Group forms to recall Jursik

Since their successful effort to recall former County Executive Tom Ament and much of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, the Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) haven’t had much success with their assorted recall efforts. Their effort to get Gov. Jim Doyle recalled was a failure, as were efforts to recall Cudahy Mayor Ryan McCue and State Sen. Jim Sullivan of Wauwatosa.

Despite their multiple recall failures, the folks at CRG are going to keep trying, and this time they’re focusing their energy here in the south shore suburbs. According to a press release, CRG has agreed to provide assistance and financial support to a Cudahy and South Milwaukee citizens group interesting in holding county officials accountable for tax increases (that’s code for a group that wants to recall Supervisor Pat Jursik):

The group will file the necessary documents to form a resident Political Action Committee (PAC) named “No Tax Increase for Cudahy/South Milwaukee” tomorrow morning with the Milwaukee County Election Commission.

The impetus for forming the PAC was the tax increase positions of local county supervisor Patricia Jursik. The PAC was established to campaign in support of lower-tax candidates and against higher-tax candidates at the next election but has reserved the right to amend the PAC to a Recall PAC pending the outcome of future votes and actions by Jursik.

CRG flack Chris Kliesmet commented, “It is no secret that Supervisor Jursik continues to support a tripling of the Milwaukee County sales tax despite the fact that her district voted against it. Such actions are an outrageous breach of the implicit contract between politicians and constituents to represent them honestly. Ms. Jursik should not be surprised that her constituents are taking steps to hold her accountable or that her future actions may well inspire the cry for recall.”

Personally, if I were Pat Jursik, I wouldn’t be worried about a possible recall attempt, given CRG’s miserable track record when it comes to recalls of elected officials. I’m sure CRG is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle and finally get another elected official recalled, but I’m willing to bet this recall effort will end as quietly as CRG’s efforts to recall State Sen. Sullivan, Gov. Jim Doyle, and Mayor Ryan McCue.