Watchdog News

COMMENTARY: Fourteen years is a long time

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:07:54 +0000

By Kevin Binversie

It’s been 14 years since I first was eligible to vote in November elections in Wisconsin. That’s the same amount of time it has been, since former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson went before the voters of the Badger State.

That’s an eternity in politics. Scores of movements, groups and organizations have risen and fallen in that time.

During that same 14 years, U.S. Reps. Paul Ryan, R-1st District, and Tammy Baldwin, D-2nd District, have been in Congress, and the state’s 8th Congressional District has seen three congressional representatives.

Like most Wisconsin conservatives, I have a mixed emotions — respect and frustration — for the former governor.

I respect the mountain of strong, legitimate conservative reforms that took root in Wisconsin and spread nationwide. Welfare reform, school choice and voucher programs for under-advantaged children in Milwaukee all saw their genesis during Thompson’s reign as Wisconsin’s governor from 1987 to 2001 — also 14 years.

Yet the frustration comes with the many political “stutter stops” along the way to his run for the U.S. Senate seat now being vacated by the retiring U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl. There also was the horrific run for president in 2008 that Thompson himself made fun of at a forum at Marquette University Law School this week, commenting that “I never got out of Iowa.”

Add in almost nonstop speculation about potential Senate runs in 2004, 2006 and 2010. All ended in disappointment, heartache and eventual heartburn for long-time Thompson supporters and activists who hoped for a Tommy run.

Political observers, like me, got so fed up with the “will he or won’t he” dance that Thompson became known as the “Brett Favre of Wisconsin Politics” for his waffling, much like the heralded former Green Bay Packers' quarterback did before ultimately leaving the team.

So now with the 2012 Senate race in full swing, Thompson isn’t just back, he’s all-in with his candidacy just two years after telling a crowd in Madison "that it is time for new voices and new faces."

I don’t doubt Tommy Thompson’s ready for this U.S. Senate run. Just watching the man at the Marquette Law School forum demonstrated that Thompson’s not only ready for the political fights ahead, he’s relishing them. The fire is back in his attitude, his gestures and mannerisms, and the way he can still hold a crowd is impressive.

It’s a real show to watch and proves he’s still a master political showman.

On one level, it’s nice to see the old Tommy back. He’s been missed in the Wisconsin political arena.

On another, you wonder if he’s been gone too long. Should he come back at all? Fourteen years is long time, not just in politics. Eighteen-year-olds eligible to vote in November were pre-schoolers the last time Thompson was on a Wisconsin ballot.

It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but how will an electorate respond when part of it never wanted Thompson to leave in the first place, another may not know who he is, and others may think it is time for him to get off the political stage?

We’ll know soon enough.

Kevin Binversie is a Wisconsin native who has been blogging on the state’s political culture for more than eight years. He has served in the George W. Bush administration from 2007-2009, worked at the Heritage Foundation and has worked on numerous Wisconsin Republican campaigns in various capacities, most recently as research director for Ron Johnson for Senate. Contact him at kevin.binversie@franklincenterhq.org.

ANALYSIS: Indiana vote part of national trend

John Connors — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:09:51 +0000

By Kevin Mooney | Statehouse News Online

INDIANAPOLIS – Democratic Party leaders and union officials’ concerted efforts to block right-to-work legislation in Indiana came up short Wednesday, when Gov. Mitch Daniels signed off on the measure shortly after it passed the state Senate

Not long ago, it would have seemed far-fetched for a rust-belt state like Indiana to enact a measure that prohibits union contracts from requiring all workers to pay a fee to the union.

But Wednesday’s vote is part of the nation’s changing mosaic of labor relations.

Governors and legislatures nationwide are taking steps to curtail the power of public- and private-sector unions.

In Indiana this week, private-sector unions took the hit. But last year, public-sector unions in Wisconsin saw their power dissipate.

Governors from both parties in states like Ohio, New Jersey and New York have confronted public employee unions with varying degrees of success. But what is surprising is the confrontation is taking place. Not long ago labor confrontation was akin to political suicide in historically pro-union states such as these.

But, not all states are part of this national trend.

For example, Wednesday, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn extolled the virtues of organized labor during his State of the State address.

“Having a good union workforce like Caterpillar and John Deere and Ford and Mitsubishi and Chrysler; they all have — Navistar as well — they’re all organized by the (United Auto Workers) and the UAW believes in making sure that people get a decent wage, get a decent health-care plan and a decent retirement,” Quinn said.

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Honolulu Prosecutor Still Has Problems With Prisoner Plan

John Connors — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:06:37 +0000

By Jim Dooley – Hawaii Reporter

HONOLULU — Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro today continued his lonely objections to aspects of Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s plan to amend Hawaii’s criminal justice in ways that would release more convicted felons from prisons and jails.

Kaneshiro told legislators he’s afraid the proposed legislation could endanger public safety and deny parole and probation officials necessary discretion in performing their work.

Called the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, the plan would streamline pretrial bail releases of accused felons, shorten probation terms for certain felonies and limit prison stays for some parole violators.

One portion of the governor’s plan would raise the threshold for a felony theft charge from $300 to $750, greatly reducing the amount of jail or probation terms for those offenses.

Proponents say the $300 level has been unchanged since 1986 and is far below the national average of $750. Even the tough-on-crime state of Texas sets the felony theft threshold at $2,500, advocates say.

The administration says initiating the changes to the system would cost some $7 million in upfront spending, but those expenses would be recovered – and millions more dollars saved – because of reduced prison and jail populations.

Kaneshiro noted that the administration’s bills don’t have budget appropriations written into them and he wondered where the start-up money would come from.

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Critics question cost of Houston ISD’s nonprofit audit; district says review wasn’t an audit

John Connors — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:03:22 +0000

By Mike Cronin | Texas Watchdog

HOUSTON – Some parents whose children attend Houston schools are wondering why district officials are spending taxpayer money to have two separate organizations to audit very similar things.

Especially because one of them was supposed to be free.

The Council of the Great City Schools, a Washington-based nonprofit organization, conducted an October examination of the district’s methods of buying and selling goods and services.

Administrators at the Houston Independent School District now are awaiting a bill from the council – even though Superintendent Terry Grier repeatedly told Texas Watchdog, other news outlets and the public for more than five months that the council audit would cost nothing.

HISD trustees in October approved paying a Houston accounting firm up to $87,500 to also audit the district’s business practices. That evaluation is being conducted now. Final results are expected sometime during the upcoming weeks, school board President Mike Lunceford and district officials have said.

Jason Spencer, an HISD spokesman, told Texas Watchdog last month that the council audit would cost the district taxpayer money. A council review of HISD’s capital facilities program in 2010 came with a price tag of about $22,000 – or roughly a quarter of what Null-Lairson will earn from conducting its current audit.

Peggy Sue Gay, 52, a mother of two HISD students, expressed the same concern and also asked, “Why did the Council of (the) Great City Schools do the ‘high-level management review?’ They have only conducted seven such studies in the past 12 years.”

Gay, who is represented by HISD District VII’s Harvin Moore, added, “I thought this was supposed to be an audit – but it ended up being a ‘high level management review.’”

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Pickett County, TN officials wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars

John Connors — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:00:03 +0000

By Christopher Butler | Tennessee Watchdog

NASHVILLE – Officials in Pickett County misused almost $150,000 of taxpayer money, according to an audit that state Comptrollers released today.

In addition, Comptrollers faulted a general sessions judge in the county for forcing criminal defendants to contribute to charitable and civic organizations — which is something beyond the usual fines and costs associated with their court cases.

In one instance, county officials issued a $72,000 capital outlay note to purchase two fire trucks, but without the county commissioners’ approval, as Tennessee law requires.

In other instances:

• Expenditures exceeded total appropriations approved by the County Commission in the General and Drug Control funds by $44,839 and $2,220, respectively.

• Expenditures exceeded appropriations approved by the County Commission in the Operation and Maintenance of Equipment major appropriation category of the Highway/Public Works Fund by $11,511.

• Expenditures exceeded total appropriations approved by the County Commission in the Central Cafeteria Fund by $7,612.

• The clerk did not report and pay to the state unclaimed funds (old outstanding checks) totaling $4,026.

Pickett County officials were out of the office on Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the General Sessions Judge who ordered defendants to contribute to charitable or civic organizations violated Tennessee law, Comptrollers said in their report.

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Rail Radio Blitz Costs Oahu Taxpayers $145,000

John Connors — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:57:14 +0000

Hawaii Reporter

OAHU – The Honolulu Area Rapid Transit Authority, the entity that oversees the construction and management of the city’s proposed $5.3 billion elevated steel on steel rail system, has launched a series of radio advertisements promoting the project and directing the public to check out the HART web site for traffic updates.

Scott Ishikawa, spokesperson for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project’s Public Involvement Team, told Hawaii Reporter in an email today:

“Construction of the foundation and pillars for the rail guideway is about to begin. We need to be proactive and do everything we can in letting the public know in advance about the work, so they can adjust their commute or make detours to avoid the construction areas. The radio spots also advise the public to watch for our construction crews on the road and to drive safely around them.”

He said the cost for the radio spots, including production and airtime is $145,000.

The rail ad reads:

[ANNOUNCER:]

The work on Honolulu’s rail transit system is now underway, and the construction on the elevated guideway foundations and pillars is about to begin. This comes after years of study and planning, voter approval, and project funding.

And while every effort is being made to reduce the impact of construction, drivers should expect some delays and detours while construction proceeds.

That’s one of the reasons HART – the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation – will be working to keep you informed and up to date throughout the construction process.

When completed, the elevated, electrically-powered trains will run from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center, with 21 community stations along the way, providing public transportation that is fast, convenient, on-time, and never gets stuck a traffic jam.

Visit HART’s website at HonoluluTransit.org for weekly traffic construction updates and more project information.

A message from HART, paid for by Honolulu city taxpayers.

The city spent $5 million before the charter vote in 2008 to promote the rail on the ballot, said Council Member Ann Kobayashi, who questions why additional monies need to be spent now. Taxpayers money should not be spent on lobbying or promoting the project, she said, questioning if they are once again lobbying.

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South San Antonio High school coach quits following questions of missing funds and porn on school computer

John Connors — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:22:37 +0000

By Steve Miller | Texas Watchdog

SAN ANTONIO — The antennae rise when a high school administrator abruptly quits and announces, “The second I don’t work there any more, the gloves come off. All the secrets I know about this district are going to come out. I don’t have anything to lose anymore.”

We’re here if you need us.

The quote comes from a story in the San Antonio Express-News, and the guy delivering the welcome news is the departing basketball coach and athletic director from South San Antonio High School, Gary Durbon.

But first he has a few things to clear up.

His dad, former superintendent Ron Durbon, was fired in November amidst allegations he failed to fire up an investigation after it was found pornography was accessed on school computers, specifically one used by his son – Gary, the guy who is poised to spill the beans.

It also appears that the older Durbon also created some bad blood by obtaining a restraining order against the school board’s president and a trustee, whom Ron and son had sued over the pornography-on-school-computers episode.

The Texas Education Agency found good reason for canning Ron.

Gary was, until recently, best known for being the go-to guy for Tony Limon, the high school basketball player who was sued for punching a player during a game in 1999.

Limon said, coach said it was cool to punch; coach said otherwise.

What’s for sure not cool is stealing public money. And when some $25,000 in football funds turned up missing last fall, Gary was “reassigned.” Gary was supposed to be the watcher of the walking dough. But he told a local TV reporter: “I’ve never handled money. I don’t count it. I don’t deposit it. Nor have I ever been given a job description that says I am to oversee the money that comes into this department. So what you were told by the district is false.”

We have to wonder the fate of the Ron Durbon Athletic Center.

Especially if Gary follows through on his promise to take off whatever gloves he was wearing. If he does, well, we answer our phone any time of day.

Read more…

Exclusive: NE’s Ashford ‘Strongly Considering’ 2013 Mayor’s Race

John Connors — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:29:54 +0000

By Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog

OMAHA – State Senator Brad Ashford tells Nebraska Watchdog he is “strongly considering” a run for Omaha mayor next year.

In an exclusive interview with Nebraska Watchdog, Ashford—who has not officially declared— sounded like a candidate.

“I’m prepared to run; I’m prepared to be mayor.”

Ashford, who says he is “drawn to city issues” looked at the mayor’s race four years ago but backed away. He says while he “really wanted to run” in 2009 he didn’t because he couldn’t run against his friend, Hal Daub.

As it turns out Daub—who lost the 2009 race to then candidate and now Mayor Jim Suttle—is currently running for the University of Nebraska’s Board of Regents against Ashford’s wife, Ann Ferlic Ashford.

Senator Ashford is term limited out of the Legislature at the end of 2014. He says he wants to “continue in public service.”

Ashford recently switched parties, from Republican to independent. Several years ago, before he was a Republican, Ashford was a Democrat.

There is no indication that Mayor Suttle, who survived a recall challenge in January 2011, will not run for re-election.

The other name often mentioned is Omaha businessman Dave Nabity. Nabity, who ran and lost for Governor in 2006, raised money for the recall effort.

Read more…

Nebraska GOP Senate Poll: Stenberg ‘Surging’

John Connors — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:01:04 +0000

By Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog

LINCOLN — A new GOP Senate poll—arguably one likely to favor Don Stenberg—finds State Treasurer Stenberg “surging” just a handful of points behind Attorney General Jon Bruning.

At the same time nearly a third of the voters are still undecided.

The poll was trotted out today by Senator Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) Senate Conservatives Fund. DeMint has not only endorsed Stenberg but has helped pour a couple hundred thousand dollars into Stenberg’s effort.

According to the poll Bruning had a 21 point lead over Stenberg in June, but that’s now down to six; State SenatorDeb Fischer trails Bruning by 20 points.

Here’s the numbers:

Bruning; 31.8%

Stenberg: 26.4%

Fischer: 11.0%

Flynn: 1.4%

Undecided: 29.4%

A statement from the Bruning campaign dismissed the numbers as part of a push poll featuring “negative attacks on Jon Bruning.”

Fischer tells Nebraska Watchdog she doesn’t put a lot of stock into polls this early in the primary. She then added, “the fact that neither (Bruning or Stenberg) seems to be getting even a third of the vote should be troubling to their supporters.”

The pollster, Basswood Research, says “the longer Nebraska Republicans examine the two candidates, the more Bruning’s support fades, and Stenberg’s rises.”

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Texas councilman – accused of failing to pay taxes – targeted in recall effort

John Connors — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:59:31 +0000

By Mark Lisheron | Texas Watchdog

FREDERICKSBURG, TX – Fredericksburg councilman Tommy Segner says he is a victim of politics, the truth of which depends on your perspective.

Segner, a rabble-rouser and business owner who managed to get himself elected to the City Council, is the target of a recall, the San Antonio Express News isreporting today.

As the paper reported last week the recall is being led by Segner’s fellow council members, Tim Dooley and Graham Pearson. Pearson said the ouster group was well on its way to getting the 457 petition signatures needed by Feb. 24 to force a recall in May.

The group believes Segner ought not be a voting member of a body that levies taxes when he, his wife and two of his businesses are being sued by the federal government for allegedly failing to pay $420,505 in taxes since 2001.

The lawsuit says the Internal Revenue Service tried on numerous occasions and failed to collect from Segner. “Furthermore, efforts to educate Mr. Segner as to the process and importance of these payroll tax statutes have proved futile, “ according to the suit. “Tax returns continue to be filed late, if at all, with little or no payments in them.”

As a council member Segner has displayed similar contempt for the government spending half of the taxation equation, criticizing the council and the administration along the way. It was Segner who called for a referendum in which voters said no to spending 3.2 million tax dollars on an aquatic park.

Notwithstanding the imperceptible curve of his learning about taxes or the federal laws he might have broken, Segner says the real trouble is his local government wanting him out of its hair.

“The bottom line is that I have caused some grief and embarrassment to certain members of this City Council, city staff and to some members of the swimming pool committee,” Segner said in a statement issued Tuesday. “So, my personal issues with the IRS seem to be a good excuse to get back at me.”

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