenge the status quo. They’d say, ‘Where we find failure, something else must occur.’”

“Mike was a populist in the best sense of the word,” said Frank Cannon of Capital City Partners, who cooperated with Joyce on faith-based programs. “He believed that people are able to run their own lives from the bottom up, and that this is preferable to some government’s running them from the top down.”

Joyce may go down in conservative history as one of its most important philanthropic spenders, but in fact he was a great builder — a builder of ideas and institutions that already have outlasted him and almost certainly will outlast the rest of us.

Immediately upon graduating from the UW, I worked at a think tank that received support from the Bradley Foundation. I had the good fortune of meeting Michael Joyce from time to time and have seen his impact on major public policy over the last twenty years.

Truly, a good man.

May he rest in peace.

*** Update.
Charlie Sykes knew Joyce well. His initial take is here. I'd expect more from him in ensuing days.

And watch the classless left use the tragic news of his death as a vehicle to rip the Bradley Foundation, School Choice, welfare reform, etc...

Tom Reynolds and School Choice

First, let me get this out of the way. I am NOT running for State Senate against Tom Reynolds. Everytime he exercises his 'quirkiness' I get asked that question.

Now, as to the 'quirky' Senator's motivation to scuttle the School Choice deal...

Other than trying to garner media attention by attaching his name to yet another high profile issue, I have no idea.

So, if it's attention he seeks.... give him some. Call and ask him yourself, "What's the deal, Senator?"

His toll free number, 1-866-817-6061.

Share his responses here in the comments section.

Catching Up, Not Catching Fish

Well, I am back and can definitively decree that all Oconto County angling records remain in the hands of the same people who held them before Friday.

Rumor has it the Early Spin Crew is going to try to wake me up tomorrow to be on around 7:05 to discuss the latest developments regarding Lee Holloway and a few other things in the news.

So I’ve spent an hour or so tonight reading some blogs to catch up on what I’ve missed.

Boots and Sabers informed us of Diamond Jim's campaign hiring practices.

Shark and Sheppard posted a copy of his Journal Sentinel community editorial regarding MPS.

Right off the Shore took Governor Doyle to task for his continued promotion of his Canadian drug website.

McBride's Media Matters was hot on the case of Senator Tom Reynold's School Choice 'quirkiness.'

Milwaukee ID10T commented on the shenanigans of the likely future Governor of New York.

Oh, and Badger Blogger found a way to end the war in Iraq.

Seriously, it was nice to take a break, but it’s good to be back.

Gone Fishin'

For tomorrow at least, I'll have something in common with Michael Mayo, Scott Walker, James White, the NAACP and Peggy West.

I won't have anything bad to say about Lee Holloway.

My excuse?

I'll be gone fishin'.

Literally.

Your humble blogger has armed the newly-installed home security system and is taking a short break for some serious ice fishing.

I'll be back on Sunday evening.

In the meantime, please check out the most recent takes of others listed along the right hand column of this site. That list is continually updated to give you latest from the cheddarsphere.

Where have they gone?

Wonder what Mark Chmura's been up to since he and his defense team beat the rap in his infamous Waukesha County case?

He's back in the courtroom. No, it's not what you think.

Donovan Riley Has Another Oopsie

From the Spice Boys column today:

Yeah, Donovan Riley is a carpetbagger, having just moved back to the city to run against state Sen. Jeff Plale, a Milwaukee Democrat.

But you'd think he would at least learn the contours of the district before jumping into the race.

Riley's campaign Web site, www.rileyforstatesenate.org, includes a district map that expands it well beyond its current borders.

"If he wants to go do doors in (Sen.) Spencer Coggs' district, hey, have at it," Plale said of his Democratic foe.

Riley, a 69-year-old former hospital administrator, said he was not aware of the mistake but said he would fix it soon.

He's experienced at fixing his own campaigns errors.

I went to his website and noticed that Jeremey Levinson, Lee Holloway's attorney, is no longer listed as his treasurer.

Donovan, thanks for readin'!

Sports Update

Quick thought.

Watched a Bucks game the other night.

Andrew Bogut looks like he's lost 40 pounds since the season started.

I think I know where it went.

I saw Ben Sheets being interviewed from Spring Training the same night.

That was some off season "training" program he was on.

Yeesh.

Holloway Case: Game On

At least some folks aren't easily intimidated.

An appeals court has denied Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway's request for a temporary halt to the ethics case he is fighting.

The order by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District 1 agreed with Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Richard Sankovitz, who earlier this month declined to put the ethics case on hold.

Holloway had sought the stay while he asks the appeals court to throw out the ethics allegations, which he contends were unlawfully issued. That broader appeal is pending.

The appeals court called Sankovitz's view - that it is premature to put a hold on the case while the ethics allegations are being heard by the local administrative agency presiding in the matter - "well founded." The county's Personnel Review Board has appointed a hearing examiner to determine whether Holloway violated the county ethics code by not disclosing ownership of various properties. Holloway is also accused of using his office for personal gain in a real estate deal with a county-funded social service agency.

The full story.

Violation of Non Smoking Ordinance

His crime spree went up in flames.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Dennis Crouch had already slashed himself. And when he refused to drop his knife, Daytona Beach police Officer Betsy Cassidy decided she had no choice."Taser! Taser!" Cassidy shouted as she sent a two-pronged wire, packing 50,000 volts, at Crouch's chest. What happened next stunned everyone.

A Taser probe pierced the pocket of his khaki shirt -- and ignited the butane lighter inside. Crouch's pocket exploded in flames."The subject," recounted Sgt. Al Tolley in a subsequent report, "immediately dropped the knife."

I bet he did! Full story.

h/t Drudge

Breaking News! Tavern League to Cave on Smoking Ban?

For the last 18 months, the Tavern League of Wisconsin has been working to pass a bill setting a single, statewide standard on indoor smoking in Wisconsin. This standard would allow their members to operate their small businesses on a level playing field with other taverns throughout the state. Extreme bans in Appleton and Madison have hurt taverns in those cities, as smoking customers flock to bars in neighboring communities that allow business owners to set their own smoking policies.

The bill supported by the tavern league narrowly passed the Assembly, facing much stronger opposition from majority Republicans than expected. The bill has stalled in the state Senate, due also to opposition from some GOP senators. Governor Doyle has insisted he would veto any bill that set a single standard or that would overturn the ban in Doyle's hometown (and political base) of Madison.

In a memo just delivered to all state legislators, Tavern League President Bill Hunter says the League would accept a compromise that would allow smoking bans in Appelton, Madison and possibly Milwaukee to stand.

So, rather than continue to fight for their principled position--that all their members deserve protection from local bans that put businesses at risk--TLW has appeared to have caved to Jim Doyle and decided to let their members in areas which already have local bans (including Appleton, Madison and possibly some very soon, Milwaukee) fend for themselves by supporting a "compromise" that would permanently lock in the non-smoking "islands" established by these local bans.

The small businesses who have patrons who smoke have been disorganized and demoralized from the start. This cave in appears to be yet another example of their inability to fight the anti-smoking zealots.

For the record, I loathe cigarette smoke. I generally choose to spend my time and money in places where the impact of smokers is minimized. It's the exercise of free market principles.

The nanny state mentality of the anti-smoking zealots escapes me. But they are well funded, organized and motivated.

Bar owners could be. But for some reason are not.

Racist Claim Rebuttal #23084087

Award winning columnist Robert Miranda has penned a column on the Holloway mess. He, predictably, claims the efforts of those who wish to oust Holloway are purely racially motivated.

You can read the screed here.

In his rant, he refutes his own arguments.

He cites the fact that the 'group of ten' didn't solicit the help of the black and latina Supervisors as proof of their racism. Yet, just a few lines later he notes that they also didn't ask a white Supervisor to sign on to their efforts.

What is truly interesting is that Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic, a white supervisor, wasn't shown the letter also.

I believe the Supervisors did err by not circulating their original letter calling for a special session of the Board to all supervisiors. However, it is clear race did not play a factor here. They went to those who had in the past expressed their concerns with Holloway's behavior. They excluded Holloway's expressed supporters, black, white and Hispanicc.

Miranda also admits, at the very beginning of his piece, that a multi-racial supermajority of supervisors initially empowered Holloway. That's right. So were they racist then? Or just now?

This situation has crossed racial lines. It has crossed ideological lines. (John Weishan and Gerry Broderick are not conservatives, folks. I am sure they cringe at the thought of being labeled as such). The problem with Holloway is just that. A problem with Holloway.

Attempts to blow this into something more than that are overblown.

For crying out loud, even Eugene Kane thinks so.

Growth is Not the Problem

Another great column from Madison's own Mike Darda on National Review Online.

To be sure, if the residential real estate market goes into a tailspin, households likely would sideline a significant portion of their after-tax income, and spending would decline. However, widespread weakness in residential real estate typically has followed periods of high short- and long-term real interest rates that also weakened employment and output.

Today, real short rates have normalized while long rates remain well below historical norms. This is not to say there are no significant risks to the outlook. If Congress doesn'’t act to extend the 2003 tax cuts, tax rates on capital will rise, which would depress after-tax rates of return to capital and stunt growth. Even worse, there are rumors circulating that China could be tagged a '“currency manipulator'” by the U.S. Treasury, which would only invite a potentially disastrous protectionist legislative response from Congress (i.e., a 27.5 percent tariff on Chinese goods).

Read the entire piece. But with all Darda columns, keep your Thesaurus handy.

MJS Edit on Holloway

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorializes on the Holloway saga Today.

An excerpt:

The serious problems with Holloway's properties aside, his refusal to accept a court summons and failure to appear in court hardly qualify as acceptable behavior for any elected official, much less one in his position. Holloway seems to act as if he doesn't have to answer to anyone but himself.

This is illustrated in his repeated attempts to punish supervisors who don't agree with him and his preoccupation with the ethics prosecution, prompting some County Board members to ask him to either step down or possibly face another election for chairman.

Holloway on Monday gave his critics even more ammunition by telling a Journal Sentinel reporter he might try to block funds for the Ethics Board to pressure the body to drop some of its charges against him. Not only would that have been a desperate measure but possibly illegal.

The section of state law that deals with misconduct in public office declares that it is a felony for a public officer or employee to, among other things, do anything "with intent to obtain a dishonest advantage" for himself. It seems that blocking funding for an investigation of yourself arguably qualifies as "dishonest advantage."

On Tuesday, Holloway reversed course and sent a letter to the Ethics Board and the Personnel Review Board saying he would not try to block, or even vote on, any measure to continue funding for the ethics prosecution.

In the letter, Holloway said the Journal Sentinel story was false. We believe Holloway said what he said and his letter Tuesday was nothing short of political backpedaling by a public official who obviously realized he had overstepped his bounds.

Supervisor John Weishan Jr., one of the board members who has pushed for Holloway to step down as chairman until the ethics complaint is resolved, said the public deserves the "full truth" behind the alleged improprieties. Weishan is right; the only way that truth will come out is if the investigation continues.

Holloway has resisted appeals for him to step aside temporarily as chairman. The chance supervisors unhappy with Holloway will be able to legally force another election was complicated Wednesday when the state attorney general's office said it will not, as promised, provide a formal opinion on the legality of the move to replace Holloway.

That puts the matter back in the lap of the County Board, especially the Holloway supporters, who now must ask themselves if they are truly prepared to have him continue as their leader. Again, Holloway should spare them the effort and step aside as chairman.

Yes, he should. But he most likely won't.

So hold a vote.

Lay the cards on the table.

What's Next for the Milwaukee County Board

So, what's next?

Well, like most other developments at the Milwaukee County Board, there are two scenarios.

What should happen, and, what will likely happen.

Here is what should happen:
The board to meet as soon as possible and hold the vote to elect a new chair. Given Holloway's actions of the past few days and new revelations of his interesting landlordly philosophies, he should face an overwhelming vote of no confidence, although the Attorney General has said that a majority is sufficient. If a majority votes for someone other than Holloway, that person is the new chair. If not, Holloway remains chair and so be it. An election on a new chair would almost assuredly prompt legal action on the part of Lee Holloway. That case will run its course, as will the 90-Count ethics investigation he faces.

Here is what will likely happen:
Several members of the board will whine about the lack of direction from Lautenschlager and the performance of their own counsel, Domina. They will claim it makes no sense to hold a meeting to elect a chair if it will guarantee costly litigation, so unless their side has a 2/3rds super majority to elect a new chair, they won't take up the issue. But they will claim it is not their fault, but rather the fault of those who are still in Holloway's camp. The bullying makes the Board cower. In short, Ground Hog day. Again.


Clearly, when dealing with the current Attorney General, the Milwaukee County Board, and its embattled Chairman, there is plenty of incompetence to go around...

So, if Holloway demands, the courts should settle whether County Chair positions can or can not be revisited by a majority vote mid term.

Why not now?

This is the perfect test case.

Now What?

Confirming the suspicion from a little birdie from West Bend who told me he heard this earlier today, JSOnline reports:

No more guidance planned on Holloway vote
The state attorney general's office informed Milwaukee County today that it will not, as promised, provide a formal opinion on the legality of the move to replace Supervisor Lee Holloway as board chairman in the middle of his term.

The development throws the contentious matter back into the lap of the County Board, which had hoped for definitive guidance from Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager before deciding whether it could hold an out-of-cycle election.

Citing the impact of Holloway's ethics case on board operations, 10 supervisors contend that state law does not prohibit a simple majority from electing a new leader in midterm.

The board held a special meeting Monday but delayed a vote after County Corporation Counsel William Domina said he continued to disagree with Lautenschlager's preliminary opinion on the controversy. Lautenschlager said Domina had relied on the wrong statute in determining that only a two-thirds board majority and a showing of cause could unseat a sitting chairman.

In a letter to Domina today, Assistant Attorney General Michael Bauer said further guidance from the attorney general would not resolve the controversy, and possibly only prolong a clash that seems destined for resolution in court.

Bauer said it would be pointless for the attorney general to spend time on the issue because Domina has already made clear that he stood by his original thinking.

County lawyers are not supposed to request guidance from the state on issues that appear imminently headed for litigation, Bauer wrote. He noted that Holloway's attorney has threatened to sue if the election is held now without any process demonstrating wrongdoing by Holloway.

So, now what?

According to Bauer, Domina screwed up. Does this move save Holloway's bacon?

Let's face it, Holloway is likely to litigate this no matter when the Board moves to elect a new chairman. So, does the Board cower to his threats?

Choice Deal

The hearing is going on now...

Wednesday, February 22, 200612:00 PM225 NorthwestState Capitol
Joint Assembly and Senate Hearing
Assembly Bill 1057

Relating to: the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education Program.

By Representatives Vukmir, Fields, Gard, Sinicki, Huebsch, Honadel, Ziegelbauer, Towns, Nischke, Lothian, Pridemore, Vos, Musser, Gielow, Ott, Hundertmark, Davis, Bies, Ballweg, Stone, Newcomer, Jeskewitz, Moulton and Albers; cosponsored by Senators Darling, Kanavas, Plale, Lazich and Stepp.

An executive session may be held on Assembly Bill 1057 at the conclusion of the public hearing.

Update...Here is the fiscal note

Prediction

Prediction: I am hearing rumblings...The Attorney General will refrain from issuing a formal opinion in the Milwaukee County Board/Lee Holloway Chairmanship election dispute. She's getting hit from all sides. The political move would be to duck and cover. The election is in November. ...

King of County Board a Land Baron, Too

It would appear that Lee Holloway's troubles extend beyond his role as a public servant.

Seven weeks after a Jan. 2 fire battered a six-unit Holloway-owned building on the north side, basic repairs remain undone despite a city building code deadline last week. Tenants in the only two still-inhabited apartments at 2026 W. Atkinson Ave. resorted to heating their apartments with electric stoves to compensate for a cold draft from a large, uncovered broken window in the building's central corridor. Firefighters had to knock it out to fight the fire.

On Tuesday, a day after a reporter and photographer visited, workers boarded over the window, and the property manager said the broken front door was being replaced. In a lower level apartment where water seeped into a light fixture, the tenant is concerned the situation poses a fire hazard.

Tenants also said they spent three days without heat over the weekend - the coldest so far this winter. They said they were forced to wear winter coats around the house to stay warm, even when the furnace is functional, because of the draft from the broken window.

These tenants didn't need assistance from the state to pay their bills, they merely needed their landlord to fix the furnace and replace broken windows. Shameful.

The story continues:

At a different Holloway-owned property, court records show, a dispute with city building inspectors over the condition of a single-unit rental on N. 7th St. escalated in December to the point where a Municipal Court judge issued an arrest warrant for Holloway.

The warrant came after Holloway failed to appear in court on a building-code prosecution that started last September - and two months after a building inspection worker says she was angrily turned away by Holloway when attempting to serve him with a complaint and court summons in the case.

Holloway paid a $220 fine last month in the case, in which the city attorney's office alleged that he waited six months to fix safety, heating and plumbing problems at a 125-year-old cottage in the rear of the property at 3422 N. 7th St.

The fine was set at the minimum allowed by law because the repairs were deemed completed by the time the court case was disposed of in January.

And in an unbeleivable case of irony...(emphasis mine)

The N. 7th St. property is one of several that Holloway failed to disclose on annual economic-interest statements required by the county Ethics Board, according to a pending civil complaint filed by the board. Property records show the parcel, upon which two residences were built, was deeded to Holloway in 1987.

And if that wasn't enough, the story gets even more interesting. The article also details how Holloway reacted to the whole matter:

The department attempted to serve Holloway at his home in the Sherman Park neighborhood on two separate days in October, city records show.

No one answered the door the first time. On the second try, Holloway was home but refused to accept the summons, closing the door after expressing his displeasure, said Susan Sloniker, the special compliance inspector for the city who tried to serve the papers.

"He was verbally very loud and very unhappy with the situation," Sloniker recalled.

She said Holloway asserted that all repairs had been made at that time. But that was not the case, based on an early November visit to the property, Sloniker said.

Karen Jacobs, assistant supervisor of the Department of Neighborhood Services' enforcement division, said that fewer than 5% of defendants in building-code cases personally refuse to accept court summonses.

Because Holloway did not accept the documents in October, Milwaukee police as a matter of routine were asked to mail him the complaint, which they did in November, Jacobs said.

By the time of the arraignment date in Municipal Court on Dec. 15, all the cited violations had been taken care of through repairs, city inspectors say. But because Holloway had rejected the summons and did not appear in court or send anyone to plead his case, Municipal Court Judge James Gramling Jr. issued the arrest warrant*** Dec. 15 to compel Holloway to enter a plea.

A word of warning to Holloway's tennants. These tenants should not complain about Holloway's actions (or lack thereof). They may be accused of trying to lynch their landlord.

I should also note that one of the reporters on this story is Dave Umhoefer. Yesterday, Holloway accused Umhoefer of incorrect and inaccurate reporting regarding the funding of the ethics case he faces.

Whom do you believe?

Oh, and by the way, yes, Holloway is still the chairman of the Milwaukee County Board.

Still.

Really.

***The Milwaukee Municipal Court (the court) declares that information obtained from this Internet site does not constitute the official record of the court. Further, the court provides no warranties as to the accuracy of the information contained in records available on the Milwaukee Municipal Court Case Information System (MMCCIS). Information on this site may be subject to error or omission.

The Walker Reform Plan

Give credit to the Walker team for timing. Capitalizing on the media frenzy surrounding the trial of State Representative Scott Jensen, gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker released another comprehensive reform package today.

The plan, highlighted below, contains several planks upon which Walker has campaigned before. There are a few new wrinkles as well. Here's the plan, and my quick takes in red.

Scott Walker's Ethics Reform Plan

• All appointed employees will be prohibited from contributing to Scott Walker's campaign committee. (100 Day Agenda and Walker's current policy in county government) Good. Consistent.

• All appointed employees will be prohibited from organizing or participating in fundraising for Scott Walker's campaign committee. (100 Day Agenda and Walker's current policy in county government) Good. Consistent.

• Scott Walker will not accept any campaign contributions (from any source) from the time he takes office (January 3, 2007) until the state budget is signed into law.(100 Day Agenda) Erases any chance of being accused of pay for play, at least immediate pay for play. Good. Not sure if this is his current policy.

• Scott Walker will call on Legislative leaders to enact a similar policy for all elected tate officials. (100 Day Agenda) He vows to lead by example. Good.

• Scott Walker will push legislation that prohibits contributions to his campaign from firms that are seeking to do business with the state while the contracts are being bid and awarded. (Walker's current policy in county government) Excellent. Consistent.

• Scott Walker will require every member of his administration to attend ethics training every two years to ensure that all executive staff members are aware of ethics standards and laws Can't hurt.

• Scott Walker proposes a five year ban on paid lobbying of the agency they worked in for all members of the administration, Legislature and legislative staff. Pointless as discussed in post below.

• Scott Walker will push legislation to combine the State Elections Board and the State Ethics Board I'm ambivalent on this one. No harm that I can see, though.

• Scott Walker will call for legislation to prohibit state candidates from accepting political contributions from the owners, operators or managers of casinos and racetracks. (Walker proposed similar legislation in 1997 and 1999) Works for me. Consistent.

• Scott Walker will propose legislation to prohibit closed caucus meetings and to require that all votes in Legislative committees take place in public. First part is a bad, impractical idea. Second part is a great idea.

• Scott Walker will push for term limits on all state offices of no more than 12 years (3 terms for Governor, other constitutional officers and State Senate and 6 for State Assembly). Term limits empower staffers who are not accountable to the electorate. Not a fan.

• Scott Walker will push for a return to a part-time Legislature. Pointless. Scott was a full time legislator. He served as an honest, hard working, ethical representative.

• Scott Walker will propose legislation to prohibit the transfer of funds from federal campaign accounts to state campaign accounts. Didn't this already pass? funny hit, though.

Overall, the new items in the plan are clearly designed to grab the attention and adoration of the goo goos and the media. In that end, it should be a big hit. The campaign is clearly attempting to emphasize Walker's well-earned reform credentials, first born in the Legislature and then further cultivated at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

As I mentioned, while I like a lot of his reform ideas, I think several of the proposals are impractical and some are outright bad. The campaign also appears to be trying to drum up a "throw all the bums out" chorus, which is neither wise nor merited.

Finally, while the timing of the release of the plan is sure to maximize its impact, as a Republican and former legislative staffer, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Some in the Walker camp may just say that's because of my perspective. As a former lobbyist and a former staffer, that I am bitter and was part of the problem...that I don't hear what the people are clamoring for. They are entitled to their take, of course.

I like Scott. He's my neighbor and a former client. I've been a major donor to his campaigns. I may yet vote for him.

Personally, I believe the people are clamoring for (and deserve) consistent, principled, ethical leadership and well-thought-out policy.

But what do I know, I haven't seen the focus groups...

Governor Takes Fundraising to Cyberspace

Word is they are starting an online auction. First item up for bid, a Kenosha casino.

h/t Mark Belling

Latest on Holloway

WisPolitics is reporting that Lee Holloway strongly refutes a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story that he intends to defund the County's efforts to prosecute a 90-count ethics case against him.

Any suggestion that I would vote to block or reduce funding for the Ethics Board investigation is totally false. I think it has been made obvious, and remains obvious, that any attempt to do so would be inappropriate. I would abstain from any vote on the matter, not voting for or against. While the Ethics Board has made many decisions that, in my opinion, made these matters dramatically more expensive with which to deal, it has always been clear to me that I should not, and I will not, act to block or reduce funding.

He later says the story in the Journal Sentinel "was totally inaccurate."

We'll see if the paper runs a correction or refutes Holloway's claim.

Things that make you go hmmm...

Scott Walker introduced another reform plan today.

It includes:

• Five year ban on paid lobbying of the agency an individual worked in for all members of the administration, Legislature and legislative staff.

Scott has a clear track record on reform, but I always thought the 'revolving door' prohibition was more style than substance.

If a legislator could be unduely influenced by a lobbyist with whom he had a relationship, then the skewed moral compass of the legislator would not right itself after a five year cooling off period.

Wonder who helped him devise that plan?

The Return of Baloney Man!

I've received several emails regarding this post at Eye on Wisconsin.

Some remember that in 1996, while serving as the political director of Wisconsin, I helped baptize the original Baloney Man.

While Butt Man was following Bob Dole on the campaign trail in an attempt to bring attention to Dole's donations from 'Big Tobacco,' Wisconsin Republicans had their own fictional character. Baloney Man shadowed President Clinton and his surrogates. Baloney man did not talk, but he clearly pointed out when someone was full of baloney.

Ok, it wasn't high discourse, but it served its purpose.

I helped design and assemble the original costume, which was worn across the state by College Republicans, interns and assorted refugees, malcontents and deadbeats who hung around the RPW offices and basically worked for donuts and beer.

Well, in light of the recent post by Cory, and in a grasp of nostalgia, I now resurrect, Baloney Man.

He'll pop up on this site from time to time when I point out someone is full of baloney.

For example... After calling for an election for a new County Board Chairman AND getting an informal opinion from the Attorney General that supported their course of action, two Milwaukee County Supervisors flip flopped and voted to postpone the vote yesterday.

That's Baloney, Man!

Now I can just imagine what's happening in the halls of the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Holloway and his supporters know they dodged a bullet, and those who tried to elect a new chairman feel they have the cover they need to weather any constituent-driven storm.

That's Baloney, Man.

As a reminder, it's never too late for Milwaukee County residents to call their supervisior and (maybe again) tell them how they feel about allowing Holloway to remain as chair.

The main County Board switchboard at 414-278-4222.

Think your opinion doesn't matter?

That's Baloney, Man.

Good Grief

Good Grief.

A cap of three quarters of a million dollars?

$750,000.00?

Two Republican lawmakers today will roll out a bill that sets a $750,000 medical malpractice damage cap on pain and suffering awards to victims, an aide said Monday.

Rep. Curt Gielow, R-Mequon, and Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R- Juneau, put together the bill to stop the rising health-care costs they think will result from a state Supreme Court decision last year that struck down the state's old caps as unconstitutional, Fitzgerald spokesman Mike Prentiss said.

The move marks the second attempt by Republicans to put new caps into place. Gov. Jim Doyle recently vetoed a lower set of proposed limits.

That's a steep price to pay for the Supreme Court decision. The old cap was a bit more than $440k.

If this passes and Doyle signs it, it's a lose-lose for Republicans. They lay down and suggest a huge new cap level and Doyle takes another major issue off the table for November.

I would have thought the GOP would have offered a cap of $500k, adjusted for inflation.

That said, there is still a chance Doyle won't agree to any cap. The trial bar's grip is pretty strong, after all.

Words Have Meaning

News Item:

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."

In August, 1930 when James Cameron was just 16 years old, he was falsely accused of participating in the murder of a white man in Marion, Indiana.

In the ensuing chaos, Cameron was rounded up by a mob and forced to watch in horror as a mob of approximately 15,000 people brutally beat and lynched two of his friends. The mob's intent was to have Cameron share his friends' fate.

Yet, Cameron survived the beating and attempted lynching. However, he was sentenced to four years in the prison for accessory to manslaughter. Incredibly, no one was ever accused, arrested or charged with the murder of Cameron's teenage friends, nor for the beating and attempted lynching that Cameron suffered.

His story is but one of perhaps thousands. Countless victims who were forced to suffer at the hands of ignorance and hate-fueled racial violence in the United States since this nation's founding.

Because of this personal experience, Cameron dedicated his life to promoting civil rights, racial peace, unity and equality. He helped found three NAACP chapters in Indiana during the 1940s, and became the first president of the NAACP Madison County Branch in Anderson, Indiana. In 1988 he founded America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, from whose website I obtained the above information.

It has been estimated that between 1880 and 1920, an average of two African Americans a week were lynched in the United States.

To equate a political squabble over the competence and ethics of a politician with the brutality endured by Cameron and hundreds of other men and women in the United States is to make a mockery of their suffering. Moreover, it a betrayal to the NAACP's proud legacy of campaigning against actual lynching.

There is no doubt that there are racial tensions in Milwaukee. And it would appear that the 'battle lines,' if you will, within the County Board regarding Lee Holloway's chairmanship have drawn mostly racially segregated camps.

But for crying out loud, let's have some perspective, shall we?

Years ago, Clarence Thomas was wrong to accuse Democrat senators and others of conducting a 'high tech lynching' when they tried to subvert his nomination as a Supreme Court justice. And now, the NAACP in Milwaukee is wrong to so casually use the term as well.

America can not hide from its history of racial violence. Lee Holloway should not be allowed to hide behind it, either.

Stall, Delay, Deny...Then Cut Off Funding

Showing he has no shame, embattled Milwaukee County Board Chair Lee Holloway is threatening to cut off funding for the prosecution of his own ethics case.

Holloway tries to cut funding of ethics case
Supervisor Lee Holloway said that he would try to block more funding for the year-old ethics prosecution that imperils his tenure as leader of the Milwaukee County Board.

Holloway, who remained on the job as chairman after a delay Monday in a move to replace him, told a reporter that his strategy was to pressure the Ethics Board into dropping some charges by trying to deny it the money that it is expected to seek this spring to continue the case.

"I'm not being reimbursed (for legal fees). I'm broke," Holloway said. "My understanding is they've spent a ton of money. I can't imagine their money will last."

A second infusion of county funds for prosecuting the case would require a two-thirds majority vote if the contingency fund was tapped. Holloway accounts for one vote, and he would need just six supervisors to join him to block the funding. The initial $50,000 for the case squeaked through the County Board in July - with Holloway's support - by two votes.

Holloway spoke Monday just a few minutes after a racially charged debate ended short of a new election for chairman.

His comments drew immediate protest from some colleagues.

"Trying to starve them for dollars so he personally can get a better settlement is another example of him misusing his office," said Supervisor John Weishan Jr.

Weishan has supported the move to get Holloway to step down until the ethics case is resolved.

If Holloway 'did no wrong' why not let the case proceed???

Webcast of President on Presidents' Day

WisPolitics/WisBusiness has a link to the webcast of President Bush's appearance in Milwaukee today.

It's posted as a part of their Energy Forum.

You can access it here.