October
2007
I’m Not Running but Someone Should
The inevitable has happened. I’ve been asked to run for my old seat for County Supervisor. After hearing a dozen reasons why I should run, the answer is still the same.
No.
I believe that the district does deserve strong leadership and I also believe we deserve an independent Supervisor who is not beholden to County Executive Scott Walker. The current occupant of the 6th district seat I used to hold is Joe Rice who promised to treat the position as a part-time gig and in that respect has kept his promise. He did not promise he would be effective or one of the County Board’s work horses so. Had he, he would have broken those promises. Having a marginalized and ineffective Supervisor who simply votes as the County Executive wants is nothing to be proud of.
All of this leads up to one conclusion — someone needs to run for the seat to re-establish integrity, independence and a work ethic to the seat.
Still, that candidate will not be me.
I’ve struggled with the best way to explain my reasons to my friends but until I read an article on Al Gore this morning I could not articulate them. In short, I’ve fallen out of love with politics. I’ve moved on.
This is not to say I don’t care anymore. There is nothing further from the truth. I see a County that has stripped away funding for public transit and parks. It is neglecting mental health and its leader, Scott Walker, has only one commitment and that is to his own craven lust for power. While he claims he cares about lowering taxes, he has crafted budgets with phantom revenues and understated expenses, leaving the few leaders that are left on the County Board to fill the budgetary holes and in essence, craft the budget — in short, to do the job that Walker is already paid to do.
But no, I don’t have an interest.
I know what needs to be done but I’m simply not that guy. The sun has risen and set on my political career and it is time for someone else to rise and carry the standard. I hope my friends aren’t too disappointed but my heart just isn’t in the race. I just don’t have the fire.
That being said, the district desperately needs good representation and as tough as it is for me to say, even a good part-time Supervisor would be better than the guy who’s in there now.
For those of you who know me and what I stand for, that is a major concession on my part. It’s my belief that the best case scenario is one where the position is held by a person with a full time commitment to the job.
However, when the 6th district was combined with the 25th district, dynamics changed dramatically. 65% of the old 6th district was stripped away and the wealthier north shore was added to the new 6th. It is difficult enough to find someone willing to commit to the job full time, but when you add the fact that the average income is nearly double that of the old district, you have to wonder who would be willing to do the job full-time for $50,000 a year? I think it would probably be tougher to find both qualified and committed candidates in the new 6th district willing to make that commitment.
The election is this coming this spring and although the trees haven’t even started to change into their fall colors, those who hope to be serious candidates need to at least start thinking about putting together a campaign. Other districts have good candidates who are entering the race but so far, all is quiet in the 6th district.
Milwaukee County is at a crossroads. Will the gem that is our parks continue to be tarnished? Will public transportation continue to be scorned and be allowed to fall into a death spiral? Will we still care for those who are less fortunate, due to a physical or mental disability?
It’s time for a new leader to emerge.
Are you that person?
Jim McGuigan
Jim McGuigan
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With the latest county employee to walk away from his “public service” with a half-million dollar lump sum payment, it’s time to shut down the most corrupt and incompetent government in the State of Wisconsin. Milwaukee County government serves no useful purpose that could not be fulfilled by other units of government. No government in Wisconsin does more harm to the public. Every single retiree taking these outrageous payments is a bad person doing bad things. Their names and addresses should be posted on flyers so the public can render its judgment on them. This unit of government is beyond saving, shut it down and save the public billions in tax dollars.
Marcus, I actually agree that the County level of government should be shut down but for different reasons. My trip to Germany a few years ago had me looking at government differently as they don’t have counties and they work just fine without them. I’ll also point out that most counties in Wisconsin do not have County Executives and that position serves no useful benefit and only sucks up tax dollars.
I’ll take issue with your outrageous allusion that county retirees are, enmasse, walking away with massive lump sum payouts. In the cases where there are sizable payouts, keep in mind that part of those payouts are in lieu of benefits that would otherwise be stretched out. One public servant that I personally knew walked away with one of the largest, about $100,000 in a payout. She worked for the county for over 30 years and then she died within a year of retiring. So the suggestion that she somehow milked the system before her demise is inaccurate at best.
As for corruption, I’ll point out that only one person was ever accused of wrongdoing in a court of law and that person did go to jail. No publicly elected officials were ever charged because there was never a case. Republicans pointed to Tom Ament saying he was going to get a million dollar payment but that was impossible and would have been illegal. As it was, Ament waived the lump sum backdrop payment voluntarily so any allusion that he was in it for the money should have disappeared with a few sweeps of his pen.
“Rep. Sheryl Albers, R-Reedsburg, said Doyle’s legislative director Ron Hermes called her office about the governor’s budget compromise. She said she had her staff call him back to say she believed the proposal was “too weighty” on taxes and would not be returning his call personally.
She also said Joint Finance Co-Chairman Russ Decker, D-Weston, called a couple of weeks ago to see what it would take to get her vote for the budget. Albers said Decker asked if she was interested in state aid for a bridge in Loganville on Wisconsin 154 that is closed due to flooding. She said she declined the offer, preferring to seek federal funds for the project.”
And, yes this does seem to fit rh definition of logrolling.
13.05 Logrolling prohibited. Any member of the legislature who gives, offers or promises to give his or her vote or influence in favor of or against any measure or proposition pending or proposed to be introduced in the legislature in consideration or upon condition that any other person elected to the same legislature will give or will promise or agree to give his or her vote or influence in favor of or against any other measure or proposition pending or proposed to be introduced in such legislature, or who gives, offers or promises to give his or her vote or influence for or against any measure on condition that any other member will give his or her vote or influence in favor of any change in any other bill pending or proposed to be introduced in the legislature, is guilty of a Class I felony.