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More good news for State Assembly candidate Glen Brower, who received the endorsement of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today over incumbent Rep. Mark Honadel:

Glen Brower, a Democrat from South Milwaukee and a retired lieutenant colonel with a 30-year history of working with large budgets and complex problems with the U.S. Army, would be a good fit for the 21st Assembly District, which encompasses Oak Creek, South Milwaukee and two wards of Milwaukee.

If elected, Brower said, he would be committed to closing corporate tax loopholes. He said the current tax system does not generate adequate revenue to cover state operations. “I would advance a proposal for the reassessment of our tax system to update our tax structure,” he said.

Brower faces incumbent Rep. Mark Honadel (R-South Milwaukee), former owner of Honadel’s Inc., a lawn and garden center. Honadel was first elected to the Assembly in a special election in July 2003 and was re-elected in 2004 and 2006. Honadel said he will oppose tax increases because “they would do nothing to stimulate our economy and are an added cost on the backs of consumers and businesses.”

While Honadel has committee experience, Brower’s experience working on large budgets earns him the nod.

Yeah, this sure doesn’t bode well for Rep. Honadely come November 4, and hopefully he’ll be voted out of office, like he should have been years ago.

…and that can’t be a bad thing. As I travel around South Milwaukee, I’m seeing an awful lot of yard signs for Glen Brower, and while that obviously doesn’t mean he’s going to be the sure victor in November’s election for the 21st Assembly District, it’s just nice to finally have a candidate running against Rep. Mark Honadel, who’s done a poor job of repping the 21st, at least in my opinion.

Given the current political and economic climate, I’m hoping folks here in the 21st will choose to send Glen Brower to the Assembly, because I’m of the belief he’d do a far better job of representing all the voters of our district - not just the ones on the far right of the political spectrum.

Glen Brower, the Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s 21st Assembly District, announced today his economic recovery plan for Wisconsin:

21st ASSEMBLY CANDIDATE GLEN BROWER UNVEILS ECONOMIC PLAN TO GROW RENEWABLE WISCONSIN ECONOMY
Plan Includes a Number of Initiatives that Rep. Mark Honadel Opposed

SOUTH MILWAUKEE – GLEN BROWER candidate for Assembly from the 21st District, unveiled several key economic initiatives that he plans on supporting as the next State Representative from the 21st District. The proposals are all focused on promoting green jobs by investing in renewable energy as well as helping middle class families cope with the rising cost of living. Several of the proposals in GLEN BROWER’S plan are bills that Rep. Mark Honadel helped defeat.

“A common theme throughout my campaign has been the idea of investing in ourselves. We need to put an end to the era of corporate control, and start to put our financial emphasis on the growth and stability of the American Economy. We can begin this much needed transition by investing in renewable energy sources that will alleviate our dependence on foreign oil while simultaneously creating new and better jobs for our citizens. Our state currently spends more than $20 billion a year on energy that we purchase from other states and other countries. That equation is simply wrong and unacceptable. By investing in Wisconsin businesses that pay livable wages to Wisconsin citizens we can reverse this broken formula and truly move forward in a better direction. ”
-Glen Brower

GLEN BROWER’S PLAN INCLUDES:

Investing in Green Jobs for Wisconsin
• $30 million for Energy Independence Grant and Loan Program - In his FY 2007-09 biennial budget, Governor Doyle proposed spending $30 million on renewable energy. The budget that Rep. Mark Honadel supported cut that number in half. [JFC motion A1 to paper 210, 5/10/07]
• 25 percent renewable energy research and development tax credit - The renewable energy industry represents the jobs of the future for Wisconsin. The state should be supporting companies who are investing in creating these jobs that will fuel the future of our state’s economy.

Keeping Jobs in Wisconsin and America
• American Jobs Act - Prohibits the state from granting contracts to companies who send jobs overseas. Rep. Mark Honadel had the chance to pass this bipartisan bill last session but voted to kill the bill. [AB 307, 2/26/08]
• Double funding for the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program - This successful program provides assistance to Wisconsin businesses so they can continue to train their workforce to compete in the global economy.

Making Life More Affordable for Middle Class Families
• Wall Street Accountability Act - Will require the oil companies and big businesses that make money in Wisconsin to disclose exactly what taxes they pay and which ones they don’t pay. Rep. Mark Honadel had the chance to support this bill but voted to kill it. [AB 751, 2/26/08]
• Enforce existing anti-gouging law - In 2006 Wisconsin passed a tough, bipartisan anti-gouging law to prohibit retailers from raising the price of goods by more than 10 percent during natural disasters or national emergencies. Republicans and their special interest allies are now trying to undo the law in order to allow retailers to raise prices by 25 percent. [Assembly Judiciary and Ethics Committee, 9/10/08]

“As a member of the Wisconsin Legislature I will stand up for the hard working men and women of this state and convey the message, that it’s not handouts or charity that are going to solve our many problems or fix our many flaws, but rather an honest and renewed mindset of investing in ourselves. That mindset will lift us from the depths of despair and bring us to the heights of prosperity. We can do better, we must do better, and we will do better. ”

-Glen Brower

At first glance, I’m struck by the fact that Rep. Honadel voted AGAINST a bill that would have prohibited the state from granting contracts to companies who send jobs overseas. After all, I don’t think our state government should be in the business of rewarding companies that outsource jobs by awarding them state contracts. I’m also wondering why Rep. Honadel would oppose anti-gouging legislation, because I don’t know of anyone who supports gouging - except maybe Rep. Honadel.

For those of you living in Milwaukee’s southern suburbs, be sure to attend a fundraiser for 21st Assembly District candidate Glen Brower on Wednesday, September 17th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Glen’s special guest will be non other than Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton.

The fundraiser will be held at American Legion Hall Post #27, located at 920 Monroe Avenue in South Milwaukee, and beer, soda, and snacks will be provided. Come out and show your support for Glen Brower’s campaign, because he needs your help to take back the 21st District!

On Thursday, Wisconsin State Assembly candidate Glen Brower announced he had received a key endorsement of his candidacy for the State Assembly. The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO endorsed Brower, who issued a statement on the endorsement:

***For Immediate Release***
August 28, 2008

With the Labor Day weekend quickly approaching, Glen Brower candidate for the 21st Assembly District receives Wisconsin State AFL-CIO endorsement.

With an Economy in peril, gas prices hovering near $4, and news every day of more jobs being lost or shipped over seas, we need strong leadership perhaps more than ever before. The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO has long been a leader in protecting the rights of workers as well as their quality of life, but their still a lot work to be done.

They need the support of strong and proven leadership to ensure that the working men and women of our great state have a voice in Madison. Therefore, recently the AFL-CIO threw its support, along with 1,000 of their affiliated groups, behind Glen Brower.

“As Labor Day approaches I am honored by the endorsement of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO along with its 1,000 affiliated unions. Labor groups such as these have been vital in the creation of our middle class and the quality of life now enjoyed by many of our citizens. We need to make sure that the working men and women of this state are paid livable wages, have job security, and can afford good healthcare for their families.”
- Glen Brower

The Son of a Machinist and a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Army, Glen knows the value of hard work and the many challenges that come with it. Because of Glen’s background and understanding of these values, we know we can count of him to fight for our working class.

Contact Person:
Scott Dettman
Brower for Assembly
Campaign Manager
sdettman@ymail.com
414-530-0725

To be fair, Rep. Mark Honadel has received two endorsements since August 4th, with one coming from Pro-Life Wisconsin (no surprise there) and the other coming from the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.

This endorsement is huge for Glen Brower, and it’s just another example of the momentum his campaign has.

One of the headings on the “Mark on the Issues” page of State Rep. Mark Honadel’s campaign website is “Protecting the Community”. Underneath the heading, Rep. Honadel lists a number of bills he’s cosponsored, and at face value, it seems like he’s doing a lot to keep the community safe. However, looks can be deceiving. The Wisconsin Professional Police Association (WPPA) recently released the results for its report cards for the 2007-2008 legislative session, and Rep. Honadel didn’t get a very good grade. In fact, Rep. Honadel scored a 31%, good for second from the bottom in the entire Assembly.

That’s quite a dubious honor, and it makes me wonder just how serious Mark Honadel is about “Protecting the Community” as a member of the State Assembly.

Glen Brower has momentum. Not only did he outraise Rep. Mark Honadel, the incumbent in Wisconsin’s 21st Assembly District, for the month of June, but now he’s also received the endorsements of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), as well as Democratic State Senator Jeff Plale, whose district roughly overlaps the 21st Assembly District. These endorsements are in addition to endorsements Brower has already received from Assistant Assembly Minority Leader Jon Richards, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Progressive Majority Wisconsin.

Now obviously I’ve not been keeping close tabs on Rep. Honadel’s campaign, but a quick look at his campaign’s website shows just one lonely endorsement from Wisconsin Right to Life. Now sure, it’s early, and Rep. Honadel does have the advantage of being an incumbent, but in the bigger picture, it’s obvious one candidate has momentum and the other doesn’t, and Rep. Honadel can’t like his chances if he continues to tread water in a year that looks to heavily favor Democrats.

Got this in my emailbox from Nicholas Reindl, the Field Director for Assembly candidate Glen Brower:

Hey Zach,

Just wanted to give you an update on how things are going, this afternoon we knocked on our 3,000 door since the first of June, the response so far has been very receptive, it is very surprising that alot of voters don’t really seem to know who Mark Honadel is.

What strikes me is the statement that a lot of voters don’t really seem to know who Mark Honadel is. I’m not sure how true that statement is, given that it comes from the Brower campaign, but it does seem somewhat credible, given the fact that Rep. Honadel really hasn’t had to campaign too hard in the last two elections, having run unopposed.

If it’s indeed true that not a lot of voters know who Rep. Honadel is, that most certainly can’t bode well for his chances in November, especially when combined with the fact that he was outraised in June by Glen Brower.

What’s more, an incumbent should be well known in the district he represents, so the fact that Rep. Honadel seems to suffer from a lack of name recognition speaks volumes about one of two things: the poor job he’s done as the Representative for the 21st District, or the prevalent voter apathy in his district. Me, I’m betting it’s a product of the poor job he’s done representing his district.

Watchdog Milwaukee has done the Milwaukee area a great service by exposing those trying to ruin the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s name and integrity. It seems Tom Reynolds’ PAC organization, Clean Sweep Wisconsin, has chosen to take the route of planting candidates in Democratic districts and then run them as Democratic “challengers” to the incumbents. For those of you who don’t know who Tom Reynolds is, he was a former Republican State Senator and was quite controversial before being tossed out by his district for a Democrat, State Senator Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa).

It seems Wisconsinites are getting more than their fair share of unnecessary, sleazy campaigns. It wasn’t too long ago when we had a tug-of-war being fought over the TV for our Supreme Court seat. This, however, brings the entire 2008 campaign season to a new low. It’s shameful and outright disturbing that individuals would go to such lengths to unseat Democrats in November.

Members of Clean Sweep Wisconsin should be ashamed of themselves if they knew about this and understood what they were supporting with their contributions. If some contributors didn’t realize this level of trash was going to occur, I’d suggest that they’d ask for their contribution(s) back. To support something like this only shows off a negative characteristic of someone’s inner being.

As for the candidates who chosen to take on this role of being FAKE, I have no kind words for you. To run on a Party platform only to eliminate the true Party candidate is appalling and shouldn’t be acceptable by any means. If you don’t share in the views of the Party in question, you should run either as an independent or as a member of the opposing Party (Republicans). Period.

I agree with Watchdog Milwaukee in asking the Milwaukee County Democratic Party to NOT endorse these wolves in sheep’s clothing. Furthermore, any Democrat in those districts should be informed of the deception(s) right away so they don’t fall for Reynolds’ dirty tactics.

The individuals listed by Watchdog Milwaukee as FAKE are:

State Assembly District 8: Jose Guzman

State Assembly District 10: Charisha Allen

State Assembly District 15: Josh Hoisington

State Assembly District 16: David D. King

State Assembly District 17: Samantha H. Bady

State Assembly District 20: Philip Landowski

H/T: Fairly Conservative & Watchdog Milwaukee