Reading the Dan Bice column on the alledged shouting match between Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway and County Supervisor Joe Rice, you would think the Supervisors lost their cool and would be embarrassed by the report.

That would be a naive read on the situation.

To understand what happened you have to understand Lee Holloway, his brand of leadership and his political savvy. Consider this — it’s election time and Holloway likely knew exactly what was happening and how it would play out. Holloway’s district is a safe minority district. Rice’s district includes River Hills which has a tendency to throw about 70% of its vote behind the more conservative candidate.

Holloway is often portrayed on white republican talk radio (among them WTMJ which is owned by the same parent company which publishes The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) as a money grubbing thug who spends tax dollars on things white people wouldn’t approve of. Rice has firmly embraced CRG, the suburban Republican shill group which attempted to recall Holloway and another African-American Supervisor.

Think about this closely. How would it play out in their respective districts if they had a heated argument?

That’s right — they would both be embraced by their respective constituents as being renegades willing to stand up for the values that they and their constituents hold dear.

But wait, it gets better. (I’ve failed to resist the urge to compare this to an “as seen on tv” ad).

It’s nomination papers time. It’s that time of year when Supervisors start to do things they’ll actually get publicity for. After all, if they’re seen doing something, they’re more likely to be re-elected right? The filing deadline falls sometime in the next week. To run, a person need only have a minimum of 200 valid signatures from eligible voters in the district to put them on the ballot. As of a few days ago Rice didn’t have an opponent so he’ll likely get a walk on. Anyone mulling over a challenge now gets to see his name in the paper for standing up to a Supervisor who just last year was taken to task for some ethical lapses. Nothing ever came of it.


But it’s not just that little tiff that others should consider. Rice isn’t alone in using his franking privileges to send out a “newsletter” right before he could start circulating nomination papers. I put “newsletter” in quotes because typically you want a newsletter to have news. Since he hasn’t accomplished anything while in office he can’t claim to have made any news. This is the time of the term when the person who spent last month running to the mail house gets to take a deep breath and take a vacation if so inclined.

Now why would Holloway engineer this? I’ve got to say — it’s pure political talent. I know Lee. He’s a bit of a scoundrel but on a personal level I like the guy. He’s the type who will show you the ropes and help you out if it’s eventually in his own best interest. He’ll promise, as he did recently, that he’ll be a more proactive Chairman if the board re-elects him to that post next term. Of course he won votes with that promise last time and it should be pretty clear that his leadership has been mostly AWOL this term. You just have to understand where he stands. Lee is, well, Lee.

But it’s not just Holloway and Rice who are playing the pre-election jitters game. Supervisor Lynne DeBruin, having done little for her district, hasn’t been seen as a pro-active Supervisor and certainly is not embracing the values of a majority of her district, has run to Republican talk show host Charlie Sykes who, since DeBruin faces a challenge from district resident Dan Cody who is perceived to be to the left of DeBruin, is happy to give her face time on his show.

It’s really all just a game these three politicians are playing. It will be interesting to see if it pays off for them.