We need the rain. I haven’t been home on a weekend for quite some time and when I have been home, I’ve had so many house related things to do . . . so I’m enjoying getting caught up on many, many things and not feeling guilty about not being outside weeding my hill.
HELL FREEZES AND PIG FLY
When you get an email with that as a title, you just gotta share it. Especially when it has some very interesting news . . . good work, again! from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign:
State legislative fundraising falls to lowest level in 10 years
For the first time since 1999 state legislators raised less than $1 million in a six-month period from January through the end of June. This has everything to do with the state Assembly’s rule prohibiting members from soliciting or accepting campaign donations while the state budget was under construction. Some assumed that because the rule applies only to members of the Assembly, it would result in a windfall for senators and the governor. But it didn’t happen. Their fundraising was down too.Without the budget to use as a fundraising tool, lawmakers passed a state spending plan on time for the first time in 32 years.
To read the Democracy Campaign’s report on campaign fundraising in the first half of the year, go here. For audio commentary on our findings, go here to listen to our podcast.
With the numbers showing that the Assembly fundraising ban clearly had a beneficial effect, a strong case has been made for passage of proposed legislation cementing the policy in state law and extending it to the Senate, governor and party leadership PACs as well as the Assembly. The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram called for just such action in an editorial a couple of weeks ago.
Please take a few minutes to urge your state senator to support a state law banning fundraising during the state budget process. To contact your senator, go here. If you don’t know who your senator is, go here.
PUBLIC SPACES – BUT NOT FOR THE ALL THE PUBLIC
No matter how much they protest and say its about “bad behavior” we all know that’s not what those bench dividers around the capital are about. I mean, quietly sleeping on a bench isn’t like tagging or having a loud party or all the quality of life issues that are going on in Meadowood. So what exactly is the “bad behavior” that must be stopped – laying down instead sitting up. Oooooo, so very bad. It think it had more to do with the fact that it is homeless people laying down and the fear factor. Cuz, you know, those sleeping people can be really threatening. Personally, I’ve walked/biked home by myself at night on more than one occasion where there were up to 15 homeless people sleeping or sitting on those benches and around the capital. No one spoke to me, no one threatened me and I didn’t feel unsafe. Just sad. In addition to the bench dividers, from what I hear, more and more homeless are getting ticketed in the parks and elsewhere – seems to be a crack down going on. Stay tuned, I’m going to try to get permission to tell their stories.
THOSE OTHER HOMELESS
This year, the temporarily homeless students, will have somewhere to go. I’ve seen bits and pieces here and there, but Bryon Eagon does a good concise run down of what you need to know. I agree, kudos to ASM for doing this, it is about time!
MAYORS FIRST BUDGET HEARING
You know how it goes, no one except the non-profits who are threatened with funding cuts show up. They bring their board members and clients and staff and tell story after gut wrenching story about how needed the services are and how families will suffer without them. I personally didn’t go, I understand that it was a little different this year tho. Instead of all the agencies telling all of their own stories, there was a coordinated effort to stand in unity. Literally, apparently 90% of the room stood in solidarity, saying enough is enough (our health care costs are rising too), in this economy, with the needs of our community, cuts at this time are unconscionable. I also hear that a young woman from WYOU schooled the Mayor in the fine art of filming exploding coke bottles . . . well, foaming coke bottles, but it seemed to entertain the Mayor nonetheless. I wonder what the next two hearings have in store?
SO, WHERE’D HE GET THE MONEY?
Speaking of tight budgets, I read this story about the Mayor ordering the downtown hotel study and I immediately thought, where’d he get the money? I mean, something as expensive as $10,000 would have to be budgeted, an RFP would be issued and approved by the council and there would be a public discussion about this. They Mayor doesn’t have any type of slush fund to fund these studies. And the council doesn’t even have another meeting before the study is supposed to be done by the end of the month so they can’t approve it or have any say in it. I asked a few alders where he got the money and apparently Alder Rummel asked the Mayor the same thing and got “no clear answer”. I know this mayor is one to grab as much executive power as he can, but has he now started spending money without legislative authority? Ignoring RFP policies? In a clean, transparent process, I’d be able to find the answer. With this city government, finding the answer won’t be so easy, not even when an alder asks a direct question.
EDGEWATER TIF PROPOSAL
I tried to get a copy, but I was told Gromacki was out of the office for the day and staff couldn’t find it – even tho the Wisconsin State Journal reports he’s had it long enough to determine that it seems to follow our policies. The Wisconsin State Journal reporter has the propaganda that goes with the TIF application, but the actual application wasn’t given to him. I asked because I was trying to get confirmation that the hotel rooms will be rented at $400 per night. Are we really going to give $16.8M in taxpayer dollars for that? Apparently I’ve heard that they are spending $440,000 per room. With money like that, they can probably find some sort of savings somewhere. Not sure how that number got calculated. Can’t wait to see the TIF application and find out if that is revealed there. It should be in the financials I would think, no wonder they didn’t give that application to the newspaper. I’m sure that the Edgewater spinmeisters wouldn’t want those little factoids in the news story.
EDGEWATER BLOGARAMA
Looks like the puppet masters at the Edgewater didn’t have much luck trying to get people to post in the social media. I’m shocked Jay Rath’s article still has no comments. After all, that was the instruction, post within the first 24 – 48 hours. Of course, Rath’s blog wasn’t on the list. They missed Emily as well. And the Sconz can sleep soundly knowing that, despite their efforts, the Sconz didn’t get taken over! I wonder if this is some of the Edgewater’s handiwork? I didn’t know it was so threatening to post a link without comment. Anyways, in case you haven’t done so, reading Rath’s piece will give you some things to think about. Maybe I should post some of the facebook comments about the project . . . or not.
BLOGGING GONE WRONG
Say what? Even the explanation doesn’t make sense.
More to come this weekend as I get caught up.
