Just in Case You Needed More on Rose…

Just in case you have not heard enough already about why Rose Fernandez would be a nightmare at DPI, Thomas J. Mertz at the AMPS blog gives you a few more reasons. He mainly focuses on her bio and the true nature of the lobbying that she, her virtual org and their corporate backers have done.

Read Part One and Part Two

Rose Fernandez and Her Corporate Backers

We already know that Rose Fernandez is connected in several different directions to the out-of-state for-profit K12, Inc. We know that they have bragged about making as much as $5 million off of Wisconsin taxpayers and would surly like an ally leading the Department of Public Instruction to pocket even more. We also know that executives and other staff from this out-of-state special interest have given cash to the Fernandez Campaign. But it looks like not only that special interest is involving itself in the DPI election, now even more corporate interests are getting into the act.

It appears that Americans for Prosperity is set to run radio ads supporting Fernandez. This is the same organization that was created in 2003 by the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation. That foundation itself is financed by the fortunes of Koch Industries and its owners David and Charles Koch. This is an oil and gas conglomerate and is the largest privately-held company in America. They have been on the wrong side of many issues and have tried to repeatedly use their corporate power to influence policy both nationally and locally. The head of the Wisconsin chapter of this corporate interest mouthpiece is Mark Block, a man that was at the center of what the Wisconsin State Journal described as "one of the largest political-corruption cases in state history."

Speaking of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), it should also be noted that they made a January poll public (sort of) that seems to be very Rose Fernandez specific. Although AFP may have put up a link to it, I would like to know who actually paid for this preprimary poll? Was it AFP or was it actually paid for by some corporate sponsor? Was this poll shopped around Wisconsin by anyone and does that help explain some of the conservative support for an inexperienced candidate like Fernandez over one like Van Mobley? If so, then who shopped it around and what interests do they represent? Furthermore, did anyone in or close to the Fernandez Campaign see this poll after AFP made it public and did they use any of it in any way? It just seems awfully convenient that this expensive poll was conducted when the Rose Fernandez campaign probably couldn't afford to do one themselves.

Whatever the answers to these important questions, the new ad push by AFP only confirms that Rose Fernandez is the candidate of the corporate special interests.

Vote on the Foul Four

One Wisconsin Now has been running its own bracketed competition that they have entitled March Badness. They have lined up many of the worst of the right wing, allowing people to vote which ones score the highest on the badness scale. Each of the losers moves on to what is now being called The Foul Four which includes: Randy Koschnick, Rose Fernandez, George W. Bush and Jody Harding. Visit the March Badness site to vote today! Just in case you need help picking the worst of the worst, take a look at the OWN News cast below.

Thank Goodness Rose Isn’t In Charge Right Now!

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that the first disbursement of stimulus funds for Wisconsin education is ready. It amounts to a $365 million investment in our students and it is only the first of several. About $147 million of this first amount will be used for low-income students all across our state and $218 million will be used to help with funding special education programs. These additional funds are going to mean a great deal to school districts and students all across the State of Wisconsin. They could also prove to be a savings to property taxpayers all over Wisconsin. Thank goodness Rose Fernandez is not in charge right now! We all know how she waffled on whether she would even accept the stimulus money. We don't have time for waffling and the twiddling of thumbs when there are real investments to make in the education of our children.

No Experience and No Attention to Detail?

We already know that Rose Fernandez has ZERO experience in the area of education. Even hard line right wing partisans noted this serious problem before the primary. Nothing about her lack of experience has changed since those observations were first noted. Unfortunately that is not the only problem with having Rose Fernandez at the helm of education in Wisconsin. Since we have no track record in education, the only thing that we can do is take a look at how she has handled other responsibilities. In doing so, we have to look at her administration of the virtual schools group that she led and the small business that she and her husband operate.

We already know that Rose Fernandez did not leave the Wisconsin Coalition for Virtual School Families in the most organized fashion. Apparently when she was leading the organization, she never set a system in place to comply with important IRS disclosure rules. In a previous blog posting, I detailed the odyssey that I was forced to go through just to obtain the organization's IRS form 990's. These documents are supposed to be readily available upon request and it was very clear that she had never established a process by which her organization could adequately respond to a request for disclosure. This lack of organization led to a formal complaint, because these disclosure rules are important and complying with them should have been very easy.

While I was trying to locate the missing 990 forms, the registered agent for the organization suggested that communication with its leaders has always been a challenge. I assume that this includes the time that Rose Fernandez used to lead the organization since she only recently stepped down. Since one of the primary responsibilities of a registered agent is to keep the organization's documentation updated, I decided to check the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions records for the Fernandez-run organization. A quick glimpse at the information offered on the DFI site seemed to confirm a disorganized theme. The record shows that the virtual schools organization first registered with DFI in 2005 and promptly is marked as "delinquent" as soon as 2007. That "delinquent" status appears to have continued all the way until earlier this year. The only thing that DFI needed the Fernandez-led organization to do is simply provide an annual report and pay a fee. Apparently that was too hard to manage.

Rose Fernandez and her husband also operate a small business, which is organized as a Limited Liability Company. As such it is also required to file annual reports with the DFI. Yet again, a look at the status of this small business contributes to what appears to be a common trend for Fernandez. The DFI website shows that their business, Roll n Rack LLC, was first recorded in 2003. Once again, we find that Rose Fernandez business has had a "delinquent" status with DFI since 2008. Again, the only thing that DFI really needs from Fernandez is for her to file an annual report and pay a fee, why is there such an apparent and reoccurring problem with such simple tasks?

We already know that Rose Fernandez has ZERO experience in the area of education, but now we must ask some real questions about her leadership and attention to important detail. The above examples are really fairly simple tasks but on Fernandez watch, none of them were addressed properly. If Rose Fernandez cannot negotiate the simple obligations of a small organization and small business, how are we supposed to trust her with the many complex duties of running the entire Department of Public Instruction for the State of Wisconsin? No experience and no attention to detail? That is not the kind of "change" that we need at DPI.

A Right Wing Fan Club Doesn’t Equal Education Experience

We already know that Dr. Tony Evers is eminently qualified to head the Department of Public Instruction. He has some 34 years of experience at all levels of education, not to mention the fact that he is a parent and a grand parent of public school children. With such an accomplished background as an educator, it is no wonder that he is almost unanimously supported by teachers, principals, and superintendents in every corner of the state.

At the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you have Rose Fernandez who has zero background, training or experience in education at any level. She has not worked in a public school for even one day, much less dedicating 34 years of her life to education in Wisconsin. In fact, the only experience that she has that is even remotely related to education is her leading of what looks like a front group for the for-profit company K12, Inc. This is the same out-of-state company that bragged about making some $5 million from Wisconsin taxpayers by selling their products for homeschooling via the internet. In fact, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if K12 and their connections in this state haven't been intimately involved in the propping up of this candidate from very early on in the process. Unfortunately none of this translates into Rose Fernandez having the abilities or training to head DPI.

Although Rose Fernandez has zero experience in education, she does have an education and experience in nursing. Coming from that background, one might expect that she at least has the backing from people in that important profession. Unfortunately for Fernandez, the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals just came out to endorse Dr. Evers for Superintendent. Wow, that one has really got to hurt!

When you take a look at Rose Fernandez complete lack of training/background in education, you can only assume that she is receiving support from the right wing simply for espousing all of the preferred talking points. Unfortunately for Wisconsin students that includes the "voucherizing" of their schools and basically taking the "public" out of the DPI. That may translate into having a large right wing fan club, but that does not equal being good for leading education in Wisconsin.

Where is the “Turnaround Team” for the Voucher Program?

Recently an analysis verified what many well informed people already knew, that Milwaukee voucher schools performed at just about the same level as Milwaukee Public Schools. People like DPI candidate Rose Fernandez and others on the extreme would have us "voucherize" the entire state claiming that these schools are somehow superior to public. This new study provides a much needed dose of reality for anyone that really cares about education in this state. One of the main tenets of the Fernandez campaign is to create what she calls a "Turnaround Team" for Milwaukee Public Schools. Since the voucher program is working as good (or as bad) as MPS, why hasn't Rose Fernandez proposed a "Turnaround Team" for the voucher program? And while I'm asking questions, is she proposing that we spend half as much on MPS or twice as much on the voucher program or both?

It seems pretty clear that Rose Fernandez wants to spread the voucher program all over the state. Since the voucher schools are functioning at the same basic level as MPS, is she saying that Milwaukee schools level of performance is acceptable for the rest of the state? She is talking about "changing" things but I don't think there are many around the state that would welcome that change. Either she is suggesting that we lower educational standards across the state or she is being strictly partisan and extreme in her blind support of the voucher program. It doesn't matter which it is because both are bad for our students and both are bad for education in Wisconsin.

Scott Walker Does His Best Rose Fernandez Impression

During last week Friday's DPI debate, Rose Fernandez did her best Scott Walker impression by waffling on an $800 million question. Now Scott Walker is repaying the favor by doing his best Rose Fernandez impression. I told you that these two spent too much time together at all of those rabidly partisan events! They really are two peas in a pod! Rose waffles on investing hundreds of millions of dollars into Wisconsin kids' education. Walker refuses investment in Milwaukee County, and then pledges to send 230 more Milwaukee workers into the unemployment line. All of that just to pander to the extreme right wing!

So while Rose and Scott continue to impersonate each other, the rest of us need to make note of their actions and reject that rigid ideology. Anything less would be a very expensive mistake for both Milwaukee County and the entire State of Wisconsin.

UPDATE: So now Scott Walker is backtracking on his promise to send 230 workers to the unemployment line. Typical Walker, the second he thinks that it might be bad for him politically, he adjusts to what he thinks is expedient for his own future. That may be one way to run a campaign but it is NO WAY to govern.

WIL Fernandez Join the Whining about WEAC?

Talker Charlie Sykes has already started what is sure to be a chorus of right wing whining about the ads that WEAC might run in the DPI race. It seems odd that they would actually complain about anyone running ads since they are usually silent when an organization on the right runs them. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and Coalition for Americas Families come to mind as a couple of sleazy examples from last year.

There is another organization that will be interesting to watch, to see if they decide to jump into the DPI fray – that would be the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership (WIL). They appear to have been mothballed ever since their executive director, Brian Fraley, left to run the Rose Fernandez campaign. At that time, I commented that the Fraley/WIL/Fernandez connections were a little troubling in my opinion. It seemed to me that the whole arrangement was a little too close to a few important lines.

Although WIL has not really done anything since Fraley left, one must wonder if they will suddenly start taking actions supporting the campaign that their ED now runs. Last year they took actions against certain legislative targets. One Wisconsin Now has reported that the for-profit out-of-state company K12 was the only donor to WIL's affiliated 527 which ran the ads. K12 reportedly gave some $50k to help fund those activities. It seems reasonable to ask whether K12 will hand over more cash to WIL or some other organization, if they haven't already. They certainly have a huge special interest in the DPI race in particular, so it wouldn't be surprising if they have been investing in this race since before the primary. Their special interests in the DPI race are crystal clear to anyone that knows about the various connections between the Rose Fernandez campaign and K12.

Equally as interesting will be the reaction of Brian Fraley to any possible WEAC ads. As Rose Fernandez campaign manager, will he complain about it while saying nothing about any possible K12 funded attacks? Before he or the campaign that he is running starts complaining they may want to revisit some of Fraley's past public comments. As previously mentioned, WIL targeted legislative candidates last fall. At that time some of their actions brought about a complaint that was filed with the Government Accountability Board. In the middle of that entire episode, then-WIL ED Brian Fraley commentated that "…WIL has a right to discuss the important public policy issues facing Wisconsin." Should they join the whining about WEAC chorus, the Fernandez Campaign must answer the following question: Don't Wisconsin teachers have that same right?

Rose Waffle Should Give Us Pause

On Saturday I wrote about how Rose Fernandez waffled on a question, about accepting federal stimulus funds. As I have already mentioned, this appears to be little more than a Walker-style pander to the furthest of the right wing that makes up her base. The obvious problem is that she apparently is willing to put her base before the education needs of the kids in this state. Rose Fernandez should be pressed further about her troubling response because these stimulus dollars will have a real impact on education in Wisconsin.

According to the Recovery.Gov website, Wisconsin would get significant help in some very important areas of education. Here are just some of the items that Rose waffled on in the last debate:

• $208,200,000 for Special Education Part B, Section 611


• $180,929,364 for Title I Education for the Disadvantaged


• $9,276,172 for Head Start

Special Education funding has consistently been a top challenge for the states and Wisconsin is no exception. To have someone waffle on further federal help in this area, makes zero sense and would only hurt students, their parents, and education in general. Similarly, Title I funding is critical to ensuring solid education opportunities for disadvantaged students. The extra funding in these two areas alone would be huge for districts like MPS which has large numbers of students that fall into both of these categories.

Less investment in education can often lead to larger class sizes and laid off teachers, neither of which are good for students. In these desperate economic times, that is exactly the kind of thing that the stimulus funding is meant to avoid. Refusing funding based on little more than ideological purity, would constitute a serious dereliction of duty. The case can also be made that refusing the stimulus funds for education could actually translate into higher property taxes. We have to run these programs and they have to be paid for in one way or another. The less that we get from the federal government, the more that the school districts will probably need from property taxpayers.

Rose Fernandez may have managed to stay ideologically pure for her fans on the extreme right, but her waffling on such a basic question should give the rest of us pause. Larger class sizes? Teacher lay-offs? Higher property taxes? Less quality? Those are certainly changes, but they are not the kind of changes that we need in Wisconsin education.

UPDATE: Walker, Fernandez and now Sarah Palin. What a cast of characters!

Rose Doing Her Best Scott Walker Impression

Last night the two candidates running for Department of Public Instruction participated in a We the People debate. In one of the more interesting moments, Rose Fernandez tried out her best Scott Walker impression. The priceless moment came when the candidates were asked if they would accept the federal stimulus money that has been designated for education in Wisconsin. Dr. Tony Evers welcomed the chance to pump $800 million dollars into our state's schools, rightfully commenting that "educators are the lever that can turn our economy around." Rose Fernandez on the other hand took what should have been a softball and turned it into a strike out. Fernandez waffled as to whether she would accept the unprecedented federal investment in Wisconsin education and Wisconsin students. Quite an odd thing for someone that wants to run the Department of Public Instruction. Although it is not a surprise.

Apparently Rose Fernandez has spent too much time with Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker at all of those partisan events all over the state. Who can forget Walker's infamous refusal to bring home our own federal tax investment to meet the many needs of our own county? He may have pleased the hardest of the right wing primary voters, but he was broadly panned across most other lines. Apparently Rose doesn't want to offend her base of support on the far far right, so she waffled on an $800 million question.

It's not a good sign when someone with zero qualifications and a questionable administrative history, follows it up with turning down an $800 million federal investment in the students of Wisconsin. It is even worse when that is a candidate for the Department of Public Instruction. I know that they probably spent a good deal of time together at these hyper-partisan events, but the last thing that anyone needs to do right now is imitate the Walking failure from Wauwatosa.

Now Read Part II: "Rose Waffle Should Give Us Pause"

Taking the Public Out of the DPI

As she has been running to head the Department of Public Instruction, Rose Fernandez has said that she supports public schools. But you wouldn't know it if you looked beyond her campaign rhetoric. A 2005 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story about her children attending a Virtual School, revealed that they had previously been homeschooled. Some of her older children that were featured in that story now attend a private school. So there was homeschooling, then virtual schools, then a private school. This pattern seems to show that she has never been a big fan of public schools - that is until she decided to run for public office. Apparently we are supposed to just accept her campaign rhetoric without asking why Public schools were never good enough (at any point) for her own children.

Unfortunately Rose Fernandez has zero track record to look at beyond her campaign promises and current rhetoric. Let's face it, Rose Fernandez has zero experience with or investment in our state's public schools. This seems odd since she wants to lead the Department of PUBLIC Instruction. Voters are really being asked to take quite a big leap of faith indeed. They are being asked to take a person that has zero experience as an educator at any level and allow her to lead the entire state's education system. The public is being asked to make someone the head of the Department of Public Instruction that has never shown a real commitment to, well…public instruction.

If Rose Fernandez severe lack of real-life support is not enough, just look at some of her stated positions. When responding to questions from the wildly extreme Wisconsin Family Council, Fernandez sounded all of the right anti-public school talking points that they prefer to hear. In that document she supports not only removing the cap on the number of voucher schools in Milwaukee but then expanding it all across the state. In doing this she would essentially be lifting money out of the pockets of our public schools all over the state and handing it over to what she truly prefers – private schools. Her comments to the Wisconsin Family Council are unmistakable and they clearly show that she plans to "voucherize" Wisconsin schools.

Rose Fernandez not only has a preference for private schools but also apparently has a soft spot for private and for profit out-of-state companies. Rose Fernandez is connected in several different directions to the for-profit, Virginia-based company K12, Inc. She actually started surfacing in news stories, such as the one referenced above, directly in relation to K12 and virtual schools. K12 contracts with school districts using virtual schools and has made a handsome profit on Wisconsin dollars. In one K12 prospectus (pg. 69) the firm bragged about possibly capturing some $5 million dollars from the State of Wisconsin in the fiscal year 2008. Making this kind of scratch, K12 certainly has been able to fund all sorts of lobbyists and others to protect their Wisconsin gravy train. Rose Fernandez has been a loyal supporter of this private company and they would like nothing more than to see her gain a position that could realistically translate into even larger profits. It makes me wonder if they have or if they will invest any more of their loot into this race in one way or another.

Rose Fernandez wants to take over the Department of Public Instruction, even though she has never shown any observable support for public schools. Over the years she has personally avoided them, she has zero investment in them, and she supports taking away funding from them to prop up private schools and even a private company. One thing is now painfully clear, Rose Fernandez plans to take the Public out of the Department of Public Instruction.

Virtual 990s Lead to Real Complaint

Since Rose Fernandez is running for the top education job in the State of Wisconsin, I thought that I would check into her background in education. Since she has apparently never been a teacher or an administrator at a school or school district, my available areas of inquiry were very few. The closest thing that I could find was her leadership of the advocacy organization, Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families (WCVSF). Since this appeared to be my only way to learn more about what she has done related to education, I decided to request this organization's IRS form 990's. This is a form for all organizations that are recognized as a nonprofit by the IRS. It gives all kinds of useful information, that could aid me in my effort to further understand the organization that Rose Fernandez had run for the last several years. Unfortunately I quickly found myself on an odyssey trying to obtain information that is regulated by the IRS and should be readily available for members of the public.

The IRS rules regarding public disclosure of 990 forms are pretty clear. The public can request a nonprofit's 990's by mail or in-person. Requests by mail should be fulfilled in 30 days and in-person requests are to be fulfilled by the organization on the same day that the request is made. For this reason, most organizations keep copies of these documents on hand so that they are always available for public inspection during normal business hours. I chose to request the WCVSF 990's in-person because obviously I don't have 30 days to wait before learning more about Rose Fernandez and the organization that she led.

On Thursday March 5, 2009, I went to the WCVSF web site but found only a P.O. Box address. I looked on every page and couldn't find a street address anywhere. I looked for any possible instruction or link given advising the public of exactly how they could obtain the organization's 990's. Since there was no street address or instructions for how to obtain this information, I quickly found myself investing way too much of my own time trying to track down that which the organization is obligated to provide. Suspecting that WCVSF was a recognized corporation in the state, I searched and found their incorporation records on the Department of Financial Institutions website. That listing also provided the name and address of their registered agent. The average person probably would not have known to look for such information, nor should that be required of them. The registered agent was listed as MIBEF Corporate Services INC, located in downtown Milwaukee.

Since WCVSF gave me no other options for making an in-person request, I decided to make an in-person request for their 990's later in the day on March 5. When I arrived at the office, it ended up being a part of the Michael, Best and Friedrich law firm. I spoke with a paralegal there who seemed unsure as how to process my in-person request. She asked me for my contact information and advised me that she would work on my request. I was sure to remind her that the IRS rules state that WCVSF was required to comply with my in-person request the same business day.

On Friday March 6 at noon, I had still not heard from anyone regarding my in-person request from the previous day. I called the paralegal that was trying to help me but only got her voice mail. Later, I found myself in the downtown area of Milwaukee and decided to just stop in again to check on the status of the request that I had made almost a full 24 hours prior. The paralegal advised me that she has been unable to communicate with the organization. She further offered that this has been a challenge with the organization's leadership for some time. She then gave me the name and phone number of the new President of the WCVSF, Bob Reber. Before leaving the building I called him and notified him of my nearly 24 hour long odyssey to obtain his organization's form 990's. I gave him my contact information, and he told me that he would work on tracking down these forms that are supposed to be available to the public upon request. On the evening of March 6, I finally got a call from Mr. Reber advising me that he would have the 990's delivered to me by fax by Monday morning, March 9.

Monday morning came and went and I received no communication from Mr. Reber. Later that afternoon I tried to call his number but got no response. Finally after four full days and much of my own time spent, I received the WCVSF 990's via fax.

It was pretty clear to me early on that this organization had no process in place to comply with this important public disclosure rule. Their web site gives nothing but a post office box, they appear to have a chronic lack communication with their own registered agent, and they didn't appear to know the location of their important IRS documents. Although they may have been pulling in decent amounts of money from their donors, those funds have not appeared to produce good administration up until this point.

For an organization that spends thousands of dollars on its website each year, one would think that it should not be that hard to give at least discreet instruction for obtaining what they are obligated to provide. If they insist on having a P.O. Box for an office location, they could avoid this problem in the future by simply providing a link to a pdf copy of the documents that they are required to disclose. Over the years, they have clearly not put a priority on this important requirement, and even after a week of this drama, they have still done nothing visible to avoid this disclosure problem in the future. It is for this reason that I have filed a formal complaint with the Internal Revenue Service.

Needless to say, based on this experience, my personal impression of Rose Fernandez administrative skills is not very high. If this is how casually these important requirements have been treated, how many other areas have been neglected on her watch?

The Big-Money Mobleys and Other Surprises

Last week campaign finance documents were filed with the Government Accountability Board. There were a few surprises but I can’t decide which of the following was the most unexpected.

1. In the Department of Public Instruction race, conservative Van Mobley raised over $60,000, but perhaps the biggest surprise was that a full $46,000 of it was from people that share his last name. So far this looks like a wealthy family-funded affair, with Van giving his own campaign $5,000 and his wife pitching in $10,000. The remaining Mobley money came from folks living down south. Two donors from the same Alabama address gave a combined $20,000. Another couple from the same South Carolina address gave a combined $ 11,000. Without these maxed out donations from his apparently wealthy family, the Mobley Campaign would have only brought in just over $14,300. For a statewide campaign, I’m not sure that such support is much to write home about – or maybe it is.
2. Apparently Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick is so busy communicating with right wing extremists that he has been unable to raise much cash. In his filing last week he only reported $14,595 raised, nearly $10k of which was from his own wallet.
3. And then there is virtual schools advocate and DPI candidate Rose Fernandez. With all of her press releases, internet videos, and apparent support among the right wing blogging class, it was a little surprising that she was left with a big goose egg for fundraising. Technically, it appears that she did raise 50 bucks from somewhere but then spent it ending the year with a zero balance. Based on that number, one might suggest that her support is only virtual (sorry, couldn't resist).

Words Really Do Matter

Last Thursday I blogged about the conservative organization Wisconsin Institute for Leadership (WIL), and its Executive Director Brian Fraley. I openly wondered if it was appropriate that he forwarded a campaign email including his own note that Department of Public Instruction candidate Rose Fernandez is “worthy of your support”. As the head of a 501c4 nonprofit, this came dangerously close to crossing some important lines in my opinion. In that blog I also wondered if this was a sign that he was preparing to go to work for the Fernandez campaign. Later that same day we learned that he in fact was taking leave from WIL to become her campaign manger. Fraley responded to my blog in the comments section but didn’t fully address the issue.

Fraley seems to be suggesting that his forwarding of the Fernandez Campaign email and commenting that she was “worthy of your support” was personal. I am frankly surprised that he would not see the importance of his words whether his email was technically personal or not. His own business website states the following:

"The words you use to convey your thoughts can make or break a political
campaign...At the Markesan Group, one of our first tasks for clients is to
develop lists of which key words you should use, and which killer words to
avoid"

Words do matter and that idea does not just extend to political campaigns or to his own private clients. It also extends to him, in his position as WIL executive director. I would suggest that the words “worthy of your support” when talking about a candidate for public office are “killer” words in this context. Now that he has actually gone to work for that campaign, the importance of his words while acting as WIL Executive Director should be amplified ten-fold.

Fraley’s December email is not the only area of question between WIL and the Fernandez Campaign. Also in December and again last week the Daily Takes Twitter account mentions Fernandez and promotes her campaign’s You Tube video. Although this Twitter account is named after Fraley’s blog, it also bears a WIL logo at the top. Even if we are to explain away the email (which I assume didn’t include a WIL logo), exactly what is the explanation for this?

At the very least these issues blur some very important lines. In this specific case the blurred lines should call into question any advocacy from WIL surrounding the upcoming Department of Public Instruction election and Rose Fernandez in particular. Given the entire context, how could WIL be taken seriously? I agree with the Markesan Group that words really do matter, and that includes the use of the word “independent.”

WIL Fraley’s Virtual Independence

In September right wing blogger and political operative Brian Fraley announced that he was taking a new job as the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership (WIL). This organization is supposed to be “independent” complete with a 501c4 non-profit tax status. At the time Fraley described on his Daily Takes blog that the new organization was “nonprofit, nonpartisan and issue-focused.”

Oh really? If WIL is actually “nonpartisan and issue focused”, then why did Brian Fraley, forward Rose Fernandez announcement that she was running for Department of Public Instruction? According to a recent report by the Capital Times, he did not just forward that announcement but also included a very supportive note about the candidate. According to the report, this happened sometime in December. The obvious question here is should the head of an “independent” 501c4 advocacy organization be advancing a candidate’s campaign in this manner? Exactly what contact has Rose Fernandez or her representatives had with WIL Fraley and when did they have it?

On January 1, the WIL blog notes that Fraley is taking leave from his position there until April 15, which is obviously after the general election for Department of Public Instruction. Could the executive director of this “independent” 501c4 advocacy organization actually be taking leave to work for the Fernandez Campaign? Perhaps someone should ask Fraley…perhaps they should ask Fernandez. Even if he is not going to work for Fernandez directly, is he going to work for someone else on her behalf? Is this appropriate? Even if WIL and Fraley had any credibility about being “independent” in the first place, how could anyone take them seriously now?

At this point we don’t know if Brian Fraley is taking leave from WIL to work for the Fernandez Campaign, but his pattern of behavior is interesting. When he took the job at WIL he posted on his Daily Takes blog exactly why it had gone on hiatus. At that time he explained, “Daily Takes doesn’t help pay my mortgage. My real jobs do.” Low-and-behold, Fraley just announced on his blog today that it is once again going on “hiatus”! If he is being true to form, then it must be because of one of his “real jobs.” We know that his “real job” at WIL can’t be to blame this time, so what/who is the culprit now?

Brian Fraley has openly commented on his work for the virtual schools lobby and with Rose Fernandez in particular. Whether or not he eventually goes to work for her actual campaign, his actions supporting her recently should make things crystal clear. Any claim from Fraley or WIL about being “independent” are completely virtual and have no basis in reality.

UPDATE: Can someone say BINGO?

The part that is most problematic to me is that Fraley's email (as reported by the Capital Times) includes the following: "...she is worthy of your support." Independent groups and their agents cant "support" or "oppose" candidates. Based on today's announcement, it looks like he wont just be "supporting" the Fernandez Campaign now, but actually running it.