Blogging Blue

Recently it was my pleasure to have the opportunity to sit down and chat with Glen Brower, the Democratic candidate running against Rep. Mark Honadel in Wisconsin’s 21st Assembly District. Upon meeting and speaking with Mr. Brower, I was struck by two things: his obvious passion for serving the public as well as his desire to fundamentally change the way our state government works.

Our interview started with the question all candidates should be able to answer without hesitation: “Why are you running for office?” When asked the question, Brower responded that he was running for the Assembly because he was outraged at the course our nation and our state had taken in recent years, and he noted he wanted to make an impact on the issues affecting Wisconsinites as a member of the State Assembly. Brower also noted his lifetime of service, both as a member of the United States Army and as a public servant, and he stated he wanted to continue to serve the public and contribute to the community as a member of the Assembly.

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Found in my emailbox today:

Glen Brower joins the other 92 Democrats across the state running for the State Assembly. That’s 92 out of 99!!

Help him get the campaign started. Here at the details of the kick-off party:

Date: Thursday, June 26, 2008
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Johnny’ Mo’s
Street: 1301 Milwaukee Ave.
City/Town: South Milwaukee, WI

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Glen Brower is the progressive candidate running to unseat Rep. Mark Honadel, the incumbent in the 21st Assembly District. So if you’re in the neighborhood, stop in at Johnny Mo’s and show your support for Glen’s campaign!

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As I first noted a few days ago, the folks at One Wisconsin Now have been busy exposing the sordid details behind Michael Gableman’s appointment to the Burnett County Circuit Court.

As first reported by OWN, former Governor Scott McCallum appointed Gableman to the Burnett County Circuit Court after bypassing the established appointment process, and it was also noted Gableman had donated $2,500 to McCallum’s re-election campaign, including $1,250 in the midst of the appointment process for the Circuit Court seat that Gableman was appointed to. As sordid as the entire situation is, it’s gotten worse for Michael Gableman, with Scott McCallum’s admission on Thursday he manipulated the judicial appointment process established
by his own executive orders in order to appoint Michael Gableman to the Burnett County Circuit Court.

“[A]s governor, the final decision to appoint a judge was mine
alone…,” McCallum said through a Gableman campaign press release.
The media has reported McCallum has refused press calls since an
investigation by One Wisconsin Now released Wednesday showed Gableman
was appointed judge after McCallum ignored established protocol for a
candidate who neither applied in time, nor was a finalist recommended
by McCallum’s own judicial advisory council.

“Governor McCallum confirmed what we already knew, that Mike Gableman
got his job as a judge because that’s what McCallum wanted for his
donor and fundraiser,” said Scot Ross, Executive Director of One
Wisconsin Now.

If Michael Gableman couldn’t be counted on to act above reproach and get his Circuit Court seat without having to buy it, then how can he be counted on to act in an ethical and impartial manner as a justice on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court? Wisconsin deserves nothing less than a judiciary with the highest judicial ethics and experience, and the circumstances surrounding Gableman’s appointment to the Burnett County Circuit Court hang over him like a dark cloud, much like Annette Ziegler’s own ethical problems have continued to hang over her even after her term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court began.

Wisconsin can ill afford two ethically challenged Supreme Court Justices.

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With the race between Louis Butler and Michael Gableman for Butler’s seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court due to heat up, I figured now would be a good time to take a closer look at the candidacy of Judge Gableman. As first reported by the folks at One Wisconsin Now, it appears Judge Gableman was appointed to his seat on the Burnett County Circuit Court under some suspicious circumstances. In the interest of keeping things neat and tidy, here’s a list of the suspicious circumstances surrounding Michael Gableman’s appointment to the Burnett County Circuit Court:

• Gableman did not go through the process for selecting judges which had been established by then-Governor Scott McCallum.
• Gableman had not applied for the Burnett County judgeship by the deadline established by the Governor’s Notice of Judicial Vacancy.
• Gableman was not one of two finalists selected by the Governor’s Advisory Council on Judicial Selection.
• Gableman served as a Republican fundraiser for Governor McCallum in the midst of the selection process to fill the vacancy that was later awarded to Gableman.
• Gableman donated $2,500 to Governor McCallum’s re-election campaign.
• No records of Gableman being interviewed for the Burnett County Circuit Court seat by Governor McCallum could be found, despite open records requests.
• No records of Gableman’s application for the vacancy could be found. OWN did find a copy of a resume Gableman faxed to the Governor’s office, but no copy of a formal application was found, despite applications being found for all the other candidates.
• Gableman arranged and attended a private breakfast with Governor McCallum at the Executive Residence in March 2002, shortly before he was appointed to fill the Burnett County Circuit Court vacancy.

Now sure, I suppose all these points could just be a happy coincidence, but as when I put all those points together, I can’t help but think Michael Gableman’s seat on the Burnett County Circuit Court was bought and paid for, and all it seemed to cost was $2,500.

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As candidates begin to crawl out of the woodwork for the upcoming 2008 elections, I’ve decided to start taking a look at some of the candidates running for the various elected offices here in Milwaukee County, as well as throughout the state as a whole, with the intent of highlighting some of those candidates who might not be as well known.

This week’s candidate spotlight focuses on Jason Haas, who’s running for the 14th district’s seat on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, a seat currently held by Richard D. Nyklewicz, Jr., who isn’t seeking re-election. Jason’s campaign campaign will be centered around three main principles: Clean Government, Clean Air, and Clean Parks. Jason has said he’ll refuse to accept donations above $100, as well as any money from out of state Political Action Committees. In addition, Jason wants to work to have Wisconsin-made biofuels used in the county’s fleet, and he fully supports the Milwaukee County “Green Print” environmental plan. Jason’s a real progressive at a time when the County Board needs more progressives to protect the parks and preserve services from cuts by County Executive Scott Walker and his supporters on the Board. Jason’s wide ranging life experience, enthusiasm, and vision would serve his potential constituents well, and so BloggingBlue is proud to endorse Jason Haas for the 14th District’s seat on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.

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