RJ Johnson, Milwaukee County Medical Examiner

Last week reports surfaced that Milwaukee County's Medical Examiner resigned. Those reports also highlighted the poor job that the Walker administration has done in terms of staffing key positions. Given Walker's track record of constantly hiring questionably qualified candidates from within his own political gene pool, I have to wonder which crony he will stick in the medical examiner's slot (assuming that he permanently fills it). RJ Johnson has been one of his latest political operatives; maybe he is due for a promotion on Milwaukee County Taxpayer's dime. I can see the sign on his office door already, "RJ Johnson, Medical Examiner". Given Walker's history of hiring political cronies, it may not be as far from reality as one might think.

Consider some of the following:

• Jim Villa worked for Walker's campaigns bouncing between them and taxpayer financed county jobs.
  
• Robert Dennik, a former lobbyist and Walker campaign manager was appointed as head of the now nonexistent Milwaukee County Division of Economic and Community Development. Let's just say that his time there didn't go so well for him or for Milwaukee County.
  
• Tim Russell has repeatedly bounced back and forth between Walker campaigns and taxpayer funded positions (including a recent promotion). At one point he even took over the train wreck that was the Economic Development job (with not much more success).
  
• Walker wanted to give a county job to Chuck Grapentine even though he didn't even want to move to Milwaukee County. Chuck is the father of a former Walker aide.
  
• Cynthia Archer was appointed as head of Administrative Services in 2007. She was previously a top administrator for Walker's former Republican colleague in the State Assembly, Carol Kelso.
  
• David Bradley Carr had not been out of law school very long before Walker replaced a veteran member of the Ethics Board with him. It was reported at the time that a partner at a law firm suggested Carr to Walker. Several partners and members of that same law firm have also been big campaign contributors to Walker. But I'm sure that had nothing to do with it.
  

I think the title of a May 9, 2002 MJS story had it right when it said that "Walker has rewards in mind for backers".

So like I said at the beginning, does this mean that RJ Johnson is up for a promotion to Milwaukee County Medical Examiner? Maybe Walker can follow that up with Jill Bader for Corporation Counsel and Keith Gilkes for head of Health and Human Services.