Posts for March, 2010
Stuart Rothenberg, a veteran political analyst, is questioning a recent Rasmussen Reports survey of likely Wisconsin voters that examined the favorable and unfavorable ratings of a Republican Senate candidate.
In a column Monday in the Capitol Hill publication Roll Call, Rothenberg notes that the Feb. 17 survey shows that 33% of Wisconsin voters held a favorable view of GOP hopeful Dave Westlake. About 31% had an unfavorable view of him.
"What's so weird about that?" Rothenberg writes in his column. "Well Westlake isn't exactly a public figure."
He goes on to argue that there is "no way that two out of three likely Wisconsin voters know enough about him to have an opinion of him (unless Rasmussen provided other information, such as party)."
Rothenberg says that's what favorable/unfavorable questions are supposed to measure: insight into a person's name recognition and image.
He notes that Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling firm, found in November that 2% of Wisconsin voters had a favorable view of him; 9% had an unfavorable view of him.
"Could Westlake's name ID have skyrocketed from 11% to 64% from November to February?" Rothenberg asks. "No, not without a statewide media blitz."
Washington - Tommy Thompson, a former Republican governor and cabinet official, has been sending new signals to the party faithful in recent weeks that he may jump in the race against Sen. Russ Feingold this fall.
Thompson, who has considered returning to public office a number of times since he left the Bush administration in 2005, is in serious discussions with longtime GOP operatives about putting together a campaign plan and is attracting considerable attention from political donors who are pledging to help him finance a race.
The Elroy native could set up an exploratory committee as early as this month to more formally consider his election prospects, according to sources close to Thompson. But they also caution that Thompson has not yet made up his mind about the race.
"A lot of this has really been coming to him," said an aide who did not want to be identified.
Another source close to Thompson said he recently fielded a call with a political donor who pledged to raise $100,000 for the campaign and that others across the state are ready to start fund-raising for him.
"The right people are gathering to put together the skeleton of a plan," the source said.
Thompson's candidacy would dramatically change the dynamics of the Senate race in Wisconsin, giving Republicans a better chance at Feingold's seat. The GOP pressure on Thompson to run has only intensified in recent weeks as the party sees new openings to take back control of the Senate.
"I don't think he would run if he didn't feel he could make a difference," said Brian Schimming, a former Thompson aide who is now a partner at the lobbying firm Midwest Strategy Group. "What this tells me is he feels and/or has been assured he's going to have a voice at the table."
Two other Republicans are already running in the GOP primary: Madison developer Terrence Wall and Watertown businessman Dave Westlake. But Thompson, who is still widely known in Wisconsin despite being out of public office for years, is the only possible candidate now who could beat Feingold if an election were held today, according to a recent poll by Rasmussen Reports.
Thompson's candidacy could face a number of challenges. Thompson, who has spoken favorably about the Democrat's health care proposals, may have a tough time convincing Republican primary voters that he is conservative enough to become their GOP candidate. And, after years as a partner at the lobbying and legal firm Akin Gump, Thompson is expected to become a target of Democrats seeking to paint him as a Washington insider who has become too close to corporate interests.
Many political observers on both sides of the aisle say they are not convinced Thompson will actually get in the race.
"If I had a nickel for every time Tommy Thompson hints he's running for Senate, I wouldn't have to work for Feingold anymore," Trevor Miller, Feingold's campaign spokesman, said in an e-mail.
Supporters, however, say he appears to be more serious than he has ever been in the past about running.
"It's very clear there's a significant amount of activity going on under the radar that would go to having a final decision made," said Republican lobbyist Brandon Scholz.
Republicans are calling on Rep. Steve Kagen to return $21,000 in campaign donations from embattled New York Democrat Rep. Charles Rangel.
The Appleton Democrat is one of 71 House Democrats being targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee for taking campaign funds from Rangel in recent years. Rangel, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, was admonished by a congressional ethics committee last week for violating House gift rules in relation to two Caribbean trips sponsored by corporations. Rangel is also facing allegations that he used his office to raise money for an academic center named for him and that he used his stature to rent out four rent-controlled apartments in Harlem.
“Charlie Rangel has been embroiled in an ethical storm for years, but that hasn’t stopped Steve Kagen from lining his campaign coffers with his tainted money,” Ken Spain, an NRCC spokesman, said in a statement.
Republicans are also pressuring Democrats to force the longtime lawmaker to step down from his committee post. They are asking Democratic leaders to schedule a vote on the issue this week.
So far, at least eight Democrats have said they would return the campaign donations back to Rangel or donate the funds to charity and some are joining the GOP in asking Rangel to give up his committee gavel.
Kagen could not be reached for comment. His campaign does not yet have a spokesperson on staff.
Here's a look at what pollster Scott Rasmussen had to say about a column critical of a recent Wisconsin poll conducted by his firm.
A campaign lawyer for Rep. Steve Kagen asked four Green Bay-area television stations Tuesday to stop airing what he called false advertisement aimed at his client.
The ad by the conservative League of American Voters states that Kagen “voted for Obama and Pelosi’s health care takeover” that imposes “big taxes on good insurance plans.”
“This advertising is false, misleading and deceptive,” said attorney Michael Maistelman, in letters to the television stations, arguing that they must stop airing the ads to protect the public from the “deceptive advertisement.”
He said failure to stop airing the ads would make the stations liable for damages for “false and libelous charges.”
Unlike the Senate health care proposal, the House version does not contain a tax on high-cost health insurance plans. At least one station responded Monday that officials there were looking into the matter.
Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Menomonee Falls) questioned the "credibility of climate science" in a column published Tuesday in the National Journal.
Read it here.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) is planning to appear on Fox News at 9 p.m. (Central) to talk about legislative efforts to reform the nation's health care system. Ryan, who has been a vocal critic of the Democrats' proposals, also discussed health care on Fox News Sunday this weekend. Here's a look at what he said.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) is planning to appear on Fox News at 9 p.m. (Central) to talk about legislative efforts to reform the nation's health care system.
Ryan, who has been a vocal critic of the Democrats' proposals, also discussed health care on Fox News Sunday this weekend. Here's a look at what he said.
The Milwaukee Common Council on Tuesday confirmed Mayor Tom Barrett’s nomination of state health official Audra Brennan as city director of intergovernmental relations.
Brennan, now on loan to serve as project manager for the Milwaukee Public Schools Innovation and Improvement Advisory Council, is a former lobbyist for both the city and MPS, among other government positions. She replaces Paul Vornholt, who stepped down to join Barrett’s gubernatorial campaign.
Also Tuesday, the council approved a new contract with the union that represents 19 machinists in the city Department of Public Works. Like other recent deals with city unions, the pact calls for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers to trade a two-year wage freeze for a one-year no-layoff guarantee.
Madison — Milwaukee-area legislators Wednesday unveiled a new version of legislation to create regional transit authorities that would pump new funding into southeastern Wisconsin’s financially troubled bus systems.
Struggling to enact a transit sales tax before the end of the legislative session, Democrats are pushing a revised bill that still would establish a new Milwaukee County transit authority, funded by a 0.5% sales tax, that could take over the Milwaukee County Transit System, with County Board approval and eventually could merge into the existing Southeastern Regional Transit Authority.
But it would drop earlier plans for separate Kenosha and Racine transit authorities funded by hotel, vehicle registration or property taxes. Instead, starting Jan. 1, the Kenosha and Racine bus systems would become part of the regional authority, which already is responsible for the planned KRM Commuter Link rail line. The state could provide some added transit aid to those cities’ transit systems.
Democrats said the proposal would boost economic development by helping employees reach their workplaces.
“Businesses throughout southeastern Wisconsin have been screaming that this is essential,” said Rep. Peter Barca (D-Kenosha). “For our citizens who need to get to work and get to the doctor, it’s essential.”
Aides to legislative leaders and Gov. Jim Doyle had no immediate comment on the proposal.
Transit backers have long pushed to wean Milwaukee County’s bus system off the property tax, taking it out of competition with other county agencies for a cut of the levy. Regional planners have warned the system will face a major service cut without new state or local funding.
The source of that funding is controversial, however. The County Board wants a local sales tax, and in a November advisory referendum, voters backed a 1% sales tax that would cover parks and paramedics as well as transit. Gov. Jim Doyle proposed a 0.5% sales tax for transit alone in his 2009-’11 state budget, but he and the Legislature couldn’t agree on the structure of the transit authority that would levy the tax.
County Executive Scott Walker opposes the sales tax, which he and his allies call a tax increase, because it would raise more money than is needed to replace current property tax support for the bus system. Transit supporters say the extra revenue is needed to restore some of the service that has been cut over the past decade, and possibly to roll back fare increases as well.
Time is running out for a transit proposal to be passed as part of the regular legislative session, which for general business ends on April 22.
Larry Sandler reported from Milwaukee and Jason Stein reported from Madison.
Madison -- Republican Mark Neumann is preparing to launch his second ad in his campaign for governor, this time focusing on his work with a Milwaukee voucher school and other community involvement efforts.
Neumann, a homebuilder and former U.S. representative from Nashotah, is the only candidate to have started running ads as he tries to build up his name recognition. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker is also running as a Republican; Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett as running as a Democrat.
"How do you measure success?" the 30-second spot asks. "Wisconsin small business owner Mark Neumann’s idea of success is touching lives. Mark Neumann co-founded, helped build and now serves as co-chairman of the board at a Christian school for inner-city kids. He coached basketball, built a ball diamond for a community, giving kids a place to play and dream. Whether it’s creating jobs or giving back to the community, Mark Neumann is ready to lead a new, strong Wisconsin."
An e-mail to supporters said the ad would begin running in a couple of days. The campaign plans to run it in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Appleton, La Crosse, Eau Claire, Wausau and Rhinelander.
When Racine Mayor Gary Becker ran out of gas on his way to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old girl, he called his secretary and asked her to call the State Patrol so that a trooper could bring him gas.
Becker ended up getting gas from a friend, then continued on to Brookfield Square mall, where he was arrested in an Internet sex sting.
The "girl" was an undercover state agent who engaged in salacious Internet chats with Becker less than a day before the arrest.
Becker's alleged attempt to abuse the powers of his office by seeking help from the State Patrol was just one previously undisclosed detail in Becker’s criminal case that emerged at his sentencing Wednesday.
Becker, who resigned a week after his arrest in January 2009, was sentenced to three years in prison for two sex-related felonies.
In an extraordinary admission, Racine County Circuit Judge Stephen Simanek revealed that he was prepared to sentence Becker to probation until he learned this week that the divorced 52-year-old father of two adult daughters had purchased nine lingerie items -- at least some that would appear to be for girls -- two weeks before his sentencing.
Other details from Wednesday's hearing:
* In Internet chats with women, Becker allegedly said he wanted to impregnate the women, hoping to have a daughter that could be groomed for sex.
* District Attorney Michael Nieskes said Becker had extramarital affairs for more than 20 years, including sexual relationships with women who worked for his former dry cleaning business and with women he later gave jobs to at City Hall. Becker also allegedly patronized prostitutes.
* Not once, as had been previously disclosed, but twice Becker brought his home computer to City Hall and asked a city employee to make repairs. The first time, according to Nieskes, Becker was told he shouldn't have what appeared to be child pornography on the computer; the second time, an employee called police
* Becker's lawyer, Patrick Cafferty, alleged that the state Department of Criminal Investigation "targeted" Becker, which he said was different from any other Internet sex sting case in which they used an undercover agent for online chatting. The difference, according to Cafferty, was that the agent posing as the 14-year-old girl initiated chatting with Becker; in other cases, he said, the person arrested in the sting initiated contact with the undercover agent.
Some of Becker's family members -- but not his two daughters -- attended Wednesday's hearing, though none spoke on his behalf. As Becker was being led out of court in handcuffs, he turned away from them.
Becker's former wife of 28 years wrote a letter to the judge, but the contents were not disclosed and the judge sealed all documents in connection with the sentencing.
Wisconsin's largest business group is clarifying its position on high-speed rail to be more consistent with the views of the two leading Republican gubernatorial candidates.
When the federal government awarded Wisconsin and Minnesota $823 million for high-speed rail projects, most of it for a new Milwaukee-to-Madison route, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Vice President James Buchen said the route "makes some sense."
Buchen and Jim Pugh, another WMC vice president, did not return telephone calls seeking more details on the organization's position until after the Journal Sentinel quoted Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann as saying that, if either of them were elected governor, they could halt work on the Milwaukee-to-Madison line if taxpayers had to pick up the train's operating costs.
After the article appeared, Pugh sent an e-mail summarizing his group's position as: “While the proposal may make some sense, we have serious concerns regarding the ongoing costs associated with this project and its potential diversion of needed resources from the state’s transportation fund.”
As the earlier article noted, the WMC is a powerful backer of conservative causes and likely will be a major player in the gubernatorial election, particularly after the September GOP primary that selects either Walker or Neumann to face Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the likely Democratic nominee. The primary winners will vie in November to succeed incumbent Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle.
Republican candidate Sean Duffy is asking Rep. David Obey to agree to voluntary campaign spending limits this election cycle. Duffy, who is running in the Republican primary in Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district, calls the veteran Democratic lawmaker hypocritical for calling for campaign finance reform while taking campaign donations from special interest groups.
Obey, a Wausau Democrat, is sponsoring legislation that would create public financing for congressional campaigns. He has raised roughly $900,000 for his 2010 re-election campaign, including more than $529,000 from political action committee, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
“Promising to limit the influence of special interests while they’re bankrolling your campaign is hypocritical,” Duffy, an Ashland County district attorney, said in a statement.
The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee could not be reached for comment. But members of Congress often say they can’t adhere to voluntary spending limits because they would put themselves at a disadvantage if third party groups begin running ads against them. The fear is even more pronounced this year in the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision that critics say could open the flood gates for political spending by corporations, unions and advocacy groups.
The Senate confirmed William Conley Thursday to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for Wisconsin’s Western District. Conley, a Madison attorney, is now a partner at Foley & Lardner, where he has worked for 25 years. The vote on his confirmation was 99-0.
Conley was one of two nominees being considered to serve as a federal judge in the state’s Western district. The other, former state Supreme Court justice Louis Butler, is still pending Senate confirmation.
Conley received a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School and earned a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from the University of Wisconsin.
Madison -- Rep. Steve Nass said he may seek permission to ask Rep. Jeff Wood questions when an ethics committee next convenes to consider expelling Wood from the Assembly.
Nass (R-Whitewater) introduced a resolution in October to expel Wood (I-Chippewa Falls), but did not appear at a Wednesday hearing on the matter. Rep. Mary Hubler (D-Rice Lake), chairwoman of the special ethics committee hearing the case, declined to schedule a vote on ousting Wood until Nass comes before the committee to spell out why he believes charges of driving under the influence should force Wood out of the Legislature.
Nass said in a Thursday letter to the committee he would testify before the committee, but added he may request permission to ask questions of Wood. Under Assembly rules, Wood can cross examine Nass or anyone else appearing before the ethics committee.
"Since members of the special committee, except Rep. (Gary) Hebl (D-Sun Prairie), declined to ask Representative Wood any questions regarding the facts surrounding his dangerous conduct, I may request the ability to ask questions of Representative Wood," Nass wrote in his letter.
"It is unfortunate that certain members of the special committee protested their inability to ask me questions even though the issue is not about me, but then failed to ask any questions of Representative Wood regarding the facts surrounding his repeated dangerous conduct."
Wood, who was convicted of drunken driving in 1991 and 1992, was charged three times last year with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He said Wednesday he was guilty of one charge of drunken driving but not the two charges of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.
Rep. Ron Kind and four other members of the moderate New Democrat Coalition met with President Barack Obama at the White House Thursday to press for additional changes to Medicare reimbursement formulas that they say would encourage quality over quantity in the country’s health care system.
Kind, a La Crosse Democrat, said he and others in the group want to see the country “heading down the road to payment reform.”
“We’re hoping to get more payment reform in the final version,” he said.
The health care bill approved in the Senate contains language that Kind said would eventually reward physicians based on health outcomes rather than the volume of procedures. But he said he wants to see that apply to hospitals as well.
Under the Senate bill, the Institute of Medicine would give Medicare a set of recommendations on how to change funding formulas to encourage better quality health outcomes. Medicare officials would have to agree to the proposals before some of those changes could start taking effect in 2013.
The U.S. Department of Transportation could clear the way for work to start on a new Milwaukee-to-Madison high-speed rail line within the next two weeks, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday.
LaHood spoke at a Senate subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., in response to questions from Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) about the $822 million in stimulus money that the federal government recently awarded to Wisconsin for high-speed rail projects, including $810 million for the Milwaukee-to-Madison line and $12 million for upgrades on the existing Milwaukee-to-Chicago route.
Kohl was pressing LaHood to ensure that the money would be released quickly, allowing construction to start this fall. According to remarks released by the senator's office, Kohl said, “In the short-term, the projects will create thousands of jobs and Wisconsin is anxious to get started. If our goal is quickly creating jobs, getting this money out the door seems to be the most important thing we can do.”
Wisconsin's plans call for completing final design and engineering work this year, and possibly starting construction. But even if construction is under way, the two leading Republican gubernatorial candidates, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, have said they could halt the work if taxpayers would cover operating costs. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the likely Democratic nominee, has accused his rivals of putting ideology ahead of economic development.
Quick federal action also would help in procuring trains and locomotives, said Chris Klein, executive assistant to state Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi. The state already has a no-bid contract with Spanish train manufacturer Talgo to build two 14-car trains for the Milwaukee-to-Chicago route, and a joint purchasing deal with Oregon will cut the combined price of those trains from $47.1 million to $43.6 million, Klein said. But the state Department of Transportation has not yet exercised its option to buy two more trains from Talgo for the Milwaukee-to-Madison route, he said.
Because the state will be spending stimulus money to buy those two trains, along with the eight locomotives that will be used with all four trains, state officials want to talk with the Federal Railroad Administration to be sure they’re following proper procedures, Klein said. The department will use a competitive process to pick the locomotive vendor, he said.
Republican Rep. Tom Petri had sharp words Thursday for the student loan industry. In an op-ed in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, Petri joined House Democrat George Miller in rebuking what they called a "last-ditch effort" by the industry to kill legislation that would end federal subsidies to private student loan companies.
They argued the legislation, which has passed the House but still needs Senate approval, would end "the gravy train that student loan companies enjoy at the expense of students and taxpayers."
"Eliminating all subsidies to banks would save $87 billion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office," they wrote in their op-ed. "All of these savings would be reinvested in students, families and taxpayers."
But Petri, who has fought for an end to the federal subsidies for years, could end up grudgingly voting against the measure when it comes up for final passage in the House. That's because congressional leaders are thinking about rolling the student loan bill into a major health care reform package that Petri opposes.
Madison -- Rep. Tom Lothian (R-Williams Bay) said Thursday he will retire, making him the tenth lawmaker to make such an announcement.
"During my time in the Assembly, I have fought for fiscal responsibility, personal freedoms and lowering taxes," Lothian said in a statement.
Lothian, 81, was first elected in 2002. His district includes much of Walworth County and a corner of Kenosha County.
Those who have already announced they aren't coming back for another term are:
Sen. Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield);
Sen. Alan Lasee (R-De Pere);
Sen. Judy Robson (D-Beloit);
Rep. Brett Davis (R-Oregon), who is running for lieutenant governor;
Rep. Gary Sherman (D-Port Wing), who is taking an appointment on an appeals court;
Rep. John Townsend (R-Fond du Lac);
Rep. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa), who is running against Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa);
Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls), who faces driving under the influence charges and an effort to expel him from the Legislature;
Rep. Rich Zipperer (R-City of Pewaukee), who is running for Kanavas's Senate seat.
Madison -- The Assembly unanimously passed a bill that would allow police to order drivers to take blood-alcohol tests if they are believed to have violated any traffic law in accidents that result in death or serious injury.
The bill was a response to the November 2008 crash that killed Tim McKee, 25, of the Town of Farmington. The other driver, Jason M. Jacobs, was charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle after providing a blood test.
The driver argued the results should be thrown out because the test wasn't given voluntarily, but a judge dismissed that argument and the case is scheduled for a May trial.
A blood test was taken from McKee, as state law requires when drivers die in traffic accidents. The bill's supporters said it wasn't fair that there wasn't a similar requirement to take blood from those who caused fatal accidents but lived.
Madison -- Add another legislator to retirement list -- Rep. Don Friske (R-Merrill).
"I will miss working for the people of Langdale, Lincoln, Marathon and Oneida counties as well as the rest of Wisconsin," Friske said in a statement. "Over the last ten years, I met many wonderful people in the 35th District and I want to say thank you for all the support, advice and spirited debate on the issues that face this great state."
Friske, 48, was first elected in 2000. He said he would devote his time to running a Carquest Auto Parts franchise he operates in Merrill and Tomahawk.
He announced his retirement a day after Rep. Tom Lothian (R-Williams Bay) said he would not seek another term.
That brings to 11 the number of lawmakers who won't be returning next year: Friske; Lothian; Rep. Brett Davis (R-Oregon); Rep. Gary Sherman (D-Port Wing);Rep. John Townsend (R-Fond du Lac); Rep. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa); Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls); Rep. Rich Zipperer (R-City of Pewaukee); Sen. Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield); Sen. Alan Lasee (R-De Pere); and Sen. Judy Robson (D-Beloit).
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett told a group at Marquette University Law School on Thursday that he expects to undergo more surgery following the attack on him outside of State Fair Park last summer.
Barrett last underwent surgery on his injured right hand on Feb. 24. The next step: Surgery to repair a tendon in the hand; he also expects to have a knuckle implant. Spokesman Phil Walzak said the surgery will take place sometime later this year.
The first episode of a radio show devoted to issues and personalities of the Milwaukee County Board is at 9 p.m. Sunday on WISN-AM (1130).
The hour-long program includes a feature interview with County Board Chairman Lee Holloway; a debate betweeen Supervisors Marina Dimitrijevic and Joe Sanfelippo on the county's financial problems; and a discussion with Supervisor Patricia Jursik about the future of the Hoan Bridge.
The show is moderated by Harold Mester, the County Board's communications director and a former radio news broadcaster.
A podcast of the program will be available on the County Board's Web site after the show airs.
Rep. Paul Ryan criticized the Democrats' health care proposals for using "smoke and mirrors" to conceal the true costs of the plan from the Congressional Budget Office.
Now, a Washington Post columnist is asking whether Ryan also relied on "smoke and mirrors" to come up with a plan -- what he calls a "road map for America's future" -- that purports to cut the nation's deficit by 2080.
Columnist Jonathan Capehart writes in the Washington Post online Friday: "Howard Gleckman at the Tax Policy Center raises a big caution flag on that assertion. 'CBO assumed this wonderful outcome would occur only if the revenue portion of Ryan's plan generated 19 percent of GDP in taxes. And there is not the slightest evidence that would happen,' Gleckman writes."
Read Capehart's piece here.
The Wisconsin Democratic Party says it will hold its own, budget-minded event on Monday night when County Executive Scott Walker hosts a fund-raiser featuring former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at the Pfister Hotel.
Walker is running for the Republican nomination for governor against former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is running as a Democrat.
The Democratic Party says its event will be a $10 brown bag "supper" at Ouzo Cafe, 776 N. Milwaukee St. Officials say it will also serve as the kickoff of a new campaign to point out the differences between the "Bush-Walker advocacy for bankers and executives from the interests of working Wisconsinites."
Walker's fundraiser costs $250 per person.
Toni Clark, the former Milwaukee County supervisor convicted of a felony campaign contribution violation, might get a $7,000 a year pension at age 60.
Pension Board rules on denying pensions to county workers with felony convictions are in apparent conflict, said Assistant Corporation Counsel Mark Grady.
A 2007 rule approved by the county Pension Board states that a felony conviction, if it is "substantially related" to the person's job, is grounds for forfeiting a county pension. A second rule, however, says that a resignation can be taken as evidence that a county worker's termination was not the result of "fault or delinquency."
And that could mean Clark's resignation wiped away the grounds for denying her pension, Grady said.
Grady said he would recommend that the Pension Board adopt a rule clarifying that a felony conviction was grounds for denying a county pension.
Clark, if found eligible, could receive a pension at age 60 of about $7,000 a year. Jeremy Levinson, Clark’s lawyer, said he hadn’t researched that issue for Clark.
Milwaukee County bus ridership dropped more than twice as fast as nationwide public transit ridership last year, largely because of a Milwaukee Public Schools decision to shift more students to private school buses, according to national figures released Monday.
During 2009, Milwaukee County Transit System ridership fell 8.7%, to 39.4 million, the lowest level in the 35 years since the county took over the once-private bus system.
At the same time, nationwide transit ridership declined by 3.8%, but remained above 10 billion for the fourth straight year, the American Public Transportation Association reported.
In interviews published Monday in the Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker blamed the county bus system's ridership decline on the recession, while Milwaukee Common Council President Willie Hines Jr. fingered fare increases and service cuts. The same factors affected transit systems nationwide, along with declining gas prices, the association said.
But a Milwaukee County Transit System spokeswoman said 42% of the local drop resulted from a pullout of Milwaukee Public Schools students, after county officials refused MPS leaders' pleas for bigger discounts on the bus passes that the school district buys for its students. That factor alone would account for the difference between Milwaukee County's 8.7% drop and the nationwide decline of 5.2% for all large bus systems.
Nationwide, rail transit systems lost fewer riders than major bus systems, the association reported. Ridership was down just 0.4% for light rail lines, 2.6% for heavy-rail subway and elevated train systems and 5% for commuter rail lines. Several rail systems, particularly light rail lines, reported ridership increases, while San Francisco was the only big-city bus system carrying more riders.
Update: Ridership dipped 4.4% last year for the Washington County Commuter Express, less than other area bus systems, a transit official said Monday. In addition to Milwaukee County, previously reported ridership declines were 20.6% for Waukesha County buses, 13.8% for the Ozaukee County Express, 9.3% for Waukesha Metro Transit and 4.8% for commuter buses linking Racine to Milwaukee and Kenosha. As in Milwaukee County, suburban transit managers cited the recession and falling gas prices as key factors in reducing ridership.
Responding to criticism that the Environmental Protection Agency delayed action on regulating the chemical bisphenol A, Administrator Lisa Jackson said Monday that her agency is planning to “finalize an action plan on BPA in the very near future.”
“For those who are worried about whether we’ve backed away from this, they shouldn’t be worried at all,” she said at a National Press Club luncheon in Washington.
Jackson’s agency has come under fire in recent weeks for delaying action on the chemical eight days after Obama administration officials met with chemical industry lobbyists to talk about BPA. Critics say the delay was suspicious given that Jackson had so publicly called for the need to protect the public from BPA and other chemicals months before agency officials excluded BPA from its Dec. 30 list of four chemicals that would face stricter labeling and reporting requirements.
In a letter last week, Sen. Chuck Schumer urged Jackson to reconsider the agency’s decision to delay its action plan for BPA, arguing the agency’s lack of action “does not seem to convey the proper sense of urgency” in light of the risks posed by the chemical.
“At a time when we should be speeding up steps to limit Americans’ exposure to this potentially hazardous chemical, such a decision would apply the brakes,” wrote Schumer, a New York Democrat who is sponsoring legislation to ban the use of BPA in food and beverage containers marketed to children ages 3 and under.
Schumer wrote the letter in response to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story last month that reported the agency was not planning to formulate any new plans for regulating BPA for two years. The story is part of an ongoing investigation on BPA, in which the newspaper has found that government regulators have routinely deferred to industry officials on questions of safety, even though hundreds of studies have linked the chemical to cancer, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and sexual dysfunction, among other problems.
In prepared remarks to reporters Monday, Jackson singled out the chemical BPA, saying: “Companies must respond to parents who refuse to buy bottles with BPA in them, or that leech dangerous chemicals into drinking water. Industry can try to resist and ignore EPA, but I know – and they know – that they resist the forces of the green marketplace at their own peril.”
Sen. Russ Feingold took aim at Republican Tommy Thompson Monday, questioning in an e-mail to supporters why the former governor was getting so much encouragement from Washington insiders to run against him.
“So you might ask, ‘Well why are these people in Washington asking Tommy Thompson to run?’ Because he’s their friend. Because he does what they want. That’s why they’re asking him to run.”
Feingold added: “I’ve spent years and years taking on the special interests. And Tommy Thompson spent years taking them on as clients.”
Feingold’s comments come a day after Republican lobbyist Bill McCoshen appeared on Mike Gousha’s “UpFront” show, saying that Thompson was seriously considering a run for the Senate.
“This is the most serious I’ve seen him,” McCoshen said, adding that Thompson was “no dummy politically.”
“He knows what the trends are, he knows what his opportunities are and he’s going about this in the right way,” he said.
McCoshen, a former Thompson campaign manager and chief of staff, said he expects to see Thompson form an exploratory committee in the next couple of weeks but that the Republican would probably not make a formal announcement before the state GOP convention May 20.
In a sign that Wisconsin Democrats are also gearing up for battle against Thompson, the party put out a press release Monday criticizing the former governor and arguing that he has surrounded himself with lobbyists, including McCoshen and Bob Wood, president of the lobbying firm Barbour, Griffith.
Wood, a top aide to Thompson both when the Republican politician served as Wisconsin’s governor and as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, recently registered the Web site www.tommy 2010.org for a possible Thompson campaign.
High-speed rail critics are overstating the fare likely to be charged on a planned train line connecting Milwaukee and Madison, a top state Department of Transportation official says.
In its application for federal stimulus money for the planned route, the DOT projected fares would range from $20 to $33 one-way. After the federal government awarded the state $810 million to build the route, critics seized on the top end of the fare range, which would be $66 round trip, to bolster their view that the train would be too expensive to attract riders.
But in a recent interview, Chris Klein, executive assistant to state Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi, said riders wouldn't pay a $33 fare "unless it includes dinner and drinks." The high-end figure was developed before state officials knew the federal grant would cover the full cost of the project, including buying trains, which will avoid the operating costs of renting them from Amtrak, Klein said.
Transportation officials expect the actual fare will be closer to the low end of the range and comparable to the fare for Amtrak's Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line, which now charges $22 each way, Klein said. The Milwaukee-to-Madison route will operate as an extension of the Hiawatha, for which ridership dipped 3% last year but is rebounding with the economy, an Amtrak spokesman has said.
In another matter, Klein said extending the train to downtown Madison would take it through a total of 26 grade crossings from the Dane County Regional Airport to Monona Terrace and back, clarifying his earlier statement that about 40 crossings might be involved.
Slowing the train for grade crossings is a significant issue in the debate over whether the Madison train station should be located downtown, instead of at the airport as now planned. The DOT fears the trip downtown would add too much time to the trip, particularly if the trains eventually are extended to the Twin Cities. Critics of the airport site say ridership would drop if the station isn't downtown.
Milwaukee County Supervisor Joe Sanfelippo took over the chairman's gavel at Tuesday's Parks, Energy and Environment Committee, filling in for Supervisor Gerry Broderick, who is recuperating from knee surgery.
Sanfelippo, whose conservative credentials skew greatly from Broderick's more liberal tendencies, offered other committee members these words of assurance:
"I promised him I wouldn't sell any parkland or put any parking meters on the lakefront while he's gone," Sanfelippo said.
Dorothy Sykes, a home health aide from Milwaukee, was one of thousands of people protesting for health care reform in Washington Tuesday.
Sykes, part of a group of 15 activists from Wisconsin who traveled by bus to the nation’s capital, said she came out to protest the practices of insurance companies across the country. She is particularly concerned about the rising costs of her medications, which cost her at least $100 a month, she said.
“I came out here to confront the insurance companies,” said Sykes, a member of the Service Employees International Union. “They’re not doing the people right.”
Health Care for America Now organized the protest to coincide with a meeting of health insurance companies being held by America’s Health Insurance Plans at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Washington.
Expect more layoffs of Milwaukee County workers, a top county official said Tuesday.
Cynthia Archer, director of administrative services for the county, told supervisors to expect more bitter medicine -- unless labor concessions sought by County Executive Scott Walker are forthcoming. Walker laid off 77 county workers late last month.
"As we roll out more layoffs, which we will, you are going to see more things you find objectionable," Archer told the County Board's Personnel Committee. The first round of 2010 layoffs included 27 building security guards, 25 parks workers and 10 airport employees.
The way to stop more layoffs is a labor deal on concessions like those included in the 2010 county budget, she said. Those givebacks -- a pay freeze, higher employee health insurance costs and a pension cut -- "are not that horrible," Archer said.
The concessions have already been imposed on non-union employees, but must be bargained with unions.
Milwaukee County Supervisor Peggy West gave an impassioned eulogy Thursday for former colleague Toni Clark, calling her someone who worked hard for the downtrodden.
Clark resigned her county superviser seat March 5, the same day she pleaded guilty to a felony over misuse of her campaign donations.
"Supervisor Clark in her brief time on the County Board made a difference," said West. West praised Clark for her volunteer work with youth and efforts to secure county funding to youth programs.
"She had her weaknesses and she did make mistakes -- grave ones," said West. "She also did some very positive things."
Clark was sentenced to six months in jail, with work release privileges. She has acknowledged having a gambling addiction.
Tommy Thompson will be headlining a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Republican Party in early May at the Washington, D.C. office of the mega lobbying firm BGR Group.
Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor who is considering a run for U.S. Senate, won’t be raising money for his own possible campaign. But his appearance May 12 is fueling speculation that he just might make another run for public office.
Others expected to attend include the states three Republican members of Congress, the chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party Reince Priebus and members of the Republican leadership in the state legislature, according to an invitation printed in Wispolitics.com. The suggested minimum donation: $1,000.
Wisconsin Democrats interpreted the fundraiser as a sign that Thompson was entering the race.
“The first thing Tommy Thompson does is headline a fundraiser at a Washington, D.C., lobbying shop,” Mike Tate, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said in a statement. “It’s not surprising. Where else would a D.C. insider kick off his campaign?”
But supporters say that Thompson’s appearance Friday has nothing to do with his potential Senate run.
Formerly Barbour Griffith & Rogers, BGR Group was founded in 1991 by former Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour and two other GOP colleagues Lanny Griffith and Ed Rogers. The firm took on a more bipartisan approach after the election of President Barack Obama.
Madison -- A federal judge has ruled three good-government groups cannot intervene in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new law allowing public financing of state Supreme Court elections.
The three groups will be able to file friend-of-the-court briefs in the case, U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb said in her ruling.
The groups -- Common Cause in Wisconsin, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Education Fund -- back the new law and sought intervention because they feared Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen might not make a full-throated defense of the law. They said he may be unwilling to criticize justices because his lawyers often appear before them.
Crabb called that theory insufficient, noting Van Hollen is duty bound to defend the constitutionality of the law. She said the groups couldn't intervene because they have not shown their interests are not already being represented in the case.
The new law gives Supreme Court Candidates $100,000 for the primary and $300,000 for the general election if they agree to spending limits. They would get additional amounts if they are the targets of heavy spending.
Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick -- who ran unsuccessfully for the court in 2009 and is considering running next year -- sued, saying the law is unconstitutional because it favors candidates who take public money.
Wisconsin Right to Life has also sued over the law.
Justice David Prosser is up for re-election in April 2011. No one has yet announced run against him.
Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway says he's been a target of criticism in part because he's African American.
"I get hit a lot and I'm just gonna be honest with you," Holloway said during an interview on WISN (AM 1130) radio. "I think I get hit a lot because I'm big, I'm black, I'm aggressive. And I don't take any 's' from anybody."
Holloway made the comment March 7 on the premier episode of "Inside the County Board," a monthly program.
Holloway described himself as politically middle of the road, a stance he said is sometimes difficult because most of the other 18 supervisors are firmly in the conservative or liberal columns.
In other remarks, Holloway:
-- Described himself as "a politician. You know, no permanent friends or enemies. You have to go with the flow."
-- Said his current term as board chairman would be his last, but he didn't rule out seeking other offices. Holloway was first elected to the County Board in 1992.
Seems like everyone is weighing in on Rep. Paul Ryan deficit reduction plans. Ryan (R-Janesville) is the author of legislation dubbed the Roadmap for America's Future.
Here's the latest buzz:
MIlwaukee County Supervisor Michael Mayo Sr. has a new part-time gig.
He's managing a Brown Deer night club, Terri Lynn's on Bradley, formerly Bradley's Jazz Club.
Mayo said the new job won't interfere with his duties as a county supervisor.
"May real job is a supervisor," Mayo said. "You will not see me missing no meetings." He also will remain active in a host of community events, Mayo said.
The management changes at the club were reported by MyBrownDeerNow.com.
The health care legislation moving through Congress "will not address the central problem of skyrocketing health care costs," said Rep. Paul Ryan in an op-ed Monday in the Washington Post.
"Rather than tackle the drivers of health inflation, the legislation chases the ever-increasing premiums with huge new subsidies," he wrote. "Already, Washington has no idea how to pay for the unfunded promises in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security -- and creating this new entitlement would accelerate our path to fiscal ruin."
Read his op-ed here.
Republican candidate for governor Mark Neumann delivered more than 5,000 petitions to the Milwaukee office of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) on Monday from people who say they are against the health care bill before Congress.
Moore's office said they also received 4,000 petitions recently from those who support health care reform. The pro-reform petitions came from Organizing for America, and they follow 8,000 petitions from Health Care for America Now, which Moore received in January. All of the petitions are from Moore's congressional district.
Neumann's petitions come from all over the state, and he told reporters he planned on sending the petitions to all members of Wisconsin's congressional district.
Moore is a member of the House Budget Committee, and in a statement she said she will speak as an advocate for the legislation when the committee meets Monday to work on final health insurance reform changes.
Neumann carried the petitions, stacked about two feet high, into Moore's office Monday morning, and then told reporters that the health care bill will mean higher taxes and more government spending.
He also said that he supported a draft state constitutional amendment that he said was likely to be introduced by State Sen. Joe Leibham (R-Sheboygan), which would preserve choice and private health care options in Wisconsin.
But the amendment would need passage from the Democratic-controlled Legislature, which is not likely. It would also need approval again from lawmakers after the November election and require a statewide referendum before becoming reality. By then, the health care package, if approved, would be law.
As governor, Neumann said he would take steps to try to block a health care bill from taking effect in Wisconsin.
The Neumann campaign put the issue on its Web site about two months ago. Neumann said negative opposition to health care legislation picked up about two or three weeks ago.
Neumann said he has visited about 30 communities in his campaign for governor. He said he understood that some people find health care unaffordable, or out of reach. Still, he said, "I've heard almost no support for the health care bill."
Neumann is a homebuilder and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He is running against Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker in the Republican primary.
As transit backers push for regional transit authority legislation in the final weeks of the legislative session, suburban officials are reminding state lawmakers that they're skeptical of RTAs, transit sales taxes and commuter rail.
The Waukesha County Board’s Executive Committee unanimously voted Monday to endorse a resolution objecting to the county’s inclusion in any regional transit authority unless the board votes to participate. If the full board agrees March 23, it would follow a similar action by the Washington County Board in February — even though none of the competing legislative plans to expand the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority would require that Waukesha, Ozaukee or Washington counties to be included unless they vote to opt in.
In both cases, the counties’ resolutions say that the counties have limited public transit services, no planned routes for commuter rail, no potential for major property tax relief from new transit revenue sources and prefer continued county governance of local transit services.
Waukesha County Board Chairman Jim Dwyer said the resolution may sound redundant, but it’s an added protection. “When they imposed a stadium tax on Waukesha County, they didn’t ask us, either,” he said.
A key goal of the transit legislation is to set up a temporary Milwaukee County transit authority that could impose a 0.5% sales tax to replace property tax support and expand funding for the county's financially strapped bus system. That authority could later merge with the existing RTA, which is in charge of the planned KRM Commuter Link rail line.
In its current form, the legislation also would authorize temporary transit authorities in Racine and Kenosha counties and allow Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties to join in — but none of them could impose sales taxes without a referendum. Meanwhile, a substitute version, pushed by Democratic state Reps. Tamara Grigsby of Milwaukee and Cory Mason of Racine, would allow only the interim Milwaukee County authority and bring the Racine and Kenosha bus systems directly into the RTA as of Jan. 1.
When she announced her proposal, Grigsby cited suburban Republican opposition to RTA legislation as the reason for cutting out the northern and western counties. But other transit backers, such as RTA Chairman Karl Ostby, said it was a mistake to close the door entirely on those counties.
In related developments:
- State Rep. Robin Vos (R-Racine) is pointing to the latest version of a four-county poll to argue that the public doesn't support a regional transit authority. Results from The People Speak Poll showed no significant change from last fall, when the same poll found majority opposition in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties to a transit authority funded by a sales tax. In a 2008 advisory referendum, Milwaukee County voters narrowly backed a 1% sales tax for transit, parks and emergency medical services, with majority support in Milwaukee, Glendale, Shorewood and West Milwaukee overcoming opposition in the other 15 municipalities.
- The Salem Town Board voted last week to oppose the KRM line, following a similar vote by the Paddock Lake Village Board in February. Neither of the western Kenosha County communities would be on the rail route from Kenosha to Milwaukee.
Madison -- Republican candidate for governor Scott Walker has signed a pledge to veto any tax increase.
Walker, the Milwaukee County executive, signed the pledge by Americans for Tax Reform to "oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes."
That pledge created headaches in 2007 for Republicans when they controlled the state Assembly and ultimately agreed to a budget that raised cigarette taxes.
Walker is running against former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann of Nashotah for the Republican nomination. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is running as a Democrat.
An 1872 mining law that allows private companies to mine public lands for free is a taxpayer "rip-off" costing the government millions of dollars a year, said Sen. Russ Feingold on MSNBC Monday. He said ending the "sweet deal" for mining companies would save taxpayers between $300 million and $400 million in the next several years. See the interview here.
Madison -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann hasn't signed a group's no-tax pledge, but is committed to opposing all tax increases, a campaign aide said.
Neumann's Republican rival, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, recently signed the pledge by Americans for Tax Reform to "oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes."
Neumann, a Nashotah homebuilder and former congressman, is expressing the same sentiment.
"Mark agrees 100% with the language that's in (the pledge) and certainly would sign it," campaign spokesman Chris Lato said. "The guy was the budget hawk's budget hawk (in Congress)."
Neumann is hitting the no-tax message in a radio ad launched Tuesday.
"Mark fought wasteful spending so hard that some leaders in his own party kicked him off the Appropriations Committee," the ad says. "They ridiculed him and threatened him. They even tried to keep him from attending committee hearings. But Mark Neumann persisted. Others joined him and four years later, the budget was balanced, taxes cut, and new jobs created."
Neumann, who has largely funded his own campaign so far, has led the ad war, running three TV ads and now the first radio ad of the campaign.
Walker launched his first ad last week, using a brown lunch bag to tout his frugality.
Despite the campaign theme, the Associated Press has reported Walker's campaign has spent thousands of dollars on food and beverages, including some at swank restaurants.
The AP reported Tuesday the brown bag campaign is the same one used 12 years ago by Republican George Voinovich of Ohio.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is running as a Democrat.
The conservative Club for Growth launched radio advertising in the Racine area Tuesday, attacking passenger rail transportation plans and two Racine legislators who support those plans.
Similar ads will start Thursday on Milwaukee radio stations, targeting two lawmakers in the Milwaukee County suburbs.
In each case, the ads lambaste legislators for backing plans for a high-speed train linking Milwaukee and Madison and for the KRM Commuter Link, a commuter train connecting Milwaukee to Racine, Kenosha and the southern suburbs.
All four of the lawmakers targeted -- Sens. John Lehman of Racine, Jeff Plale of South Milwaukee and Jim Sullivan of Wauwatosa and Rep. Cory Mason of Racine -- are Democrats in swing districts. As Joint Finance Committee members, Mason and Lehman voted to accept $810 million in federal stimulus money to build the high-speed train route, while all four lawmakers have supported legislation to expand the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, which is in charge of the KRM.
The ads also promote a Racine "tea party" rally featuring a leading national critic of rail transit, Randal O'Toole of the Libertarian-leaning Cato Institute. That event will be at 7 p.m. March 23 at the South Hills Country Club near Racine.
Republican candidates for lieutenant governor in the Nov. 2 fall general election will debate at a public forum beginning at 6:45 p.m. March 29 at the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center, W68-N611 Evergreen Blvd.
WTMJ-620AM radio show host Jeff Wagner will moderate the debate among four Republican candidates: Ben Collins of Lake Geneva; Brett Davis, Oregon; Rebecca Kleefisch, Oconomowoc; and Dave Ross, Superior.
The debate is sponsored by the Republican Party of Ozaukee County.
President Barack Obama’s political guru David Axelrod is scheduled to speak in Madison for an epilepsy fund-raiser on May 9.
Axelrod will be a keynote speaker for the Monona Terrace fundraiser for Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy, which was founded by his wife, Susan, who is also expected to attend. The couple’s oldest child, Lauren, has epilepsy.
For more information on CURE and the event go to the organization's Web site. Single tickets for the fund-raiser, which runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., are available in April for $100 apiece.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and Super Steel Chairman Fred Luber on Wednesday attacked Gov. Jim Doyle's administration and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett for their roles in handing a major state contract to a Spanish company and providing incentives for the company, Talgo, to build a factory on the north side.
Walker, a Republican candidate for governor, and Luber, a major financial backer of GOP candidates and causes, claimed Doyle, the Democratic incumbent, and Barrett, the leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate, were unfairly using tax dollars to help Talgo, a foreign company, compete against Super Steel, a Milwaukee business.
But the Department of City Development and Talgo said the Republicans were distorting the situation.
Last year, the state Department of Transportation awarded a $47.6 million no-bid contract to Talgo to build two trains for Amtrak's Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line. That amount has since been reduced to $43.1 million by a joint purchasing deal with Oregon. Wisconsin also has an option, not yet exercised, for two more trains as part of an $810 million high-speed route from Milwaukee to Madison.
Earlier this month, Talgo announced it would build the trains for Wisconsin, Oregon and possibly other states at the vacant Tower Automotive site, creating 125 jobs. Super Steel, which had hoped to bring the work to its plant, filed for receivership the next day.
“Tom Barrett and Jim Doyle are using taxpayer money to stab Wisconsin companies in the back,” Walker said. “The way to create jobs in Wisconsin is by helping our employers become more competitive, not by competing against them.”
Luber added, "Mayor Barrett and Gov. Doyle don't understand the damage they have done to Wisconsin companies like ours. They’ve used the very same tax dollars our company and employees pay to dole out work to foreign companies."
But Super Steel's chief executive officer, Jim Schmelzer, has said the Talgo decision alone didn't drive his company into receivership, and the company expects to reorganize and retain its workers. Luber has since bid to take over the company himself.
Also, the state DOT has said Super Steel would not have been able to bid even if the contract had been put up for bid, because it doesn't build trains itself. Instead, it assembles trains as a subcontractor to another foreign company, Japan's Nippon Sharyo. Japanese executives have said Super Steel could pursue subcontracting work with Talgo without jeopardizing its relationship with Nippon Sharyo.
Talgo considered subcontracting with Super Steel, but then decided that the deals with Wisconsin and other states required the company to have its own plant, Talgo spokeswoman Nora Friend said. Super Steel then offered space on its property for Talgo, but that didn't meet Talgo's needs, she said.
Barrett had urged Talgo to give the work to Super Steel. It was only after Talgo rejected Super Steel as both a subcontractor and a plant site that the city offered the Tower site, according to Friend and DCD.
Super Steel is still under consideration as a subcontractor for Talgo parts, Friend said. Talgo also is in talks with Milwaukee Composites Inc., an Oak Creek company that provides floors, ceilings and other parts for trains and buses, she and Milwaukee Composites President Jeff Kober said.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers on the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee have asked the panel's Democratic leadership to call a hearing on the Talgo deal. Among other things, the GOP group, led by Rep. Robin Vos (R-Racine), claimed they had heard rumors Talgo planned to bring in Spanish workers instead of hiring Milwaukeeans.
Friend said the company planned to bring only a few supervisors from Spain and hire the rest of its work force locally. She said the Republicans were "distorting reality."
"It's really unfortunate that they're making this a partisan issue in Wisconsin when it shouldn't be," Friend said.
UPDATE: Barrett campaign spokesman Phil Walzak labeled Walker's statements "a lot of blarney from Scott Walker, even for St. Patrick's Day," and added, "Scott is upset his big campaign donor didn't get the contract, yet he didn't lift a finger to help Super Steel." Walker campaign spokeswoman Jill Bader declined to respond to a question on whether Walker had sought to intervene with Talgo on Super Steel's behalf, as Barrett did.
A new plan to expand the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority has been modified to delete language that could have led to taxpayers paying twice for the same buses.
The measure from state Reps. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee) and Cory Mason (D-Racine) would amend another RTA bill under consideration in the Assembly. Both bills call for a Milwaukee County transit authority that would take over the struggling Milwaukee County Transit System and would levy a 0.5% sales tax to replace property tax support for the bus system and raise additional funding. The Milwaukee County authority eventually would merge with the existing three-county RTA, which is in charge of the planned KRM Commuter Link rail line.
But the original legislation, which Grigsby co-sponsored, also would have created interim Racine and Kenosha transit authorities and would have allowed Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties to join the RTA. The amendment calls for the RTA to directly take over the Racine and Kenosha bus systems and excludes the other three counties, where county officials and state lawmakers have opposed the RTA.
The first version of the Grigsby-Mason amendment also called for the RTA to compensate Milwaukee County and the two cities for their investment in their bus systems, which could have led to Milwaukee County sales tax money being spent to purchase buses already bought in part with Milwaukee County property tax dollars. The new version prohibits using sales tax money for that purpose and leaves financial details of a bus system takeover to be negotiated, a Grigsby aide said.
Also, the new version of the amendment says the sales tax revenue must be spent on the bus system, not the KRM. The RTA already has the power to levy a rental car tax of up to $18 a car for the train line.
An Assembly committee recently held a public hearing on the original legislation, but has not acted on either that bill or the amendments. Transit supporters are scrambling to muster a majority in both houses before the legislative session ends next month.
Rep. Kitty Rhoades (R-Hudson) announced Thursday she was stepping down from the state Assembly at the end of the year.
Rhoades was first elected in 1998 and was the first Republican woman in the state Assembly to serve as the co-chairwoman of the Joint Finance Committee.
“I never set up in my life to be this. My life led me here,” Rhoades said. “It’s time to see what the next phase in my life looks like.”
Rhoades said she wasn’t sure what she would do next or who else might be interested in running for her western Wisconsin seat. Prior to serving in the Legislature, Rhoades, 58, ran chambers of commerce in both Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The absences of four Milwaukee County Board supervisors from Thursday's meeting means more supervisors view the job as part time, County Board Chairman Lee Holloway said.
"It's not the greatest priority in their life," Holloway said, adding that he didn't mean the remark as criticism.
Just 14 of 18 supervisors were present for Thursday's meeting. A 19th supervisory seat has been vacant since former Supervisor Toni Clark resigned two weeks ago, the same day she pleaded guilty to a felony campaign charge.
Holloway said Thursday's absences were the highest in his 18 years on the board. A check of county records showed no more than two supervisors were absent from any County Board meeting since the board downsized from 25 to 19 members in April 2004.
Supervisors absent Thursday were Gerry Broderick, Elizabeth M. Coggs, Lynne De Bruin and Patricia Jursik. Broderick is recuperating from knee surgery. Holloway said he didn't know the reasons for the other supervisors' absences.
De Bruin was in Connecticut helping her oldest daughter prepare for her wedding, said De Bruin aide Carol Adam. Jursik was attending to a personal matter, said her aide, Alexis Gassenhuber. Coggs and her staff couldn't be reached.
Appearing on the cable television show Wisconsin Eye Thursday, former Gov. Tommy Thompson offered some of his harshest criticism to date of Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold.
“He’s been in Washington way too long,” said Thompson, a Republican now considering a run against the three-term senator. “He’s part of the problem.”
The former governor’s statements came in response to a question from host Steve Walters about Feingold’s own criticism of Thompson. Feingold, who is up for re-election in November, previously released a statement saying that Thompson has spent years taking “special interests” on as clients.
Asked if he would run for Senate, Thompson said he still has time to make a decision but usually likes to make his after family vacations. He said he plans to go on one after Easter.
“We’re going to discuss this as a family as we always do,” he said.
Thompson appeared on Wisconsin Eye, the state’s version of C-SPAN, along with brother Ed Thompson, who is running for Wisconsin state senate.
Watch the full interview here.
Republican candidates for governor topped Democrat Tom Barrett in a new poll, but their leads fell within the survey's margin of error.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker bested Barrett, the Milwaukee mayor, 48% to 42%. Former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann beat Barrett 46% to 42%.
It was conducted Tuesday and released Thursday.
Democrats have disparaged Rasmussen, saying the poll consistently tilts toward Republicans.
As the Legislature debates whether to authorize a sales tax that could pump new funding into Milwaukee County's troubled bus system, transit managers are offering an explanation for why their buses sometimes appear empty.
Critics of funding public transit have long pointed to sightings of empty buses as proof that tax dollars are going to waste. But in a posting Thursday on its Web site, the Milwaukee County Transit System explains that some of those buses are at the beginning or end of their route. Buses are also more crowded during rush hours and less crowded in the middle of the day or late at night -- just like streets and highways, the transit system notes.
That defense has been around as long as the criticism. But transit backers are mounting a major effort to tell their side of the story as they push for lawmakers to act on legislation that would create a temporary Milwaukee County transit authority, funded by a 0.5% sales tax, that eventually would merge with the existing Southeastern Regional Transit Authority. At least one house needs to act on the bill to keep it alive after the regular legislative session ends next month.
Madison -- U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold and former Gov. Tommy Thompson are statistically tied in a new poll, as Thompson continues to mull getting into the race.
The poll of 500 likely Wisconsin voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. It was conducted Tuesday and released Friday.
The new poll numbers are in sharp contrasts to those in a poll last week by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute that showed Thompson leading Feingold 51% to 39%.
Democrats have bashed both polls, saying they tilt toward Republicans.
The new poll showed Feingold with leads over the two Republicans officially in the race. He bested David Westlake 51% to 35% and Terrence Wall 49% to 40%. About 10% of voters were undecided in those matchups.
Madison -- Republican Scott Walker unveiled his second ad Monday in the race for governor, again highlighting the theme that he's so frugal he packs his own lunch.
"Government should have to make some tough choices and live within its means, just like Wisconsin families do," Walker says in the ad as he packs a lunch in his kitchen. "Our campaign's based on three basic principles: people create jobs, not government; smaller government is better government; and don't spend more than you have."
The brown bag theme is one recycled from an Ohio race 12 years ago. While Walker's campaign touts that he frequently packs his own ham sandwiches for lunch to save money, the Associated Press has reported his campaign spent thousands on meals and beverages, some of them at high-end restaurants.
The ad began running Monday in markets outside of Milwaukee, where he is well known as county executive. Like the first first ad that began two weeks ago, it does not mention Walker is running for governor.
Walker's Republican rival, former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, has been running ads for a month. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a Democrat, has said he does not expect to spend money on ads as early as his Republican opponents.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican who was initially supportive of health care reform efforts in the Senate, is now criticizing the sweeping legislation passed by Congress.
"...this legislation has the potential to change the current social services fabric because the health insurance transformation that will pass will be the beginning of a government-controlled health care system," he said in a statement published on the New York Times' Web site Sunday night.
Thompson, who served as Health and Human Services Secretary under President George W. Bush, is now considering a run for U.S. Senate against Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, a Democrat.
Other who offered their perspective in the Times' included: Donna Shalala, who served as HHS Secretary under President Bill Clinton, former House Republican Leader Dick Armey, and consumer advocate Ralph Nader.
Read the rest of the comments here.
President Barack Obama signed a landmark health care bill into law Tuesday, saying the sweeping measure would “set into motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for and marched for and hungered to see.”
Nearly all of the 219 House members who voted for the bill Sunday attended the bill signing ceremony held in the East Room of the White House.
“This is a truly historic day,” Rep. Gwen Moore said in a statement after watching the president sign the bill into law. “President Obama and Congress were able to accomplish what had evaded our nation for a century after President Teddy Roosevelt said that every American deserves health care.”
Moore was among four Wisconsin House Democrats who attended the White House ceremony. Rep. Ron Kind, of La Crosse, was the only House Democrat in the delegation who did not attend. Leah Hunter, a spokeswoman for Kind, refused to answer questions about her boss’ whereabouts.
“He’s just not there OK,” she said.
Wisconsin Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl also missed the White House celebration. Kohl was meeting with constituents and preparing for an upcoming hearing in front of the Special Aging Committee, which he chairs. Feingold was meeting with Wisconsin college students visiting the Capitol Tuesday to encourage members to support changes to the current federal student loan system.
The health care measure Obama signed, combined with a series of changes being considered in the Senate, is expected to cost $940 billion over the next 10 years. The measures are slated to extend health insurance coverage to roughly 32 million people currently uninsured nationwide.
Republican candidate for governor, Mark Neumann, is a weight lifter and runner and the training paid off when he was the last to lower his beer mug in a stein holding contest.
You can see Neumann on YouTube holding a large beer stein - his arm fully extended - for nearly 7 minutes.
The contest took place last month at the Old German Beer Hall, 1009 N. Old World Third St. Although not a fundraiser, it was presented to attendees as an opportunity to celebrate Fasching with the candidate. The crowd shouted, "Neumann! Neumann!," which might have given the former congressman an advantage.
But you have to hand it him: This was a real workout.
Republican Mark Neumann has a new ad in his race for governor that details his service in Congress when he battled leaders in the House over taxes and balancing the budget.
This is the second new TV spot for Neumann this month. Neumann is challenging Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker for the Republican nomination.
Neumann has emphasized his dust ups with congressional leaders to show voters that he is a principled politician. He served in Congress from 1995 to 1998. He was booted off a powerful Appropriations subcommittee because he failed to vote for a defense spending bill.
Tommy Thompson hasn’t jumped into the upcoming Wisconsin Senate race but Sen. Russ Feingold is still asking supporters for campaign donations to help defeat the popular Republican politician should he decide to run.
In a fundraising pitch Tuesday, Feingold argued that he has taken on the special interests in Washington while Thompson has taken them on as clients.
“That’s the difference between the two of us,” he wrote in an e-mail to supporters.
Thompson, a former Wisconsin governor and cabinet secretary in the Bush administration, has not yet announced whether he will run for Senate this year. He has said he would probably not make a formal announcement on his candidacy before the state GOP convention May 20.
“Secretary Thompson has the D.C. lobbying crowd on speed dial and he will have significant resources from them to take this U.S. Senate away from the people of Wisconsin,” Feingold wrote. “I’m counting on your support to fund our grassroots campaign and match them every step of the way.”
Sen. Russ Feingold leads Republican Tommy Thompson by a slim margin in a hypothetical match up, according to a new survey of Wisconsin voters by Public Policy Polling.
Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, would receive 47% of the vote, compared with 44% for Thompson if the election were held now, according to the poll. But the margin has tightened compared to an earlier poll by the firm last November, which showed Feingold leading 50-41.
“The national political climate certainly is not good for the Democrats right now,” said Tom Jensen, the firm’s director. “It’s clearly gotten worse in the last four months.”
The firm, which polls for Democratic candidates, conducted the survey independently of Feingold’s campaign, Jensen said. Other polls have shown Thompson leading Feingold in a matchup.
With a week left before the filing deadline, nine candidates have declared their intention to run for an open seat on the Milwaukee County Board.
The large group includes a veteran engineering and business consultant; a community activist and organizer of the recall election against former Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee Jr.; and a development assistant for Milwaukee's Urban Ecology Center.
Wallace White, the vice chairman of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District board, said he was making his first bid for elective office because he says his experience in business and government could help resolve vexing local issues, such as transportation. He's worked for a volunteer group that's lobbying for dedicated sales tax funding for transit.
ViAnna Jordan is a community activist, who helped run the McGee recall election and ran unsuccessfully to succeed McGee on the Common Council in 2007.
Nikiya Harris is the Urban Ecology Center official. She initially listed a West Allis home address in her filing March 5, which would place her outside the Milwaukee north side district she's seeking to represent. But Harris amended the form March 18 to show a N. 61st street address that's in the district where she's running.
Also filing for the open County Board seat are: Millie Coby, of the 6900 block of W. Clovernook St.; Corey Foster, of the 4800 block of N. 61st St.; Jo Anne Halada, of the 7700 block of N. Delta Place; Carl S. Novak, of the 5500 block of W. Thurston Ave.; Larry Spicer, of the 5500 block of N. Hopkins St.; and Rob Cherry, of the 7000 block of N. Presidio Dr.
A primary election in the race will be April 27. The two highest vote getters from the primary face off at a special election May 25.
The seat was formerly held by Toni Clark, who resigned March 5 hours before her conviction on a campaign-related felony.
Supervisors are paid $50,679 a year.
A group of Wisconsin college students spent the day on Capitol Hill Tuesday asking lawmakers to approve a measure that would cut federal subsidies to private lenders and use the billions of dollars in savings to help more students pay for college.
“We’re trying to make education more accessible and more affordable to students across the nation,” said Katie Krause, a junior at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, one of 20 students from the UW system who traveled to Washington to make their views known. “It will save us money in the long run and stop profiting organizations.”
On Tuesday, the group met with a number of Wisconsin lawmakers, including Sen. Russ Feingold and Rep. Gwen Moore. The student loan proposal is now part of health care bill being considered by the Senate and is expected to become law if the Senate approves the bill without amendment. But private lenders are furiously lobbying against the changes, saying the measure would cost private sector jobs.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. Marquette University. Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin. All would receive federal money, under a list of earmark requests submitted by Rep. Gwen Moore.
Moore, a Milwaukee Democrat, posted her district wish list in accordance to new rules by the House Appropriations Committee amid public criticism of the congressionally-designated funding projects. Earlier this month, the committee announced it would stop considering earmarks to for-profit companies. Republicans countered that change by saying none of their House members would make any earmark requests.
This year, Moore is asking for funding for a number of local universities and colleges, non-profit groups and municipalities. Among the big-ticket items on her list: $1 million for Milwaukee County Transit System buses; $900,000 for research into advanced, metallic materials at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and $800,000 to help Marquette University develop wireless sensors to be used in medical settings. Lawmakers often receive less funding for their earmarks than what they originally request.
For more information about Moore’s earmark requests, please visit: http://www.house.gov/gwenmoore/funding-requests.shtml. Other Wisconsin lawmakers were also expected to publish their requests on their congressional Web sites.
Madison -- A new poll puts the two Republican candidates ahead in the race for governor, but within the poll's margin of error.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. In both match-ups, 19% of voters were undecided.
Neumann is a former congressman, Walker is the Milwaukee County executive and Barrett is the Milwaukee mayor.
Mark Neumann, Republican candidate for governor, signed a pledge to veto any tax increase if elected.
Neumann signed the same pledge, sponsored by Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, that fellow Republican Scott Walker signed earlier this month.
Americans for Tax Reform said seven state senators and 18 members of the State Assembly have signed the pledge. Nationally, it's been signed by seven governors and more than 1,100 state lawmakers.
The pledge caused problems for Republicans in 2007 when they controlled the Assembly because members eventually approved a state budget that included an increase in the cigarette tax.
Want a lot of information about laws and ordinances regarding where sex offenders released from prison can live?
Franklin Ald. Steve Olson says he has seven years' worth of news and other postings on the topic on his blog.
The blog says a hearing has been set for April 1 on a Senate Bill 548, which would prohibit municipalities from restricting where released sex offenders can live.
You can track bills here.
Madison -- Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls) is not receiving free legal services to defend himself against an effort to expel him from the Legislature, an aide to Wood said Wednesday.
That stands in contrast to comments Tuesday by Rep. Mary Hubler (D-Rice Lake) that Wood told her he was getting free representation from attorney John Hyland.
Legislators cannot use their positions to receive anything of substantial value, including legal services, according to the state Government Accountability Board.
Hyland has not returned calls from the Journal Sentinel, but he told the Wisconsin State Journal he was not providing free work for Wood and that Wood may try to bill taxpayers for his services.
Wood has not responded to requests for an interview. His aide, Jessica Spotts-Grabel, said in an e-mail Hyland was not providing free legal service but that any bills from him were not public records.
Hubler, chairwoman of a special ethics committee that investigated Wood, said Tuesday that Wood and his staff had told her Hyland was working for free. She said then that if Wood submitted a bill to the Legislature she did not believe it would be paid.
A committee of legislative leaders headed by Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan (D-Janesville) would have final say on whether taxpayers footed the bill.
The ethics committee deadlocked Tuesday on whether to expel Wood or reprimand him for three charges of driving under the influence last year. The Assembly is expected to decide next month whether to sanction Wood.
Republican U.S. Senate candidates Terrence Wall and Dave Westlake said Wednesday they’ll stay in the race even if former Gov. Tommy Thompson jumps in.
Wall, a Madison developer, said he was “way too invested” in the campaign to drop out now. Wall has loaned some $275,000 to his own campaign and hinted he may add more from his own wallet. Westlake, who owns a Watertown-based printer cartridge business, said he’s also in it for the long haul, regardless of what Thompson does.
Thompson, governor for 14 years and a former cabinet secretary for President George W. Bush, has suggested he might want to enter the GOP race against incumbent Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold. Recent polls show Thompson doing better against Feingold than Wall and Westlake.
Both were careful to praise Thompson, but Westlake also offered some criticism. He said Thompson had initially endorsed the new health care reform legislation and as governor had presided over an expansion of state government.
Wall said he speaks to Thompson once a month and that the former governor was generous with his time for him. Asked whether he’d seek Thompson’s endorsement if Thompson decides not to run for Senate, Wall said: “That’s between the former governor and I.”
Wall said he planned to spend $7 million to $10 million in the race, including some of his own money. He said it would take a lot of money to beat Feingold and noted that Westlake’s fund raising had lagged.
Westlake and Wall spoke during a forum sponsored by the Milwaukee Press Club.
Both described themselves as small government conservatives, who favored less taxation and government regulation. Both spoke admiringly of the “tea party” movement. Wall said the group’s actions could be a deciding factor in the November elections.
Wall defended his record of paying no personal state income taxes for several years, saying he took advantage of legal tax breaks recommended by his accountant.
“We pay all the taxes that we owe,” Wall said. He’s previously said business losses had offset his state income taxes some years.
Wall said he favors substitution of a so-called “flat” income tax, that charges a single rate and eliminates loopholes. Westlake said he favored a tax on consumption as an alternative to the current income tax system.
Wall said he regretted having made political donations to two Wisconsin Democrats, Reps. Dave Obey and Tammy Baldwin. He said he was proud to be one of the larger Republican contributors nationally and that 96% of his contributions had gone to Republicans.
State Rep. Jon Richards is calling on Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker to explain what steps the county has taken in response to reports of patient sexual assaults at the county's Mental Health Complex.
Richards said in a letter to Walker Wednesday that he wants to know whether the assaults were "the result of lax and inadequate care from your administration." Richards is chairman of the Assembly Health and Healthcare Reform Committee.
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cited the county for practices that led to several reported assaults by patients on other patients last year at the complex. A 22-year-old patient became pregnant after repeated sexual contact with another patient, according to federal inspection reports obtained by the Journal Sentinel.
Some $60 million in federal aid could be at risk unless the county provides an accepted corrective action plan. A private attorney hired by the county has said the county would take steps to fix the problems.
Richards said he doesn't want the state to have to take control of the county psychiatric hospital in order to protect patients.
"The state is not inclined to rescue yet another failed county program," Richards wrote. In early 2009, the state took control of the county's food, child care and health care aid programs after a class action lawsuit charged that deserving poor families had benefits unfairly delayed or denied.
Walker, through a spokeswoman, referred a request for comment to the county corporation counsel. Deputy Corporation Counsel Timothy Schoewe said he hadn't seen the Richards letter. He said he couldn't say anything that might violate patient confidentiality laws.
Madison -- Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls) had more than eight times the therapeutic level of an active ingredient in cough syrup when he was arrested for driving under the influence in September, the Wisconsin State Journal is reporting.
Wood said Wednesday he expected charges to be reduced in the case because a blood test showed he was within normal therapeutic ranges for anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs. He mentioned the cough syrup ingredient showed up high, but did not provide details and refused to release the test results.
Despite Wood's comments, a Marathon County prosecutor said her office is not now contemplating reducing charges in the case. Wood told lawmakers he thought he would be charged with inattentive driving and the case would be resolved soon.
Wood gave his testimony as he tries to beat back an effort to remove him from the Legislature for three charges of driving under the influence last year. The full Assembly is expected to consider ousting him next month.
The disclosure of Wood's blood results come as questions have emerged about whether an attorney is providing him free legal services. Lawmakers can't use their positions to receive free legal services or other items of value.
The Democratic National Committee began airing television ads Thursday thanking Rep. Steve Kagen and 24 other House Democrats in competitive districts who voted for sweeping health care legislation Sunday.
Kagen, an Appleton Democrat, was one of 219 House Democrats who voted for the legislation. Every Republican and 34 House Democrats voted no.
Watch the ad here.
As Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's deputy chief of staff, Tim Russell had a nifty bird's-eye view of downtown from his third floor courthouse window and sat a heartbeat away from the boss.
In his new post, Russell heads the county's housing division from an office several blocks northwest of the courthouse in the Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center at 1222 W. Vliet St.
The new job pays slightly under $76,000, or about $2,500 more than Russell made as Walker's deputy.
Though Russell has had roles in Walker's county exec campaigns, Russell said he has no expectation he'll get a paid position on Walker's GOP campaign for governor this year.
Racine business leaders are striking back against transit opponents in radio advertisements that start Monday.
In the 30-second ad, Roger Caron, president of Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce, says a regional transit authority and the KRM Commuter Link rail line would be good for economic development. He asks listeners to call state Sen. John Lehman and state Rep. Cory Mason, both Racine Democrats, for their support for the KRM and for legislation expanding the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority to run public buses as well as commuter trains.
The RAMAC ad appears to be designed as a rebuttal to a radio ad from the Wisconsin Club for Growth that blasted Lehman and Mason for supporting the KRM and a planned high-speed train between Milwaukee and Madison. A Milwaukee version of the Club for Growth ad targeted Sens. Jeff Plale of South Milwaukee and Jim Sullivan of Wauwatosa; all four legislators are Democrats in swing districts.
In a related move, transit backers have posted a list of "myths" and facts about the KRM and the RTA legislation. That posting appears on the SERTA: Transit News and Notes Web site, which is run by the RTA's interim communications team, led by Mueller Communications. The main RTA Web site is run by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, which is acting as the RTA's staff until a permanent staff is hired.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker filed a legal document giving up his right to 25% of any county pension he gets -- again.
Walker initially took the pension waiver plunge in 2002, declaring he would give up a 0.5% increase in the so-called "pension multiplier" used to calculate public employee pensions. On March 16, Walker did it all over again, filing another legal waiver saying the same thing.
Walker compared the move to a long-wed couple renewing their marriage vows.
"It reaffirms what we did before -- renewing our pension vows," Walker said. Because spouses have pension property rights, Walker's wife, Tonette, also signed the waiver on the dotted line once again.
The county executive and candidate for governor said he made the move to try to pressure the County Board to agree to reduce elected county officials' pensions by 20%.The board deadlocked on the issue at its meeting last week, but an effort to reintroduce the cut is expected.
Walker said he was giving up 25% because that was part of a controversial pension enhancement package approved in 2000 and 2001 that Walker has renounced. That's a bit more than the cut up for consideration by the board.
Scott Walker's campaign had two billboards up Monday morning on the freeway system, blaming the "the failed leadership of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Governor Jim Doyle" to put off work on repair of U.S. Highway bridge through the Zoo Interchange.
The bridge was shut down on Friday after engineers found cracks in it
Walker's signs read, "Tired of Traffic? Blame Barrett." The signs are located at I-94 and Highway 100 and on Highway 45 and W. Silver Spring Dr., north of the Zoo interchange.
Walker blamed Doyle's decision to spend $1.2 billion from the state transportation fund. The State borrowed money to make up for the loss, but the net drop in the fund amounted to $434 million, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
Doyle and Barrett are Democrats. Walker, the Milwaukee County executive, is a Republican. Barrett and and Walker are running for governor.
Walker said Barrett shared in the blame because of a letter Barrett wrote in 2005 saying he was opposed to funding preliminary engineering at the Zoo Interchange.
But in the letter, Barrett noted that Milwaukee County also did not support freeway planning from the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. Barrett said the federal government also did not support SEWRPC's freeway planning.
Walker has also has set up a new web site, www.barrettbypass.com
Democratic candidate for governor Tom Barrett said Monday afternoon that Republic challenger Scott Walker's claims that Barrett didn't support reconstruction of the Zoo interchange was part of Walker's "endless reservoir of political stunts."
Barrett, the Milwaukee mayor, noted that the U.S. Highway 45 bridge that was closed on Friday for emergency repairs is in Milwaukee County - not in the City of Milwaukee. Walker is the Milwaukee County executive.
In a statement, Barrett said he's supported reconstruction of the Zoo interchange, on the same construction schedule as originally planned.
For more swipes at Walker, read Barrett's statement.
Mark Neumann, Republican candidate for governor, outlined his proposal for health care reform on Wednesday in Green Bay.
His proposal includes a plan for letting individuals and businesses take a 110% deduction for the cost of health insurance from their state tax liability.
Neumann also unveiled a radio spot on health care; and in it, he describes himself as a conservative, not mentioning his Republican affiliation.
Neumann is running in the Republican primary against Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker.
Newsweek came out with a list of five Democrats Tuesday that “even a conservative can love.” Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold made the cut.
“Feingold has championed a number of truly bipartisan initiatives, among them campaign-finance reform and anti-earmark legislation—the latter won him plaudits from archconservative Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina,” according to the magazine. “To boot, Feingold might be John McCain's second-best friend in the Senate, behind Lindsey Graham.”
Read more here.
A new report shows that 17 legislators who once supported an independent secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, but changed their mind, received more than $700,000 from special interests who favor keeping the governor's authority over the agency.
The report, issued Wednesday by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, shows that the contributions run from 2005 to 2009. All but three of the 17 lawmakers are Republicans.
Lawmakers last month were unable to overturn Doyle's veto of legislation that would have returned the power of appointing the DNR secretary to the seven-member Natural Resources Board.
The prosecutor in an intoxicated driving case for Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls) said Wednesday she was still not considering reducing the charges against him.
"At this time I don't plan on amending the charges," said Marathon County assistant district attorney Kala Strawn, who had a pretrial conference with Wood's attorney on Monday.
Wood told lawmakers earlier this month he expected charges to be reduced to inattentive driving in the case because a blood test showed he was within normal therapeutic ranges for anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs. Wood gave that testimony as he fought an effort to remove him from the Legislature for three charges of driving under the influence last year.
But a blood test showed Wood had more than eight times the therapeutic level of an active ingredient in cough syrup when he was arrested for driving under the influence in September, the Wisconsin State Journal has reported.
Strawn said she expected to have another conference with Wood's attorney on April 26 - after the Legislature ends its regular business.
County Executive Scott Walker, who is running for governor, has released his latest ad. This time, he features his 1998 Saturn, which he says has more than 100,000 miles on it. The ad is part of his ongoing "brown-bag" campaign.
Here's the video:
The ad will air in areas outside of Milwaukee, a Walker campaign spokeswoman said.
Madison -- The race for lieutenant governor is so crowded candidates are jockeying to announce support from little-known local officials.
And in one case a candidate pulled the trigger a little too quickly.
At 8:46 a.m., Milwaukee Ald. Tony Zielinski announced he had the support of Kenosha Common Council President G. John Ruffolo and two Kenosha aldermen in Zielinski's bid for lieutenant governor.
At 9:10 a.m., Zielinski, a Democrat, released a correction that said Ruffolo had not endorsed him.
"I regret this miscommunication between Mr. Ruffolo and the campaign," Zielinski said in a statement.
Also running for the Democratic nomination are state Sen Spencer Coggs of Milwaukee and Waunakee businessman Henry Sanders.
Republicans running are Rep. Brett Davis (R-Oregon), Lake Geneva businessman Ben Collins, Superior Mayor Dave Ross and former WISN-TV anchor Rebecca Kleefisch.
Completion of inspection and repairs to the limestone cornice on the Milwaukee County Courthouse could take 3 1/2 to 51/2 months, a county official said Wednesday.
Tom Nardelli, County Executive Scott Walker's chief of staff, said inspection and a report on the cornice would take 10 weeks and repairs another one to three months.
A 20-pound chunk of cornice fell off the west side of the courthouse March 4, prompting the repair project. The cornice, or decorative molding, borders the top of the building, 120 feet off the ground.
The nature of the repairs won't be known until the inspection is completed, Nardelli said. County officials believe backed up ice near the cornice, and repeated freezing and thawing, led to the piece dropping.