Much is said about Progressive Dane, about half of it seems to be untrue. Especially if you read a particular blog. So, I’ve started a new feature – when someone, anyone, promotes lies about Progressive Dane and I see them, I’ll try to offer a different perspective – from the point of view of someone who has been a member since 1997 and the co-chair of the party, off and on, for just about as long.
Here’s today’s offering, compliments of one David Blaska and his Ashok v Thuy blog post.
***************
MYTH: The mayor and a majority of the City Council (minus the Progressive Dane contingent) voted to hire 30 more police officers.
FACT: The actual amendment was proposed by Kerr (not PD), Solomon (not PD), Judge (not PD), Rummel (PD), Konkel (PD)
Delete funding for 12 new police officers and revise Highlight No. 1 to read: Add a total of 18 new police officers with as many as practical to start in the accelerated training academy as quickly as possible. An additional 12 officers may be considered upon completion of the police staffing study currently underway and a long-term fiscal analysis beginning in budget year 2010 by the Comptroller.
The votes went like this, with only 4 of the 6 PD alders voting for it but it got 7 votes.
AYE Judge, Kerr, Konkel (PD), Rhodes-Conway (PD), Rummel (PD), Solomon, Webber (PD)
NO Clear, Cnare, Compton, Gruber (PD), Palm, Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Schumacher, Skidmore, Verveer (PD), Brandon, Bruer, Clausius.
However, the final votes on the budget, where we ultimately voted for the 30 police officers, not just 18, was 13 – 7 as follows:
AYE Clear, Compton, Gruber (PD), Judge, Kerr, Rhodes-Conway (PD), Rummel (PD), Solomon, Schumacher, Verveer (PD), Webber (PD), Bruer, Clausius.
NO Cnare, Konkel (PD), Palm, Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Skidmore, Bruer
By my count, 1/3 of the PD alders voted against cutting the number of officers from 30 to 18. 5/6 of the PD alders ultimately voted for the budget with the 30 officers in it. Whatever way you look at it, it is simply not true that “a majority of the Common Council (minus the Progressive Dane Contingent) voted to hire 30 more police officers”
****************
MYTH: The Progressive Dane-liberal coalition that runs the Dane County Board.
FACT: There are 37 members of the County Board. Progressive Dane has 6
- Barb Vedder, District 2
- Ashok Kumar, District 5
- John Hendrick, First Vice-Chair, District 6
- Al Matano, District 11
- Chuck Erickson, District 13
- Kyle Richmond, District 27
To imply that Progressive Dane leads the coalition of liberals on the County Board is absurd. However, it won’t stop Mr. Blaska from spewing his twisted truth to try to scare voters during this election season.
***************
MYTH: Progressive Dane operative Megan [sic] McDonell.
FACT: Megin and I had a good laugh about this yesterday. Megin isn’t on the Steering Committee or any Progressive Dane committee and by her own admission, hasn’t been to a General Membership Meeting in the last three years. Why? Well, she had two sweet little girls and simply doesn’t have time. To call her an operative is a tremendous stretch of the truth – unless she’s somehow masterminding things between bottles and reading stories to and cleaning up after her kids.
**************
I guess I point these things out to say, don’t believe everything you read. And it’s not just Blaska, I’ll find more examples and point them out. Meanwhile, in case you’re wondering, Progressive Dane doesn’t own a newspaper, and if we did, we wouldn’t have laid off those workers! More to come.
