This isn’t the first time, its not the last, but it is a little unusual. It’s no Bruno (2001) – but still unacceptable and probably just the beginning of the smear tactics in the last few days of the campaign. I hate this crap. Glad people get it and aren’t falling for it.
Here’s the piece
I’ll let district 6 constituents speak for themselves:
Many neighbors received this misleading flyer in the mail today.
There is a moment when you say enough is enough.
This mailing has no base in facts. I’ll leave it to Marsha Rummel to address the undergrounding, but you only have to look at her long list of community leaders who endorse her and look forward to continuing to work with her.
When you have no real achievements to run on, few endorsements, and no enthusiasm for your campaign, I guess your only choice is to be misleading and nasty. I tried to find a contact for this PAC called “Building a Stronger Wisconsin” with the treasurer, Randy Nash, couldn’t find anything. The only thing I could find is Randy Nash is based in Milwaukee. I can’t find any info on this group, it’s affiliations, beliefs, or membership. Furthermore it’s an attack piece directed at a local race where it’s progressive v. progressive.I think Alder Satya Rhodes-Conway said it best,
“I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: anyone living in District 6 should vote for Marsha Rummel and should head on over to https://www.facebook.com/friendsofmarsharummel and hit like. If you had any doubts, today’s attack piece on behalf of Marsha’s opponent should settle them. Shady front groups have no place in Madison Politics. Let’s make it clear that they are a ticket to lose your election.”Or State Rep Chris Taylor,
“Marsha Rummel is an effective committed advocate for her constituents. She understands the critical importance of local and state elected officials collaborating and forming strong partnerships to move our progressive issues forward, especially in the tough political times we are currently in.”As important as our Alder is to this vibrant and growing district we need someone with integrity and proven experience. These are the neighbors, elected officials, and organizations supporting Marsha Rummel, http://www.marsharummel.com/endorsements/
and
The mailing more than puzzles me, and instead truly saddens me that a local race for city alder has been lowered to such a level. This is more than just how it impacts a local election, as it sends a message about the lowering of the tone in our political discourse even on the local level. Therefore this mailing today concerns everyone in the 6th District.
I have been a Research Assistant in the State Assembly, a county chair of the Dem Party, and also was the campaign manager in a primary race for state representative. I can honestly say there were times in all those areas when spirits were high, tensions higher, and still there was civility from those I worked with, and more importantly from those who hoped to have the honor of serving in some elected capacity.
I have rarely seem something as low brow in a local election as what came in the mail today. This is not Chicago or New York! The smear piece speaks volumes about the type of campaign that is being used to unseat Marsha, one of the hardest working council members in Madison. This will only make us more determined to show up at the polls and vote against this political tactic.
We can not allow this type of tactic to work, as it then sends a message we have allowed the threshold for what is acceptable in local races to have been lowered. Is that what we really wish to have happen here on the near east side of Madison?
I await the the only honorable action that Marsha’s opponent can take by decrying and repudiating the mailing.
and
I don’t know who or what they are, but according to their own lit in their survey on opposition to walker —
“Building a Stronger Wisconsin is an independent advocacy organization whose purpose is to publicly promote policies that maintain Wisconsin’s high quality of life. Building a Stronger Wisconsin has been active promoting issues across Wisconsin since 2007. Building a Stronger Wisconsin helps increase public awareness of the importance of job growth, quality education, affordable health care, fair taxation and a strong infrastructure. Building a Stronger Wisconsin believes without investment in schools, roads, utilities, housing and health care, we will not be able to build the stronger Wisconsin necessary to maintaining the high quality of living our citizens have come to expect.”
and
What makes me sad is that an organization that ostensibly supports progressive values would join in the bizarre smear mailer that arrived yesterday. The only thing I learned from their web site is that they like basketball and cranberries. WTF?
and
We got the same mailing today. It was sponsored (in tiny little print) with the following statement: “Approved and paid for by Building a stronger Wisconsin PAC, Randy Nash, treasurer”. This group’s website is: http://buildingastrongerwi.org/ Their stated mission is “Building a Stronger Wisconsin is an independent advocacy organization whose purpose is to publicly promote policies that maintain Wisconsin’s high quality of life. Recently, the US Supreme court has told us that the best way to promote free speech is with more speech, not less. We will continue to speak up in favor of the issues that we believe will keep building a stronger Wisconsin now and into the future.” A note on the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign website states:Hijacking Campaign 2010
Building a Stronger Wisconsin PAC
Updated: November 18, 2010
This is the first time Building a Stronger Wisconsin has utilitzed its political action committee to do independent expenditures. Their political ad campaigns have traditionally been under the guise of phony issue ads since the group’s inception in 2007. The PAC has reported spending $20,000 on phone campaigns to oppose Republican challengers to Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker (SD29/Wausau) and Senator Pat Kreitlow (SD23/Chippewa Falls).
Opensecrets.org website states: Building a Stronger Wisconsin is a left-leaning 501c organization and political action committee used for independent expenditures only that has exclusively opposed Republicans running for political office.
Official PAC Name:
BUILDING A STRONGER WISCONSIN
Location: WAUNAKEE, WA 53597
Industry: Misc Issues; Other single-issue or ideological groups
Treasurer:
FEC Committee ID: C90012006
(Look up actual documents filed at the FEC)
and
I looked up Randy Nash listed as Treasurer. Web results show a (414) area code in his phone number. This is the kind of crap which polarizes people. If a Madison council seat can attract this kind of PAC intrusion, what’s next? PAC mailers for Co-Op, MNA and Wil-Mar board seats? No one will admit making this happen so the quality of our neighborhood relationships takes a hit. Sad….
and
If that mailing is supposed to reflect the values of the 6th district, who wants it? I note that the originator is a very shadowy PAC based in Waunakee. I am hoping that we will all repudiate this slimy new development starting with Scott Thornton and continuing as we cast our votes on Tuesday.
On a personal note, and as a former elected official, I have to say that Marsha must be doing something right if ‘doesn’t answer e-mail’ is the best attack they could come up with after her service to our district. I also note that few elected officials are able to stay on top of the volume of e-mails, FB messages, phone calls, drop in where you work to chat and stop you at the store contacts. Having tried to do so myself, I am prepared to cut her some slack on that particular issue.
and
Well, now we know for sure who the moneyed interests are backing. The disappointing smear you received in your mail today is ugly, ugly, ugly, and Scott Thornton should be embarrassed.
I find the inclusion of “food, music, and fun” in the mailing interesting. Not your typical Milwaukee PAC fare, sounds closer to home to me, filtered through a blameless bullhorn.
I also find it interesting that of all of Marsha’s votes, one to find better ways of spending $1m than burying wires is the best they could come up with to highlight. (If that’s the worst that came out of the Willy St. reconstruction – great job, I’d say!)
Want to know what Scott Thornton has to say about it? Ask him about it at his Twitter Townhall tomorrow night. Per his web site, you can append the hashtag below to ask your questions.
He will be holding a Twitter Town Hall on Thursday, March 28th from 8 – 9:00 p.m. for those that could not attend or have more questions for the candidate. #thornton6
Plus lots of shorter comments agreeing with people above . . . I don’t even need to say anything at this point!
District 6, and Madison in general is too smart to fall for this. When this happened to me, there were 4 mailings in the last 5 or 6 days (it was a candidate not a PAC) . . . I wonder if someone is rushing to the post office to cancel further mailings? Marsha should probably send them a thank you note for inspiring people to make sure they get out to vote!
UPDATE:
FWIW,
just pulled the IRS 990 form on BSWI. Four directors, all listing PO Box
66 Waunakee as their addresses: Randy Nash per above, Gordon Woodrich,
turns up as a Janesville firefighter/unionist in a quick Google search,
Debra Dassow, either Cedarburg or Medford, and Carmen Stout, Stoughton,
WEAC PAC Treasurer. This is truly sad.Why would any of these people
choose to invest in this kind of shabby politics in our alder district’s
election?
The 990 can be found on-line at:http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/260/260640889/260640889_201112_990EO.pdf
“Location: WAUNAKEE, WA 53597”
Wait one darn second. Waunakee, Washington?!? And all this time we thought Waunakee, Wisconsin was “The Only Waunakee in the World”!!
(Just a little levity. I agree the mailer stinks and the folks who are tied to it should be embarrassed and denounce it. Plus, I endorsed Marsha.)
Looks like the last time Building a Stronger Wisconsin received any contributions was back in 2010. The full report is located at: http://cfis.wi.gov/ReportsOutputFiles/0501385JanuaryContinuing20111a4891312011110403AMGAB2Report.pdf
It’s disappointing (strike that: outrageous) to see a PAC funded exclusively by unions (including MTI) attacking a progressive who has been nothing but supportive of labor.
While I see that people agree that the method it was put out in might be distasteful no one is refuting the facts the mailer laid out are unture. Interesting….
Distasteful? Maybe. Untrue? Hardly.
Justin – I’d be happy to dispute the so-called “facts” on the mailer.
First off, Marsha is anything but ineffective and unresponsive. She is one of the most effective Alders on the Council, and just because you’ve disagreed with decisions she has made does not make her unresponsive. Something I have learned in my first 2 years on the Council is that each time you cast a vote on a controversial issue, you are making about half your constituents happy and the other half, not so much. You try to find middle-ground where possible, but sometimes a satisfactory compromise just can’t be reached. You listen to all sides and make the best judgement call you can. Does that mean you are “unresponsive” or don’t represent the half who ultimately didn’t agree with your vote?
Second, Marsha did not “give up” $1m in funding for Willy Street. Something else I’ve learned on the Council is that you have to choose your battles. Many of us, as new Alders, go in all idealistic and believing we will fight unyieldingly for all things that may benefit our districts. We get there, realize that money is limited, and some things just won’t garner the necessary votes from our colleagues. We find the critical issues and fight for them – and sometimes fight losing battles on the most critical ones, but sometimes, we count the votes and realize we will never get to a majority no matter how hard we fight – so we let those battles go and move on to those more critical and more winnable issues. No one Alder – no matter how effective – can get a majority on every single issue of importance to their district. The undergrounding on Willy Street came during a tough budget where we had to make a lot of difficult choices. You win some, and you lose some – and sometimes you recognize where things are headed so you cut your losses. You become ineffective when you refuse to let go of battles already lost.
Next, perhaps one of the most important (yet strangely obvious) lessons I’ve learned as an Alder is that one really can’t be in 2 – or 3 or 4 or 5 – places at once. We all miss meetings as a result. Sometimes, we have to figure out whether being at one Neighborhood Association meeting is more important than another or one committee meeting is more critical. Sometimes, we miss committee meetings because there is an issue of importance to our district at another committee. Sometimes, we can’t make it to a neighborhood meeting because a major in-district project is coming before a committee at the same time. And so forth… Unfortunately, those who wanted us to attend the meeting we couldn’t make feel slighted. Again, you make some happy, while others feel as if you weren’t where you needed to be.
Finally, we all miss returning a call or an email occasionally. In the fast paced world of email and voicemail, it’s easy to miss responding to someone even when we have the best intentions. Even in my district, where I receive far less contact from constituents than the Alder in District 6, I sometimes miss responding to someone. It’s the nature of being human.
Frankly, it’s easy to criticize from the outside. I know because I did the same when I was a citizen and neighborhood activist. Being on the Council has been eye-opening in this regard, and I’ve learned that it’s not as simple as it seemed from the outside.
This mailing against Marsha is unacceptable and not based in fact. It is exactly the kind of thing we have all grown to find so distasteful in state and national races, and it’s incredibly disappointing to see such tactics being used by supposed progressives against other progressives.
Incidentally, the so-called “comparison” piece put out by Scott Thornton’s own campaign is equally distasteful and lacking in facts.
Lisa