So I suppose I'm going to take heat from friends on both sides for this and maybe I'll even lose work (which I certainly can't afford). But could everyone please just try to take it down one notch?
I've been increasingly troubled by some of the over-the-top and toxic rhetoric flying back and forth between various friends and allies of mine. I know exactly how divisive this highly controversial Milwaukee County legislation was but none of us are helped by making permanent mortal enemies out of longtime partners and friends. I just don't see who wins in that scenario besides Republicans...and perhaps that was part of the plan in the first place.
I think I've been fairly clear that I've opposed the legislation to undermine the Milwaukee County Board and I've been vehemently opposed to the manner in which that goal was accomplished. So I don't have a problem with engaging in an aggressive and sometimes angry battle and debate with friends but it has seemed to go well beyond that point. Some of the rhetoric has been downright ridiculous and I was hoping it would pass eventually. But it seems to be migrating from that issue to every other issue now.
The County Board does X and all sorts of personal and absurd allegations and name calling is launched by this group. Abele, his admin and allies do Y and all manor of venom is cast in their direction. Again, I'm not saying that we can't vehemently disagree on some very important issues but it seems to be going well past that point. The concern that I'm trying to express here is not really for the entities at the center of this but more for all the genuinely good people caught in between.
I'm certainly not asking everyone to join arms and sing Kumbaya after a heated battle but I'm hoping that we are not doing long-term or permanent damage right now. There will be a time when many of us will have to team up again in some larger fight. I'm hoping that we are still capable of doing that after all of this is said and done. And that is exactly why I'm asking my friends, allies and fellow Milwaukee County Democrats to consider taking some of the rhetoric down one notch while at the same time vigorously standing up for what you believe. I think it really is possible to do both...or am I just being naive?
Showing posts with label gmc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gmc. Show all posts
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Why isn't GMC registered with the Milwaukee County Clerk?
We already know that the Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC) hired an army of lobbyists to help write and ram through AB 85. GMC President Julia Taylor and operative Brian Schupper also are registered with the state as lobbyists. Given their active involvement in micromanaging Milwaukee County this is certainly no surprise. What may be a surprise is that neither of those two GMC paid employees are registered as lobbyists with the Milwaukee County Clerk. Furthermore GMC is not even registered as a principal with the Milwaukee County Clerk. In fact I see no evidence of any GMC registrations for the past several years even though they have been trying to micromanage Milwaukee County government for some time.
So what gives? How could an organization that has employed such a heavy hand to influence Milwaukee County government not even be registered as a principal and their paid operatives as lobbyists?
First take a look at some important definitions taken directly from Milwaukee County Ordinance Chapter 14 which regulates lobbying activities in the county.
What is "lobbying"?
For example, just consider some of the following contacts by Julia Taylor and Brian Schupper with officials from the County Executive's office last year. Keep in mind that this doesn't even include any contacts with County Supervisors or other county officials (You can find the below referenced communications in the files that I made public last week).
Since GMC wants to micromanage Milwaukee County so badly they should also make sure that they are in full compliance with basic Milwaukee County ordinances. Perhaps there is a simple explanation for all of this that I am missing but I still think that the public should get a proper and full explanation. This is especially true given how heavily GMC has imposed itself on our county government.
So what gives? How could an organization that has employed such a heavy hand to influence Milwaukee County government not even be registered as a principal and their paid operatives as lobbyists?
First take a look at some important definitions taken directly from Milwaukee County Ordinance Chapter 14 which regulates lobbying activities in the county.
What is "lobbying"?
"Lobbying means the practice of attempting to influence legislative or administrative action by oral or written communication with any county official..."What is a "lobbyist"?
"Lobbyist means any person who is employed by a principal or who contracts for or receives economic consideration...and whose duties include lobbying on behalf of the principal."There is the following exception to note here:
"If an individual's duties on behalf of a principal are not limited exclusively to lobbying, the individual is a lobbyist only if he or she makes lobbying communications on more than three (3) days within a reporting period."What is the reporting period?
"Reporting period means any six-month period beginning with January 1 and ending on June 30 or beginning with July 1 and ending on December 31."As far as I can tell, the only possible way that GMC and their paid operatives could be exempt from the county's ordinance is if those operatives didn't communicate more than 3 times with county officials during the above described reporting periods. I find that very hard to believe given the way that they have been so heavily involved in trying to micromanage Milwaukee County government.
For example, just consider some of the following contacts by Julia Taylor and Brian Schupper with officials from the County Executive's office last year. Keep in mind that this doesn't even include any contacts with County Supervisors or other county officials (You can find the below referenced communications in the files that I made public last week).
- Apparently Julia Taylor sought an update from them regarding the LRLF Planning Committee on or around March 6, 2012.
- On March 26, 2012, Brian Schupper emailed an administration official inviting him to a GMC event and mentioned the fact that they had also met earlier that same day.
- Chris Abele's calendar includes a meeting with Julia Taylor on April 5, 2012 regarding the comptroller issue.
- On May 7, 2012, Brian Schupper communicates multiple times with Abele administration officials asking them to write a supportive letter related to a grant that they are seeking. In these two emails he also references a conversation day(s) earlier.
- Chris Abele's calendar includes a meeting on June 25, 2012 with Julia Taylor. The agenda states that they will discuss Madison's City Camp and doing something similar for the county. They also were set to discuss "legislative strategy".
- On July 18, 2012 and July 23, 2012 Brian Schupper again emails Abele administration officials about getting a letter of support from the County Executive.
- Chris Abele's calendar shows that he was set to go to the University Club for a GMC County Task Force meeting on July 18, 2012
Since GMC wants to micromanage Milwaukee County so badly they should also make sure that they are in full compliance with basic Milwaukee County ordinances. Perhaps there is a simple explanation for all of this that I am missing but I still think that the public should get a proper and full explanation. This is especially true given how heavily GMC has imposed itself on our county government.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Releasing Milwaukee County & AB 85 Related Records
In March I posted my first blog item on the proposed legislation to undermine the Milwaukee County Board. At that time I said that the issue was important enough that it deserved a much closer and fully open examination. Since that time I've been looking into many aspects of the proposed legislation. I've tried to identify and document where it was really devised, who exactly is pushing it, how are they pushing it and why. I'm not sure that I've adequately answered all of those questions to my own satisfaction but I do think that we know a lot more now than we knew then.
During this process I've compiled tens of thousands of pages of county, state and other publicly available documents and pieces of information. I've also started compiling profile information on some of the key players and special interests that have been pushing this issue the most. So I've decided, in keeping with the spirit of my original blog posting, to fully release all of those documents to anyone and everyone that may be interested in them. Individuals, organizations, activists, public officials, traditional media, bloggers and anyone else. This is an important public policy issue with long-term ramifications and the public deserves to know as much as possible about its origin and its potential impact.
CLICK HERE to gain full access to nearly all of my files on this topic.
Since my own research is not yet complete, I will continue to update this public file when I obtain new and relevant information. When I do update it I might not blog about it but I will try to at least tweet it @cjliebmann.
If you have documents, information or other items that might substantively add to this collection of records, you can contact me at the email address in the column to the right.
During this process I've compiled tens of thousands of pages of county, state and other publicly available documents and pieces of information. I've also started compiling profile information on some of the key players and special interests that have been pushing this issue the most. So I've decided, in keeping with the spirit of my original blog posting, to fully release all of those documents to anyone and everyone that may be interested in them. Individuals, organizations, activists, public officials, traditional media, bloggers and anyone else. This is an important public policy issue with long-term ramifications and the public deserves to know as much as possible about its origin and its potential impact.
CLICK HERE to gain full access to nearly all of my files on this topic.
Since my own research is not yet complete, I will continue to update this public file when I obtain new and relevant information. When I do update it I might not blog about it but I will try to at least tweet it @cjliebmann.
If you have documents, information or other items that might substantively add to this collection of records, you can contact me at the email address in the column to the right.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Scorched Earth Politics is a Long-Term Loser
Just like many other faithful Democrats, I worked hard to help get Chris Abele elected in 2011. For my part, I did it because I believed that we really needed a Democrat to clean up the mess that Scott Walker left behind in Milwaukee County. I knew that Chris Abele would be more conservative than I am in some respects but that is not a deal breaker for me. In fact I appreciate a practical approach to policy but in my view that is not what Abele and his allies used in their formulation and pushing of AB 85.
If Chris Abele wanted to make such dramatic changes to the very structure of county government, then he really should have clearly and specifically campaigned on it. However only a few years before he first ran for county executive a poll found that county residents didn't support radical changes to county governmental structure. In fact Chris Abele's Argosy Foundation funded that poll. [Public Policy Forum, August, 2008]
Here is what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported about the poll results at the time:
Consider for example the following chain of events which are based on Abele administration records that were obtained via open records request:
There is no indication that any other stakeholders were invited into these private planning sessions about public policy. Apparently you had to be a GMC member, ally or consultant to give input on the plans that they were devising for the rest of us. That theme was reinforced when we found out that GMC lobbyists were literally in the room with legislators as they drafted AB 85.
I don't imagine that this legislation would have gone over well with many people if they would have worked on it in the open but at least you could have had some input and perhaps buy-in from some major stakeholders. Instead they chose to use a large wallet, a GMC front group, a professional spin machine and an army of lobbyists to ram this legislation through. Perhaps that is why they could only get 1 solitary Democrat to sign on to the legislation. Perhaps that is why most Milwaukee-area legislators have aggressively fought it. Perhaps that is why the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County voted unanimously to oppose this legislation. It really didn't have to be this way. While you surely wouldn't have brought everyone over to your way of thinking, you could have at least made an effort to convince some. Maybe you could have actually considered other ideas and compromised in some way. But instead of doing any of that, the choice was made to blindside everyone that was not invited to the University Club.
Further evidence of the scorched earth tactics were demonstrated in other ways. For example, when our Democratic Minority Leader Sen. Chris Larson put out a newsletter that was critical of the legislation, Chris Abele had his county communications director send out talking points attacking and undermining him. Those talking points were sent to Sen. Lena Taylor's Chief of Staff and to a GMC operative who was all too happy to circulate them regardless of the cost to Democrats. Was that really necessary?
The bottom line is that the tactics that have been used to spring this legislation on Milwaukee County and then to ram it through by brute force has turned many former and potential allies into enemies. In some cases Chris Abele has burned bridges and I really don't believe that it was ever necessary. While Abele and GMC might win the fight to ram this legislation through, their scorched earth politics might prove to be a long-term loser.
If Chris Abele wanted to make such dramatic changes to the very structure of county government, then he really should have clearly and specifically campaigned on it. However only a few years before he first ran for county executive a poll found that county residents didn't support radical changes to county governmental structure. In fact Chris Abele's Argosy Foundation funded that poll. [Public Policy Forum, August, 2008]
Here is what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported about the poll results at the time:
"Despite a series of budget cuts and other lingering effects of the county pension scandal, most Milwaukee County residents say the county does a good job overall and oppose a radical government restructuring, according to survey results released today". [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/19/2008]Very late in 2012 was the first time (that I have found) where Abele made a specific public statement regarding his desire to change the actual structure of county government. The problem is that he planned these actions months (or more) before he ever uttered a word about it publicly. In fact these plans were already in the works long before the author of the bill, Republican Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, was even elected. To make matters worse, it appears that most of this planning was done behind closed doors either at the elite University Club or in one-on-one meetings with people like GMC President Julia Taylor.
Consider for example the following chain of events which are based on Abele administration records that were obtained via open records request:
- On Monday June 25, 2012 Abele meets with Julia Taylor to discuss topics including "legislative strategy."
- In an email less than a month later he makes what appears to be his first recorded comments about changing the current government structure. He talks about various actions by the board that he doesn't like and says that it provides "lots of new material for the narrative re board and the need for change."
- The very next day Abele was scheduled to attend a GMC County Task Force Meeting at the elite University Club.
There is no indication that any other stakeholders were invited into these private planning sessions about public policy. Apparently you had to be a GMC member, ally or consultant to give input on the plans that they were devising for the rest of us. That theme was reinforced when we found out that GMC lobbyists were literally in the room with legislators as they drafted AB 85.
I don't imagine that this legislation would have gone over well with many people if they would have worked on it in the open but at least you could have had some input and perhaps buy-in from some major stakeholders. Instead they chose to use a large wallet, a GMC front group, a professional spin machine and an army of lobbyists to ram this legislation through. Perhaps that is why they could only get 1 solitary Democrat to sign on to the legislation. Perhaps that is why most Milwaukee-area legislators have aggressively fought it. Perhaps that is why the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County voted unanimously to oppose this legislation. It really didn't have to be this way. While you surely wouldn't have brought everyone over to your way of thinking, you could have at least made an effort to convince some. Maybe you could have actually considered other ideas and compromised in some way. But instead of doing any of that, the choice was made to blindside everyone that was not invited to the University Club.
Further evidence of the scorched earth tactics were demonstrated in other ways. For example, when our Democratic Minority Leader Sen. Chris Larson put out a newsletter that was critical of the legislation, Chris Abele had his county communications director send out talking points attacking and undermining him. Those talking points were sent to Sen. Lena Taylor's Chief of Staff and to a GMC operative who was all too happy to circulate them regardless of the cost to Democrats. Was that really necessary?
The bottom line is that the tactics that have been used to spring this legislation on Milwaukee County and then to ram it through by brute force has turned many former and potential allies into enemies. In some cases Chris Abele has burned bridges and I really don't believe that it was ever necessary. While Abele and GMC might win the fight to ram this legislation through, their scorched earth politics might prove to be a long-term loser.
Friday, April 05, 2013
Lobbyists Wrote AB 85 & I'm Waiting for the MJS Editorial
Earlier this week we found out that the Greater Milwaukee Committee's lobbyists were literally in the room helping write Rep. Joe Sanfelippo's legislation to undermine the Milwaukee County Board (AB 85). Most people that were paying attention expected as much but Dan Bice's column verified those strong suspicions and provided us with actual documents to prove it.
When I reacted to the news that GMC's lobbyists were in the room helping write the legislation, I compared it to a very similar incident that blew up in 2006. That was the time that some of the very same players and interests were busy writing secret legislation to by-pass county officials and even county voters. That legislation involved lifting a very successful Milwaukee County asset and suddenly making it a regional entity. They were plotting and planning for years behind the scenes to accomplish their goal without input from local/county leaders, any real stake holders or even the public.
Fortunately when this secret legislation was made public in 2006 it quickly blew up on the special interests that were behind it. Even the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board, who (naturally) supported the actual idea, chastised the special interests for their secretive tactics and anti-democratic methods. Here is a sample of what the MJS Editorial Board said at the time (all emphasis below is mine):
Now that we know that some of the same players and special interests are involved now with planning and writing AB 85, where is the strong editorial from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board? If they were willing to take these same special interests to task over the single issue of a regional airport (one that they actually agreed with) then how can they not comment on the same tactics being used for a much bigger and all encompassing piece of legislation? AB 85 doesn't just threaten one Milwaukee County asset, it seeks to overturn our entire system of county government. Someone besides GMC and their lobbyists should have been invited into the room on a bill with such sweeping ramifications. And the MJS Editorial Board should show some intestinal fortitude and take the same stand for local democracy that they took back in 2006.
I'll be waiting and I hope it is not in vain.
When I reacted to the news that GMC's lobbyists were in the room helping write the legislation, I compared it to a very similar incident that blew up in 2006. That was the time that some of the very same players and interests were busy writing secret legislation to by-pass county officials and even county voters. That legislation involved lifting a very successful Milwaukee County asset and suddenly making it a regional entity. They were plotting and planning for years behind the scenes to accomplish their goal without input from local/county leaders, any real stake holders or even the public.
Fortunately when this secret legislation was made public in 2006 it quickly blew up on the special interests that were behind it. Even the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board, who (naturally) supported the actual idea, chastised the special interests for their secretive tactics and anti-democratic methods. Here is a sample of what the MJS Editorial Board said at the time (all emphasis below is mine):
If a college political science class is looking for a classic case of how not to accomplish something worthwhile, the proposal to create a regional airport authority fits the bill to a T. People that should have known better, namely private business interests and state lawmakers, missed the runway by a mile. In drafting the proposal to create the authority, they needlessly burned political bridges and, in effect, thumbed their noses at local democratic representation.The MJS Editorial Board then agreed with a the statement that the 2006 move was "the most anti-democratic proposal that has come through here in a long time." They go on to state they they are puzzled at why this legislation would be forged behind the scenes. They then chide the special interests saying that going behind local elected officials backs is a lousy way to try to achieve their goal. They conclude the editorial by saying that although they believe that the idea is worthy of pursuit, they say that next time it should be done, "openly and with all stakeholders represented."
Now that we know that some of the same players and special interests are involved now with planning and writing AB 85, where is the strong editorial from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board? If they were willing to take these same special interests to task over the single issue of a regional airport (one that they actually agreed with) then how can they not comment on the same tactics being used for a much bigger and all encompassing piece of legislation? AB 85 doesn't just threaten one Milwaukee County asset, it seeks to overturn our entire system of county government. Someone besides GMC and their lobbyists should have been invited into the room on a bill with such sweeping ramifications. And the MJS Editorial Board should show some intestinal fortitude and take the same stand for local democracy that they took back in 2006.
I'll be waiting and I hope it is not in vain.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
AB 85: Who WAS in the room and who was NOT
Most observers already know that the Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC) has been plotting and planning for some time to undermine the Milwaukee County Board. Frankly the newly introduced AB 85 is another attempt to micromanage Milwaukee County from Madison via special interest legislation. GMC has retained the services of a high profile PR firm, created a front group and hired a small army of lobbyists to push this special interest legislation through the state legislature. But now thanks to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Dan Bice, we now know that those same GMC lobbyists were not just busy pushing this legislation but they were in fact literally in the room helping write it.
This isn't the first time that some of these same interests tried to do an end-run around local control and local government to get what they want. Remember in 2006 when some of the same special interests paid for secret draft legislation to swipe control of Milwaukee County's successful airport? During that effort they wanted to make Mitchell a regionally controlled airport rather than a Milwaukee County asset. Even worse they wanted to specifically and totally bypass Milwaukee County officials and even local voters. In 2006 they even used the same law/lobby firm to do the job that GMC is using now. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/18/06]
In 2006 while many of the same special interests were busy drafting the legislation they found the perfect guy that would introduce it in the state legislature. In 2006 that role was played by Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale) but today it is being played by Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis).
The fact that GMC's paid lobbyists were so deeply involved in writing this current bill tells us everything that we really needed to know about it. But perhaps we can actually learn more based on who WAS NOT involved in the drafting of this special interest legislation. As they furiously spin in the media and through their highly paid spokespeople they pretend that the beneficiary of this legislation is the public. But they didn't involve the public in writing this legislation. They didn't include key members of the community or other direct stake holders. In keeping with the pattern they had their well paid lobbyists helping write it behind closed doors.
If you had any doubt about what this legislation is really all about it should be totally cleared at this point. It was written by these special interests and for these special interests. Right now they are simply trying to force the rest of us to come along for the ride. Their highly paid PR firm and their phony front group will continue to spin that they really did it all for us. But the point remains, when it was time to actually draw up this legislation WE were not invited into the room.
This isn't the first time that some of these same interests tried to do an end-run around local control and local government to get what they want. Remember in 2006 when some of the same special interests paid for secret draft legislation to swipe control of Milwaukee County's successful airport? During that effort they wanted to make Mitchell a regionally controlled airport rather than a Milwaukee County asset. Even worse they wanted to specifically and totally bypass Milwaukee County officials and even local voters. In 2006 they even used the same law/lobby firm to do the job that GMC is using now. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/18/06]
In 2006 while many of the same special interests were busy drafting the legislation they found the perfect guy that would introduce it in the state legislature. In 2006 that role was played by Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale) but today it is being played by Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis).
The fact that GMC's paid lobbyists were so deeply involved in writing this current bill tells us everything that we really needed to know about it. But perhaps we can actually learn more based on who WAS NOT involved in the drafting of this special interest legislation. As they furiously spin in the media and through their highly paid spokespeople they pretend that the beneficiary of this legislation is the public. But they didn't involve the public in writing this legislation. They didn't include key members of the community or other direct stake holders. In keeping with the pattern they had their well paid lobbyists helping write it behind closed doors.
If you had any doubt about what this legislation is really all about it should be totally cleared at this point. It was written by these special interests and for these special interests. Right now they are simply trying to force the rest of us to come along for the ride. Their highly paid PR firm and their phony front group will continue to spin that they really did it all for us. But the point remains, when it was time to actually draw up this legislation WE were not invited into the room.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Sorry But City of Milwaukee Residents Do Matter
During the current Madison-based effort to undermine the Milwaukee County Board, I've repeatedly heard supporters using many of the exact same talking points. One of the talking points that has repeatedly gotten under my skin is the touting of referendums in 10 suburbs. Supporters have used those votes to strongly suggest if not outright state that Milwaukee County voters support their agenda in a big way. That particular use of the referendum results are totally disingenuous in my opinion.
Let me be perfectly clear that the views of the voters in those 10 suburbs most certainly do matter. But let me also be perfectly clear that the largest constituency in Milwaukee County (speaking strictly numerically) matters much more. And that group of people would be City of Milwaukee residents. Yet you wouldn't know it based on some of the declarations that we hear from the professional spin machine that has been retained to push this special interest agenda.
Today the latest MU Law Poll was released. In it they reported that folks in the City of Milwaukee favored a full-time County Board 54-37%. That double digit level of support in what is obviously the most population dense portion of the county most certainly does matter. It would be nice if supporters of the special interest legislation would acknowledge that simple fact before declaring victory. But perhaps they are cynically banking on the assumption that City of Milwaukee residents wont be engaged enough.
A few parting points:
Let me be perfectly clear that the views of the voters in those 10 suburbs most certainly do matter. But let me also be perfectly clear that the largest constituency in Milwaukee County (speaking strictly numerically) matters much more. And that group of people would be City of Milwaukee residents. Yet you wouldn't know it based on some of the declarations that we hear from the professional spin machine that has been retained to push this special interest agenda.
Today the latest MU Law Poll was released. In it they reported that folks in the City of Milwaukee favored a full-time County Board 54-37%. That double digit level of support in what is obviously the most population dense portion of the county most certainly does matter. It would be nice if supporters of the special interest legislation would acknowledge that simple fact before declaring victory. But perhaps they are cynically banking on the assumption that City of Milwaukee residents wont be engaged enough.
A few parting points:
- I'd expect that the numbers in those referendums would have been much different if they included all of the broad and sweeping measures found in AB 85. However the supporters of AB 85 wont let Milwaukee County voters have a real say on the entirety of the bill before it is actually forced upon us.
- If you would have had a similar referendum in those same 10 suburbs asking about reducing just about any elected officials pay to a part-time level I suspect that you would have found support for it. So to pretend that this is some damning piece of data against Milwaukee County supervisors in particular is again disingenuous at best.
- Not only has the 10 referendum talking point been repeatedly used but even extremely weak items like a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel online poll has been circulated by supporters of AB 85. Here is an example from Sen. Lena Taylor's records. I suspect that it was sent to her from the GMC front group Smart Government Inc. Please don't tell me that anyone is making a decision about this legislation based on such weak and worthless info.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Why is my senator talking to Michael Grebe?
Last week I wrote about the fact that we need more light to shine down on this carefully coordinated effort to undercut and otherwise weaken the Milwaukee County Board. In that blog posting I mentioned that I filed a number of open records requests with public officials that are pushing and supporting that agenda. I noted that the only person that I had not heard from regarding those requests was my own state Senator Lena Taylor. Within 24 hours of that blog posting I received notice second hand via Twitter that her office was sending the records that were responsive to my request. I did in fact receive those records last Thursday and some of them are now prompting me to ask a few additional questions.
One of the records that I requested from Senator Taylor was her official calendar. In that calendar there were a number of things that stood out including in the last days of January. I've included a copy of that page HERE.
You will notice that on January 29th from 2:30-3:00 p.m. Senator Taylor was scheduled to participate in a conference call with Michael Greebe [sic].
Most readers probably know about Michael Grebe already but here is just a small amount of background:
One of the records that I requested from Senator Taylor was her official calendar. In that calendar there were a number of things that stood out including in the last days of January. I've included a copy of that page HERE.
You will notice that on January 29th from 2:30-3:00 p.m. Senator Taylor was scheduled to participate in a conference call with Michael Greebe [sic].
Most readers probably know about Michael Grebe already but here is just a small amount of background:
- Campaign co-chair for Scott Walker
- Past Chairman and current board member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee (the business group that is pushing the Milwaukee County legislation in Madison).
- President and CEO of the mega right wing funding Bradley Foundation
- Former Chairman and CEO of Foley & Lardner (GMC front group "Smart Government" currently employs lobbyists from this firm)
- Former General Counsel to the Republican National Committee
- Former Chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin
- Americans for Prosperity
- The MacIver Institute
- American Majority & Media Trackers
- Helped fund the Einhorn Family Foundation (which purchased the voter suppression billboards that were erected all over Senator Taylor's district)
- Wisconsin Policy Research Institute
- True the Vote
- Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Shine More Light on Milwaukee County Legislation
Newly elected Representative Joe Sanfelippo had barely found his new state office and he was already announcing a list of fully formed legislative proposals to turn everything upside down on his former colleagues in Milwaukee County government. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and his various operatives rushed as if on cue to support the new Republican state legislator. And surprising exactly no one it was quickly revealed that the elite business interests running the Greater Milwaukee Committee already had a small army of lobbyists, a front group and a spin machine in place.
Given the early and well coordinated effort it was no surprise that supporters began pushing all of the same talking points and reading from the exact same (sometimes very disingenuous) script. I don't personally have a problem with a real and actual discussion about policy in Milwaukee County but I don't like the outside meddling that seems to be built into the DNA of this latest effort.
Sorry but I'm just not a fan of the elaborate behind-the-scenes plotting and planning by big dollar benefactors and big business special interests. I'm not a fan of fully formed front groups being hatched out of nowhere and slick PR firms being retained to "educate the public" long before most of us even know exactly what is being proposed or the possible consequences.
So if we in Milwaukee County are going to be forced by Big (state) Government and others into having this discussion then it should at least be a full and an open one. We should not simply have to settle for carefully formulated talking points and the well funded efforts of a few elite special interests and individuals.
For my part, I want to understand more about what exactly may have brought us to this point. What has been going on behind the scenes and who has been involved in all of this careful and expensive planning? What does that information tell us about the possible motives at the root of the effort itself?
To hopefully find some of these answers I've filed a number of open records requests with a variety of public officials that have publicly forced this issue in the first place. Most of the officials have at least initially responded to my records requests and some with a notable and welcome amount of speed. Time will tell, as I work with them to obtain various public records, exactly how open each elected official will be to such scrutiny.
After three full weeks only one public official has failed to even acknowledge receipt of my open records request and sadly that is my own state Senator Lena Taylor (See UPDATE Below). It is still a mystery to me as to why she was so quick to sign on to this legislation. There certainly is no groundswell within her district for this legislation, so I am very interested in reviewing the public records that I've requested from her. Some have already speculated about her quick support of this legislation but I am withholding judgement at this point. However doing things like ignoring open records requests into the matter will only feed those kinds of theories.
Those that are pushing this Milwaukee County legislation the hardest should be the first to allow the sun to shine on all aspects of it. Only then can we have the full and substantive discussion that Milwaukee County residents actually deserve.
UPDATE: I just was informed second hand via Twitter that Senator Taylor is putting the records responsive to my request in the mail today. If this is true I appreciate it very much and look forward to getting them.
Given the early and well coordinated effort it was no surprise that supporters began pushing all of the same talking points and reading from the exact same (sometimes very disingenuous) script. I don't personally have a problem with a real and actual discussion about policy in Milwaukee County but I don't like the outside meddling that seems to be built into the DNA of this latest effort.
Sorry but I'm just not a fan of the elaborate behind-the-scenes plotting and planning by big dollar benefactors and big business special interests. I'm not a fan of fully formed front groups being hatched out of nowhere and slick PR firms being retained to "educate the public" long before most of us even know exactly what is being proposed or the possible consequences.
So if we in Milwaukee County are going to be forced by Big (state) Government and others into having this discussion then it should at least be a full and an open one. We should not simply have to settle for carefully formulated talking points and the well funded efforts of a few elite special interests and individuals.
For my part, I want to understand more about what exactly may have brought us to this point. What has been going on behind the scenes and who has been involved in all of this careful and expensive planning? What does that information tell us about the possible motives at the root of the effort itself?
To hopefully find some of these answers I've filed a number of open records requests with a variety of public officials that have publicly forced this issue in the first place. Most of the officials have at least initially responded to my records requests and some with a notable and welcome amount of speed. Time will tell, as I work with them to obtain various public records, exactly how open each elected official will be to such scrutiny.
After three full weeks only one public official has failed to even acknowledge receipt of my open records request and sadly that is my own state Senator Lena Taylor (See UPDATE Below). It is still a mystery to me as to why she was so quick to sign on to this legislation. There certainly is no groundswell within her district for this legislation, so I am very interested in reviewing the public records that I've requested from her. Some have already speculated about her quick support of this legislation but I am withholding judgement at this point. However doing things like ignoring open records requests into the matter will only feed those kinds of theories.
Those that are pushing this Milwaukee County legislation the hardest should be the first to allow the sun to shine on all aspects of it. Only then can we have the full and substantive discussion that Milwaukee County residents actually deserve.
UPDATE: I just was informed second hand via Twitter that Senator Taylor is putting the records responsive to my request in the mail today. If this is true I appreciate it very much and look forward to getting them.
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