|
By Linda Richter
Monday, Nov 10 2008, 12:59 PM
In my April 6 blog, I referred to anonymous fliers attacking Alderman Bill Moore, which had been circulated in his district prior to the spring election. I remarked that whoever authorized and paid for those slimy fliers was too cowardly to identify themselves.
So, I am not surprised that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin objects to recent criticisms directed at her by unnamed McCain campaign aides. On Friday, Palin lashed out at her critics-- calling them jerks and cowards for deriding her anonymously. She claimed their allegations about her were untrue or taken out of context. She denounced their actions as cruel, mean-spirited, immature, and unprofessional. Click on this link to an Associated Press news report.
|
By Linda Richter
Thursday, Nov 6 2008, 08:44 PM
In Tuesday’s election, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama cruised to victory and will be our 44th U.S. President. In addition to winning the popular vote, Obama, a Democrat, won far more than the 270 Electoral College votes required.
Although Obama won the state of Wisconsin, in New Berlin, (Republican) John McCain got more votes than Obama. See the Community Watch report.
It was a historic election with a big voter turn-out. Naturally, there has been extensive media coverage of the campaigns and election results.
Some Internet news sources discussed McCain’s defeat/unsuccessful campaign. Examples:
- Fox News cites 5 reasons why John McCain lost the election.
- BBC News gives various reasons for McCain’s loss.
- Newsweek ponders whether McCain’s campaign was the worst ever.
|
By Linda Richter
Thursday, Oct 23 2008, 07:46 PM
For Sarah Palin to be so amazingly clueless and WRONG about what the Vice President---the position she is running for---actually does, would be comical if it was not so disturbing.
Click on this link for the video and Keith Olbermann's comments.
|
By Linda Richter
Sunday, Oct 19 2008, 06:11 PM
Earlier this month, John McCain was booed by his supporters at a Republican rally. (See Fox News article )
Sarah Palin was "resoundingly" booed at the October 11 Flyers vs. Rangers National Hockey League game. The owner of the Philadelphia Flyers team had invited her to drop the ceremonial first puck of the Flyer’s opener. (See New York Times article)
Is there any acceptable excuse for those mobs to exhibit such disrespectful, boorish behavior?
|
By Linda Richter
Tuesday, Oct 14 2008, 08:13 AM
The Huffington Post informs us that the non-partisan group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) Action Fund, as part of its Congressional report card, gave Sen. Barack Obama a “B+” grade for his voting record on issues such as additional funding for combat body armor, post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical treatment. Sen. John McCain got a "D" grade.
That was for 2006. For the year 2007-08, Sen. McCain got a “D” from IAVA and Sen. Obama received a “B”. See Veteran Report Card and Project Vote Smart Web sites.
"The mission of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is to ensure the enactment of policies that properly provide for our Troops & Veterans, keep our military strong, and guarantee our national security for the purpose of a stronger America. We uniquely empower Iraq & Afghanistan combat veterans to use their credibility and experiences to speak truth to power, shape public opinion, and place a priority on these issues."
Additionally, Project Vote Smart reports that for his voting record on veterans issues, Sen. Obama earned an 80 percent rating from the non-partisan group Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Sen. McCain got a 20 percent rating.
“Formed in 1920 and chartered by Congress in 1932, the million-member DAV is the official voice of America’s service-connected disabled veterans--a strong, insistent voice that represents all of America’s 2.1 million disabled veterans, their families and survivors.”
|
By Linda Richter
Friday, Oct 10 2008, 01:05 AM
Many of Sarah Palin’s comments have raised people's eyebrows.
It was interesting to read in Associated Press Writer Jim Kuhnhenn’s Friday, Oct. 3 news article titled “Palin questions McCain’s concession of Michigan", that Sarah Palin had only learned about John McCain’s decision to abandon efforts to win Michigan when she read it in the newspapers on that Friday morning.
When she read it in the newspapers that morning?
Uh, Gov. Palin, the VP candidate, wasn’t part of the decision, consulted or notified?
Per the news report, she said after reading about the decision, she “fired off a quick email questioning the move.”
Hmmm. If Sen. McCain and the McCain presidential campaign do not value Sarah Palin’s opinion, why should the voters?
Evidently, Sarah Palin was very surprised by what she read.
Of course, she wouldn’t be the only person to experience that----
During my tenure on the New Berlin School Board, I was amazed to read in the New Berlin Citizen newspaper that then-NBPS Superintendent James Benfield had accepted a superintendent’s position in North Carolina/ signed a contract. I had not been informed or notified by Dr. Benfield. (Nor by any School Board official).
Guess what happened next? Acceptance by the School Board of his resignation was put on the next New Berlin School Board meeting agenda. However, at that Board meeting, Dr. Benfield surprised folks again by announcing he’d changed his mind and intended to continue at New Berlin Public Schools.
|
By Linda Richter
Friday, Sep 26 2008, 12:04 PM
Donna Richards, a municipal clerk from North Fond du Lac, calls Wisc. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s lawsuit against the state Government Accountability Board, “ a red herring”. She writes that it’s an attempt at scaring people away and if it causes delays, will discourage voters on a very long day or evening. The elderly, first-time voters, the infirm, those without driver’s licenses, or without cars to run home for more identification, will be hurt the most. Also, to have voters take off of work the next day or get “downtown” to complete the identification process for a provisional ballot to count, is asking a lot.
Ms. Richards argues that fraud has nothing to do with a perfect match of someone’s name or information on his voter registration vs. his drivers license. She asserts that whether she calls herself Donna H. Richards, D.H. Richards, Donna Horowitz Richards, Donna Horowitz-Richards or Donna Richards, she should be able to vote. She maintains that any delay, any question, any removing of names from the voting list on this basis under Wisconsin law would be voter suppression. Her guest blog titled “The real fraud in Van Hollen’s lawsuit” appears on FightingBob.com
The Journal-Sentinel reports that it’s unlikely that the legal battle over voter checks will be concluded by the November 4 election. On Wednesday, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi said she won’t rule on the merits of the case until 12 days before voters go to the polls. The judge is allowing the state Democratic and Republican parties to join the case. She also dismissed the attempt to disqualify Van Hollen from the case that was brought by a lawyer for the Government Accountability Board
Also, OWN's website has a petition requesting the Government Accountability Board and the newly-elected election task force created by Wisconsin AG J.B.Van Hollen & Milwaukee DA John Chisholm investigate faulty absentee ballot applications that were mailed by the John McCain for President campaign.
|
By Linda Richter
Monday, Sep 22 2008, 12:08 PM
Eligible citizens deserve to have their votes counted. A rule the state Attorney General wants to impose would disenfranchise voters and cause election chaos, says the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin states, “Attorney General Van Hollen is seeking to overturn a recent decision of the Government Accountability Board and change election procedures--just before a Presidential Election. He wishes to impose an emergency rule dealing with matching the statewide voter registration list with the Department of Transportation database. Federal law (HAVA) requires that this matching be done. Matching is already being done in Wisconsin. What HAVA does not require is that people with non-matching data be disqualified from casting a regular ballot on Election Day. The Attorney General’s proposal would result in persons with non-matched data to clear up the “nonmatch” or re-register at the polls or use provisional ballots on Election Day…”
“All kinds of simple inconsistencies (e.g. La Follette in one data base and LaFollette in the other) and clerical errors (e.g. Mary K. Jones in one data base and Mayr K. Jones in another) can result in a non-match. Other examples include problems with hyphenated names, names with two words (e.g. MaryKay vs. Mary Kay); first or middle initials (present in one data base only); first names that look like last names and vice versa.”
The lawsuit has come under fire from others, as well. Wisconsin Election Protection, a coalition formed to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process, has voiced objections to purging voters from the registration rolls whose names do not make a "complete match" to the voter's ID information and other government databases.
Mike McCabe of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a non-partisan political watchdog group that works for clean government, criticizes the lawsuit. “This lawsuit smells of political mischief,” observes a recent Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel editorial.
Van Hollen claims that the lawsuit was not motivated by partisan ties and he knew of no ties between his agency and the Republican Party on the issue. But not only is Van Hollen co-chair of GOP nominee John McCain’s presidential campaign, the JS informed us that GOP lawyer Chris Mohrman pressed the Government Accountability Board to enact a rule on checking voter information--and when it refused in August--Mohrman complained to the Department of Justice. The newspaper also reported that the lead Dept. of Justice attorney for the Attorney General’s lawsuit met with Republican Party representatives about a week before the suit was filed.
Well, one doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to conclude that Van Hollen was deceitful or clueless about what’s happening within his own Department and the state Republican Party.
The Capital Times argues that the Attorney General's vote lawsuit threatens to undermine democracy. Milwaukee Magazine has an interesting article about the suit and provides some background. It also includes a reference to an Associated Press story, which reported that ten voters complained to the Government Accountability Board that the McCain campaign sent Democrats the wrong ballot mailing information (poll location). State Republican Party Executive Director Mark Jefferson denied this was part of any voter suppression effort. He dismissed it as a mistake in the voter data the party had and noted that "no list is perfect."
Milwaukee Magazine suggests Jefferson might want to pass that thought on to the attorney general.
|
By Linda Richter
Thursday, Jul 10 2008, 01:39 AM
“Statement from New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government” (NBCRG July 4 blog post on NOW), starts off with a load of gibberish (computer symbols/code) that Ralph Heun calls a “defect of Jsonline”.
Then the blog mentions a letter published in NOW (July 3 issue) from a woman supporting the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter in Muskego.
Ralph Heun's next paragraph conveys that he wishes “to clarify a comment about Citizens for Responsible Government and Muskego First." Which comment? His blog doesn’t say. How are blog readers supposed to know what he is talking about?
Heun goes on to assert that his group New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government (NBCRG) is NOT Citizens for Responsible Government and is not affiliated “in any way” with the CRG Network.
Confused? That's understandable. The groups' names are awfully similar.
Maybe this will help “clarify” things a bit:
Re: Citizens for Responsible Government/CRG Network----
The Nov 28, 2005 Journal Sentinel describes CRG as a populist movement born of the 2002 Milwaukee County pension scandal recalls.
That edition also states: “Since its start, CRG spawned or adopted 15 affiliates statewide and has brought to full stops the political careers of Milwaukee County Executive Tom Ament, six Milwaukee County supervisors, aldermen in Wauwatosa and Franklin, and now Nowak.” (Pewaukee Mayor Jeff Nowak)
“The group also claims credit for killing the PabstCity project, a Waukesha school referendum and forcing state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) to quit as Senate assistant majority leader.”
According to the CRG Network Website, they (& CRG Milwaukee, previously) have filed only one recall in their history--the recall of Tom Ament. And the site says: “Since that initial event in 2002, CRG Network has been primarily engaged in educating grassroots groups in how to deal with unresponsive government agencies and officials. Every recall and action since then has been accomplished by other groups and affiliates who have come to CRG Network for educational assistance.”
Their Website speaks of holding government accountable and refers to CRG Network as 3 distinct organizations: a PAC; a 501 (c) non-profit, tax-exempt corporation/foundation; and a lobby/advocacy group Re: New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government (NBCRG)---
According to their Web site, NBCRG was formed in 2002; functions as a political action committee; and has recruited and supported candidates every year since its inception.
NBCRG endorsed/supported several of our New Berlin aldermen, including Dave Ament, a relative of Tom Ament. All of our current New Berlin School Board members were endorsed/supported by NBCRG.
In other words, NBCRG-supported officials have majority control of the New Berlin Common Council and School Board. Think Ralph Heun and his NBCRG group want that status quo disrupted with recalls? Hardly.
What about Muskego’s recall movement?
Ralph Heun’s NBCRG blog claims “NBCRG does not interfere with proceedings in our neighboring communities and would expect the same treatment from them about New Berlin issues.” Ironically, Heun follows that statement by expressing negative comments about recalls and then telling blog readers, “We encourage voters in the City of Muskego consider the consequence of this possible recall action before initiating it.”
|
By Linda Richter
Tuesday, Jun 17 2008, 11:44 AM
People don’t need to buy a paper to get information. Nowadays, many individuals rely on their computer, TV, radio, friends and neighbors for information about what is happening in their communities.
Such alternatives may be perceived as just as or even more convenient, reliable and trustworthy than newspapers. What newspapers omit, as well as what they choose to impart and how, can make them seem less than a balanced, objective news source.
Consider:
In articles before the April 1 election, Muskego-New Berlin NOW reported on Ald. Bill Moore’s political experience--specifically that he had served two terms on the New Berlin School Board, but his opponent JJ Blonien’s ties to controversial former state Senator Tom Reynolds wasn't mentioned. According to information on the internet, Blonien had been Reynold’s staffer and involved in his election campaign. A later (May 1) NOW article stated that Blonien handled Reynold’s election campaign.
Muskego-New Berlin NOW did 3 newspaper stories (April 10, May 1, June 5) about the complaint JJ Blonien filed against WeCare- New Berlin after he lost the April 1 aldermanic election. The Waukesha County DA investigated Blonien’s allegations about WeCare’s pre-election flier and dismissed the complaint. Although the May 1 NOW article referred to Blonien as the former publisher of the Enterprise, a weekly publication covering several Milwaukee area suburbs, that statement was not in the other two news articles. In the third article, Blonien said he’d been involved with the Enterprise in the “80’s and 90’s”, had owned stock in the Enterprise, was “one of eleven stockholders”. His name was on corporation documents. None of the three articles mentioned that Community Newspapers (which publishes the Muskego-New Berlin NOW) bought the Enterprise in 1995.
While Muskego-New Berlin NOW newspaper furnished a soapbox to a losing candidate’s criticisms of a flier supporting his opponent, we’ve seen zero press coverage from the paper about the campaign fliers which attacked incumbent Bill Moore (Blonien’s opponent). Whoever was behind those slimy fliers was too cowardly to put their name on them, identify themselves and take responsibility. The “anonymous” smear fliers carried disclaimers indicating less than $25 had been spent. Considering what it costs to print and distribute a bunch of campaign fliers (for printing costs, paper, ink cartridges, fuel, etc.), spending under $25 does not seem credible. The culprits who produced that flier and dispersed it in Moore’s aldermanic district obviously sought to affect the election, yet circumvent campaign reporting laws and elude accountability. One would think a newspaper would be concerned about that and the lack of transparency.
Evidently, Muskego-New Berlin NOW felt what was said in WeCare-New Berlin’s fliers-and whether it was accurate--was newsworthy. And yet NOW has not done a single newspaper article about New Berlin School Board leaders Keith Heun’s and Matt Thomas’ use of NOW resources to maliciously attack their constituents, spread lies about them, Board policy and a lawsuit. The NOW staff has even refrained from doing an article about Keith Heun’s email “retraction” (posted on Thomas’ blog), which included Heun’s admission that he’d made “inaccurate" statements about certain constituents, Board Policy, the ACLU, and a lawsuit filed against the School District. So, when elected government officials Thomas and Heun mislead, deceive, misinform the public and vilify their constituents, the NOW newspaper looks the other way?
|
By Linda Richter
Saturday, Jun 7 2008, 11:24 AM
WeCare- New Berlin President Ray McInerny, Sr. was right when he said two months ago that an investigation from the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office will prove the information in his group’s flier was correct. (WeCare election fliers under investigation, April 10 New BerlinNOW).
WeCare- New Berlin formed last year. It supported one candidate ( incumbent Bill Moore) in the April 1 election. Moore won, defeating his aldermanic opponent JJ Blonien by nearly a hundred votes (653-558).
After losing the race, Blonien filed a complaint with Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel alleging WeCare- New Berlin circulated a political flier with “patently false information” prior to the election.
Blonien’s allegations were much publicized by our local newspaper. His accusations against WeCare were mentioned in three NewBerlinNOW newspaper articles about Blonien’s complaint (April 10, May 1, June 5) plus its online articles, including Community Watch (May 29). Matt Thomas' blog made quick use of Blonien's accusations to attack WeCare-New Berlin’s officers, including me. ( I am the treasurer of WeCare New Berlin).
According to the newspaper, Blonien believes the flier contributed to his election loss.
But just because Blonien, who obviously has an ax to grind, claims WeCare’s flier lied, does not mean it did. What responsible district attorney would press charges or prosecute based on Blonien’s opinions rather than facts and evidence?
The April 10 newspaper article quotes Blonien stating: “It is now up to the district attorney and his investigation. If he finds there were false representations made there should be some sort of punishment.”
Well, the outcome is that the DA has completed his investigation and dismissed Blonien’s complaint. The Waukesha County District Attorney has determined that WeCare’s statements in the flier were correct.
|
By Linda Richter
Sunday, Apr 6 2008, 01:18 PM
In the New Berlin Aldermanic April 1 races:
District 2--- Ted Wsyocki, who had no opponent in the race, was elected.
District 4--- Ald. Ken Harenda was re-elected. He actively campaigned. Paul Lincoln Scheuble (his opponent) ran simultaneously for three positions (alderman, school board, county board) and later acknowledged that he had not actively campaigned.
District 6---Ald. Bill Moore was re-elected.
Moore won despite the following:
- The active campaign conducted by his opponent JJ Blonien
- New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government’s endorsement/support of Bill’s opponent JJ Blonien
- The falsehoods/distortions of Moore’s record in public office by Vern Bentley in a letter published in a newspaper
- The distortions and misrepresentation of facts re: Moore by NBCRG/Ralph Heun in its New Berlin NOW blog.
- Anonymous “message” signs displayed near candidate campaign signs in Moore’s District
- Slimy anonymous fliers attacking Moore that were dispersed in Moore’s District shortly before the election. Whoever authorized and paid for those was too cowardly to identify themselves.
Moore was endorsed and supported by Ray McInerny, Sr.’s group We Care-NEW BERLIN. According to Community NOW, Blonien attributed his defeat by Moore to apathy in District 6 and difficulty beating an incumbent.
Re: apathy According to the City Clerk’s report of the election there were 28,206 registered voters, the number of voters was 6761, and voter turnout was 23.9%.
That report indicates that 755 votes were cast in District 2 for Wysocki (the sole aldermanic candidate on the ballot); if you add up the votes of incumbent and challenger in each of the contested aldermanic races, there were 970 total votes cast for an alderman in District 4 and 1211 in District 6. In other words, more votes were cast for alderman in District 6 than in Districts 2 and 4.
Re: difficulty beating an incumbent:
In the County Board race, Bill Zaborowski defeated incumbent County Board Supervisor (District 21) Karl Nilson. Nilson had been endorsed by the political action group New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government.
|
By Linda Richter
Monday, Mar 31 2008, 07:48 PM
New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government (NBCRG) has endorsed a passel of candidates, including these fellows------
Ted Wysocki, who is the only candidate running for alderman in District 2. NBCRG is endorsing him anyway and apparently doesn't care about Wysocki's history of poor leadership decisions in public office that helped get the City into costly losing legal battles/lawsuits.
JJ Blonien, who is running in Aldermanic District 6. I guess NBCRG doesn't care that he's less qualified than the incumbent and lacks experience. A New Berlin resident for just a little over a year, Blonien has not held an elected public office. He's also been involved in numerous lawsuits. In contrast, the incumbent Bill Moore has been actively involved in our community, held elected public office (school board and now alderman), served our country (Vietnam Veteran) and passionately cares about the environment.
Speaking of the environment, the State Supreme Court has ruled against Harenda Enterprises, Inc. (an environmental consulting company) owned by Ken Harenda for violating government rules/regulations regarding asbestos, a hazardous substance/pollutant. See my blog:
NBCRG has chosen to endorse Ken Harenda, who is running for re-election (Alderman, District 4)
Ald. Harenda has been less than attentive to his duties:
On March 11, he pushed to table an item that's been on the agendas of Committee of the Whole/Common Council meetings month after month for 16 months---arguing that he was unprepared and wanted more time to review his file on the matter. Hopefully, a lawsuit against the City won't result from his failure to do his homework and this irresponsible stalling. See my blog:
At the Oct. 23, 2007 City Council meetings the mayor was absent so Council President Ald. Harenda presided. Vern Bentley seized the opportunity to give a privilege of the floor (POF) speech that included personal attacks against Ald. Bill Moore. Despite Council rules prohibiting personal attacks in POF speeches (those rules are read aloud by the City Clerk prior to POF), Harenda was silent and did nothing. One of Moore's constituents was so upset at Bentley's attacks being permitted against her aldermanic representative, she emailed Harenda to voice a protest. How do I know? I attended the Oct. 23 meetings. Later, I made an Open Records Request of Harenda, for any correspondence related to Bentley's speech/attacks. Click here for a previous blog about Vern Bentley's letter containing false accusations against Moore. As Council President, Harenda is paid $600 more than the other aldermen.
By the way, Matt Thomas, who has been posting blogs very infrequently on NOW, recently resurfaced to post one about Ike basketball and surprise, surprise! present his views on the election. After bashing Ald. Moore, he goes on to attack Harenda's opponent Paul Lincoln Scheuble. Thomas refers to Scheuble as a perennial losing candidate, points out that he's currently running for three offices simultaneously and snidely remarks that Scheuble was elected alderman once back in the 20th century. Actually, Scheuble was elected to a 3-year term which ended in April 2002. Thomas' one year stint as an appointed alderman also ended in April 2002. Thomas was serving simultaneously on the School Board and County Board when he applied for the aldermanic seat vacated by Wysocki. Thanks to Wysocki (who, as mayor, cast the tie-breaking vote), Thomas got the aldermanic appointment--making 3 simultaneous public offices for Thomas. Thomas chose to quit his school board office. But he kept his seat on the County Board which pays more than school board and served his one-year aldermanic appointment. Unlike Thomas, Scheuble served his entire elected term and did not quit in the midst of it. Thomas has called Keith Heun (son of NBCRG leader Ralph Heun) and himself "political strategists".
NBCRG has endorsed Michael Gableman for Wis. Supreme Court judge. Did you see the disgusting, sleazy TV attack ad by Gableman's own campaign committee against his opponent Justice Louis Butler? It has been denounced by many judges and other people. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorials condemn the ad. The MJS Editorial Board, which evaluated both candidates, has endorsed Louis Butler and claimed that Butler is more qualified than Gableman for the Supreme Court seat.
|
By Linda Richter
Sunday, Mar 30 2008, 12:27 AM
New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government (NBCRG) is using its NOW blog again to endorse candidates for election.
If you’ve heard or read that NBCRG is a civic or watchdog group, don’t be fooled. NBCRG is actually a political action group. In fact, NBCRG states on its own Web site that the group was formed in March 2002 and since its inception, has functioned as a political action committee.
It lists this objective on its Web site: “To recruit and to help elect candidates to public office that best express the positions taken by this organization.” Obviously, NBCRG has a political agenda.
NBCRG functions like an exclusive club, as well. When a taxpaying New Berlin resident contacted NBCRG via email and requested to join the group, she was turned down. NBCRG President Ralph Heun responded that NBCRG was a “private organization”. How do I know this? The outraged woman forwarded copies of their correspondence to my blog. I referred to the situation in a past blog entry called “Private NBCRG; Court Race”
The NBCRG Web site asserts that NBCRG has actively recruited and supported candidates for public office in every year of its existence. However, on its NOW blog, NBCRG President Ralph Heun claims NBCRG has for many years, invited all candidates for public office to its meetings to hear what they had to say and question them--and then NBCRG decides if it wants to make any endorsements. And then it decides? One would think NBCRG would not “actively recruit” candidates for public office that it didn’t intend to endorse.
On its Web site NBCRG states its primary emphasis has been on city and school board races. Hmmm. For the upcoming election, NBCRG is endorsing candidates for County Board, State Supreme Court, School Board, and Aldermanic races.
Isn't it interesting that NBCRG boasts on its Web site that it actively recruits and supports candidates for public office -- and routinely puts disclaimers on campaign fliers that it’s a political action committee which acts independently of and without consultation with any candidate or candidate’s committee?
Here are some other examples of NBCRG communication and operation------
In 2004, NBCRG advertised on its Web site that it was interviewing 3 school board candidates at its meeting and that the public was welcome. I decided to attend and contacted a few others, who expressed interest in attending, too. But when we arrived at the door, we were told that the meeting was “private”. I suspected something like that would happen, so took the precaution of printing out a copy of the NBCRG’s web page re: the meeting (and public being encouraged to attend) and brought it with me. After showing it to the NBCRG member barring our entrance (the former president of New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance) we were allowed to stay--but only for the interviews. After the interviews, NBCRG members asked us to leave because they wanted to have a discussion related to the interviews.
Each of the three school board candidates was interviewed separately and were not asked the same questions. Herb Eggie, who was then president of NBCRG, spent time grilling SB candidate Greg Schoepke about the Heritage Foundation, a Washington DC-based conservative think tank! SB Candidates Brent Chipman and Marc Duff weren’t asked questions about the Heritage Foundation. During his interview, Brent Chipman had little to say of substance. He spouted that taxes were too high and some anti-teacher union rhetoric. In contrast, Marc Duff, a former Wisconsin legislator, was articulate and seemed better informed about the School District. So, who did NBCRG endorse? Brent Chipman. I wasn’t surprised that New Berlin voters elected Marc Duff to the School Board instead of Brent Chipman.
At a 2005 New Berlin School Board Meeting, Herb Eggie gave a privilege of the floor speech touting his New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government organization. I remember thinking what an inappropriate speech it was and wondering what the topic had to do with children’s education.
A few minutes later, a high school student gave a privilege of the floor speech that caused laughter to erupt in the audience. In his speech, the student remarked that when he and another student had tried to attend a NBCRG meeting, they were told they could stay -- if each put $20 on the table.
|
By Linda Richter
Wednesday, Mar 26 2008, 04:27 PM
New Berlin aldermen receive $10,000 annually in taxpayer-funded salary and expenses (the Council President gets an extra $600). I don’t think it’s asking too much of Council President/Alderman Ken Harenda to do his homework and come prepared to vote/take action on items that are on the meeting agendas.
At the March 11 City government meetings (Committee of the Whole/Common Council), Ald. Harenda pushed to table an item: Resolution No. 06-42 A Preliminary Resolution Declaring Intent to Levy Special Assessments and Directing the City Engineer to Prepare a Report for the Installation of Sanitary Sewer System to Service Areas on the North Side of Howard Avenue (west of Sunny Slope Road)
Tabled since November 2006, that resolution has appeared on the Committee of the Whole and Common Council meeting agendas month after month.
At the March 11 meeting, District #5 Alderman Joe Poshepny rightly moved to take the resolution off the table (which allows discussion and possible action). The aldermen voted yes--except for Alderman Ament who voted no.
Ald. Poshepny implored the aldermen to take action to get the process to move forward.
It shouldn’t have been a difficult decision for our aldermen to direct the City Engineer to prepare a report and get the process moving along. However, not only did Council President/Alderman Ken Harenda chose to stonewall, he argued he was unprepared and wanted additional time to review his file on the matter!
Alderman Harenda certainly had plenty of time to familiarize himself with Resolution No. 06-42 and the special assessments affecting a handful of residents, prior to the meeting. His failure to do so was inexcusable. What a poor leadership example Ald. Harenda set for his fellow aldermen.
Using his deficient preparation as an excuse, Ald. Harenda then made a motion to table the resolution. He even refused requests to “defer” the resolution to a later date rather than “table” it .
Ald. Harenda’s motion to table was seconded by Ald. Seidl and carried with Alderman Hopkins, Augustine, Seidl, Harenda, and Ament voting yes. Ald. Poshepny and Moore voted no.
It was made clear during the meeting that a developer (who was present and spoke at the meeting) is owed many thousands of dollars for investing in Howard Avenue improvements. Under Ken Harenda’s leadership, the City Council keeps dragging its feet. That’s not efficient or responsible representation. I hope the stalling tactics of Ald. Harenda and his cohorts don’t result in a lawsuit against the City.
Ald. Harenda was elected with the help of a political group that calls itself New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government (NBCRG). NBCRG has a Web site that states one of its objectives is to hold government officials and employees accountable for their actions and lack of action.
"Lack of action", such as the 16 months of tabling Resolution No. 06-42 and the paltry excuse given by Ald. Harenda to perpetuate this irresponsible stalling indefinitely? But instead of holding Alderman Harenda accountable for his inaction, inadequate preparation for scheduled Committee of the Whole/Council meetings, and poor leadership, NBCRG has chosen to endorse and support him in the April election.
|
By Linda Richter
Wednesday, Mar 12 2008, 11:20 PM
My NOW blog, unlike New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government’s (NBCRG), conveys a person’s viewpoint (mine)---not a political action committee’s. And unlike NBCRG, I’ve never used my blog to endorse candidates for local public offices.
Ralph Heun’s (New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government) March 7 diatribe was so full of malarkey, it would take multiple blog entries to respond to all of it.
I suspect many people are annoyed at the wacky remarks, goofy attacks, or falsehoods spouted by Ralph Heun and/or Vern Bentley. (see my Jan 28, 2008 blog entry).
Ralph Heun’s insinuation that Ray McInerny Sr. is president of a small, inactive group was presumptuous and ludicrous. Interviews of three New Berlin aldermanic candidates who are in contested races have been conducted. A fourth candidate ( current District #4 alderman--previously supported by NBCRG) was invited but couldn’t attend because he had other plans on that day. To accommodate him, his interview was conducted later (Thursday, March 6) at Ray’s home. Heun, who is not a member or candidate was not at those interview sessions.
A group’s choice (like Ray's) to interview and evaluate candidates before filing as an independent committee supporting specifed candidates by independent disbursement should not surprise Ralph Heun. After all, NBCRG has often done that. "Independent committees" must file special paperwork--including an oath identifying which candidates it will financially support or oppose. That notarized, sworn oath is required because registered "Independent committees" are banned by law from colluding with the candidates they are financially supporting.
NBCRG claims on its web site that it has actively recruited and supported candidates in every year of its existence. Records indicate NBCRG typically supported candidates as a declared “independent committee”. However, when I was at City Hall earlier this week, the City Clerk informed me that NBCRG had not filed the oath/ disclosure of which candidates it was supporting or opposing in the upcoming 2008 election. Shall we all jump to conclusions like Heun and label NBCRG a small, inactive group?
If NBCRG follows its usual practice of supporting candidates by independent committee/ disbursement, I hope it doesn’t screw up again and neglect to file the required sworn oath/reports like it did in 2004.
In 2004, prior to the February primary and April elections, NBCRG distributed campaign fliers supporting several candidates. (the fliers conveyed that NBCRG was supporting the candidates as an independent committee). NBCRG spent hundreds of dollars on the printing of those fliers. But it failed to follow Wisconsin law requiring "independent committees" to file a sworn oath that it would not coordinate/ collude with the candidates or the candidates’ committees--- BEFORE it dispersed funds in support or opposition to specified candidates. NBCRG also failed to adhere to the law and report the names/addresses of the candidates it would be supporting or opposing in the election. That information is supposed to be listed on the oath--the oath that NBCRG neglected to file!
After I notified the City Clerk of NBCRG’s deficient campaign finance reporting, she contacted the organization. According to the public records, NBCRG did not file the required oath/report until May 2004--- after the Feb. primary and April 2004 elections had already been held! (and well after funds had been dispersed). NBCRG also submitted an affidavit acknowledging its reporting mistakes/failures.
Incidentally, Matt Weiss was one of the candidates NBCRG supported n the 2004 election. Prior to that, Weiss had been the treasurer of an organization called Wisconsin Coalition for Voter Participation, a group the State Elections Board charged had illegally coordinated/colluded with Justice Jon Wilcox’s election campaign and funneled money into it. ( See my March 31, 2007 and April 23, 2007 blog entries)
In 2004, NBCRG supported candidates Weiss, Dave Ament, Roger Hegeman, Donna Rathsack, Bart Williams and Brent Chipman.
|
By Linda Richter
Tuesday, Feb 19 2008, 09:57 AM
Don’t forget to vote in today’s Wisconsin Primary Election.
Voting information is easily accessible via the City of New Berlin’s web site ( click on How do I/FAQ )
You'll find the following information and more:
District Maps & Polling Places
District 1 - (Wards 1-2-3)
Vote at: Hickory Grove Senior Center, 2600 South Sunny Slope Road
District 2 - (Wards 4-5-6-7)
Vote at: New Berlin Community Center (Old New Berlin Library), 14750 West Cleveland Avenue
District 3 - (Wards 8-9-10-11)
Vote at: World Harvest Church, 1500 South West Lane
District 4 - (Wards 12-13-14-15-27-28)
Vote at: Peace Lutheran Church, 17651 West Small Road
District 5 - (Wards 16-17-18-19)
Vote at: Eisenhower High School, 4333 South Sunny Slope Road
District 6 - (Wards 20-21-22)
Vote at: Glen Park School, 3500 S. Glen Park Road
District 7 - (Wards 23-24-25-26)
Vote at: New Berlin City Hall, 3805 South Casper Drive
All polling places open at 7:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM.
|
By Linda Richter
Monday, Jan 28 2008, 10:38 PM
Vern Bentley’s published letter (Jan. 10, Waukesha Freeman) was a spurious attack on Alderman Bill Moore that distorted facts and Moore’s record.
Here’s my response, which was published Friday (Jan. 25, Waukesha Freeman)------
Alderman’s public service record set straight
Vern Bentley’s wacky and misleading statements regarding New Berlin Alderman Bill Moore compel a response.
Bentley’s recent letter stated, "Years ago, when Moore was on the school board, he supported a $57 million referendum for a new high school. He was not re-elected."
Actually, Moore won every time he ran for public office in New Berlin. He was elected to the New Berlin School Board in 1994 and re-elected in 1997. After serving those two consecutive three-year terms, he opted to retire rather than run for a third term. Moore ran for aldermanic office in 2005 and won by a landslide.
Moore served on the school board from April 1994 to 2000. He was not on the school board in December 2002 when it discussed and voted for a $57 million referendum for a new high school.
Linda Richter, New Berlin
|
By Linda Richter
Thursday, Jan 3 2008, 01:10 AM
New Berlin School Board Member Susan Manley filed non-candidacy papers, signally her intent not to run for re-election. See news report.
It didn’t surprise me one bit.
When District Administration presented several projects at the September 24 School Board Meeting, that were described as “important”, “immediate”, & “dire" needs --but which had not been currently budgeted for, Mrs. Manley was quite dismayed.
She expressed “frustration” that “critical issues” at New Berlin West and Reagan School were on the list--grumbling that the School Board had spent a lot of money on those two schools. She conveyed “frustration” that some of those “critical needs” weren’t taken care of with the $33 million spent renovating West.
And then she voted against proceeding with the proposed roofing and air quality plans. However, the motion passed 4-2. (She and Matt Thomas were the dissenters)
When it met in October, the School Board discussed increasing the tax levy to address some of the more “pressing” needs identified in September by Administration, such as Eisenhower’s leaky roof, and huge holes in asphalt at Orchard Lane School. Mrs. Manley was again agitated and "frustrated". Referring to the "taxpayers", and fretful about how they'd react, Mrs. Manley complained that "we" (presumably she/the School Board) had not planned properly and hadn’t done its job right.
Mrs. Manley chose to vote against the motion/amendment “ to approve the commencement of work on the asphalt project at Orchard Lane at the lowest qualified bid-- and to fund an amount not to exceed $270,000 to identify maintenance projects this year”. The motion passed 4-3. (Mrs. Manley, Matt Thomas, John Kegel cast the no votes).
During Mrs. Manley’s tenure on the School Board, I emailed her a few times, but got no response--no email reply, no letter, no phone call, no attempt to speak with me at a School Board Meeting, and no answers from her to the questions I posed in my email messages. Nothing.
Hopefully, the Board Member who replaces Susan Manley in April will be more responsive to constituents, take greater initiative/action to be well- informed about District needs or problems, and will consider safety of students and staff a top priority.
|
By Linda Richter
Saturday, Dec 1 2007, 03:40 PM
NBCRG President Ralph Heun and his son Keith are fond of labeling people “conservative” or “liberal”. For example, Ralph Heun has referred to Tom Augustine as “conservative”.
Re: Tom Augustine’s political activities/affiliations/history------
He has served as New Berlin Alderman (District 2) since 2002.
In 1998, Augustine was the Democratic Party’s candidate for State Assembly (District #98) against Republican incumbent Marc Duff (R-New Berlin). Duff won the election. He received more than twice as many votes as Augustine.
Tom Augustine has donated generously to Democratic candidates (according to data from non-partisan watchdog organizations/sites like Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, The Center for Responsive Politics, and opensecrets.org, which track money in politics and/or disclose campaign contribution information). Their data indicates Tom Augustine donated:
- $200 to Jim Doyle (Democrat) in 2006, $100 in 2005, $100 in 2004, $100 in 2002
- $100 to Kathleen Falk (Democrat) more than once
- $100 to Dawn Marie Sass (Democrat)
- $100 to Chad VanDierendonck (Democrat), who ran for State Assembly seat against the incumbent Scott Jensen (Republican).
- Over $400 to Roger Danielson (Democrat), a Waukesha School Board member who ran for state Assembly.
Data indicates Tom Augustine donated $500 in 2004 to Senator Russ Feingold. (Democrat) and publicly endorsed Feingold for re-election. In fact, a 2004 Feingold Senate Committee Press Release specifically mentions: “Alderperson Tom Augustine of the City of New Berlin” in its “City Officials for Russ” endorsement document. See http://www.russfeingold.org/article_text.php?id=135
Is this the record of a “conservative”?
Ralph Heun/ NBCRG’s blog calls Augustine “conservative”. Vern Bentley and New Berlin School Board President Keith Heun have also tried to paint Augustine as “conservative”.
Their notion of a “conservative” politician is someone like Tom Augustine, a politically active Democrat who ran for state office trying to unseat a New Berlin Republican incumbent? An individual who has been a staunch supporter of Democratic candidates, such as Jim Doyle, Russ Feingold, Roger Danielson and has contributed generously to numerous Democratic campaigns? And who has used his position as City alderman to lend support to a Democratic Senator’s campaign????
Well, regardless of whether Augustine is “conservative” or “liberal” (or however Heun/Heun/Bentley try to spin it), he’s a public official and accountable for his actions/record.
|
More Posts Next page »
|
|
