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Changing the Guard in Wisconsin a Repeat of the Past Or a New Beginning?

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Changing the Guard in Wisconsin a Repeat of the Past Or a New Beginning? CHANGING THE GUARD IN WISCONSIN A REPEAT OF THE PAST OR A NEW BEGINNING? JEFF MAYERS hank Tommy paign 2002. Joining Thompson, McCann in making TChuck Chvala pre-election charges and E. Michael was Dane County McCann. If you want- District Attorney ed a clean sweep of Brian Blanchard, who the old leadership in also charged a trio of Madison, you got Assembly Republican your wish. leaders and a top Republican Assembly On January 6, aide. Earlier, he had 2003, a new governor charged state Sen. and a new slate of leg- Brian Burke, D- islative leaders offi- Milwaukee, with a cially took their places host of felonies, forc- at the Capitol — ing Burke to pull out swept up in a wave of of the attorney gener- change swelled by the al's race. And specu- end of the Thompson lation in early 2003 era, the “caucus scan- was that Blanchard's continuing investiga- dal,” and opportunistic electioneering by tion would hit others. Republicans and GOP-leaning interest groups. While there are some holdovers (Assembly It happened because: Majority Leader Steve Foti, R-Oconomowoc, • Tommy Thompson left the governorship held onto office and leadership despite legal after 14 years on February 1, 2001, to take a problems) and the new slate of leaders are not cabinet post with President Bush, leaving exactly fresh faces to Capitol vets, the ascension longtime lieutenant governor Scott of the new political order represents one of the McCallum to cope with a falling budget biggest changes to hit Madison in two decades. and economic trends; Twenty years ago, there was a new governor (Democrat Tony Earl), a new Assembly speaker • Former Senate Majority Leader Chuck (Democrat Tom Loftus), a new Assembly Chvala became enough of a political villain minority leader (Republican Tommy to pull down Democratic incumbents in Thompson), a new Senate majority leader the Senate; (Democratic Tim Cullen), and a new Senate • and, Milwaukee County District Attorney E. minority leader (Republican Jim Harsdorf). Michael McCann's office charged Chvala They faced a mounting fiscal crisis, and one of with 20 felonies in the home stretch of cam- Jeff Mayers is the editor and president of WisPolitics.com, an online news service in Madison. Wisconsin Interest 3 them — Thompson (“Dr. No” at the time) — budget-writing Joint Finance Committee to ended up as a long-term impact player. win unanimous election to the speaker's post after Scott Jensen was forced from it This time there's a different political mix (a because of felony charges in the caucus Democratic governor and Republican scandal. (Like Chvala and Foti, Jensen is Legislature) but the same big problems — a fighting the charges; Jensen also is flexing red-stained budget and a cloudy economic his muscles as a chair of two important future in the state and in the state's largest city. committees — Education Reform and In Milwaukee, 2002 also brought a wave of Energy & Utilities.) Gard, married to for- change from the courthouse (a new county mer state Treasurer and U.S. Senate candi- executive replacing longtime Executive Tom date Cate Zeuske, hails from Peshtigo and Ament, after a pension scandal) to city hall (a gets good reviews for his straight-shooting lame-duck mayor, John Norquist, getting style. He's mentioned as a possible 2006 ready to leave because of a sex scandal). congressional candidate or maybe even a gubernatorial candidate (along with 8th In 2003, the new statehouse leadership will District Congressman Mark Green of be forced to find a solution to the $2.6 billion- Green Bay and new Milwaukee County to-$4.3 billion, two-year budget deficit. From Executive Scott Walker — if he wins a full this group, could a star emerge — one able to term in 2004). It might be the majority that shape Wisconsin politics for another two Jensen built, but the 58-41 GOP margin decades? Here are the possibilities. will help Gard. • Democratic Governor Jim Doyle, the 12- • Republican Senate Majority Leader Mary year attorney general, beat McCallum in a Panzer, a legislative veteran, whose politi- negative governor's race while pledging to cal team surprised many by sweeping four not raise taxes. Doyle started off looking key races, including a recount in the more like a Pat Lucey Democrat than a Sheboygan area. Panzer had been the Tony Earl Democrat. His father, a federal minority leader in a divided caucus frus- judge, was close to Lucey. His mother, a trated by the inability to knock Chvala off former state lawmaker from Madison, his pedestal. Then McCann brought the helped his father build the modern charges, and Panzer's team was ready to Democratic Party in Wisconsin. The new pounce. Panzer and her allies took full governor comes into office without a advantage of the situation and a name- majority of votes and with wounds from a filled criminal complaint to tie Democratic nasty election fight. But if Doyle can Senators Rod Moen in western Wisconsin rebuild his party after 16 years in the and Kim Plache in Racine to Chvala. Wins gubernatorial wilderness, keep his moder- over Moen, Plache, and Jim Baumgart plus ate Democratic promises, and win re-elec- a victory in the open Republican seat once tion in 2006, he could have his own lofty held by Peggy Rosenzweig, R-Wauwatosa, spot in Wisconsin political history. gave Republicans a most improbable 18-15 • Democratic Attorney General Peg edge in the state Senate and Panzer a Lautenschlager, a former county and fed- firmer hold on her caucus. She knows the eral prosecutor and state lawmaker from budget from her days on the Joint Finance Fond du Lac, who succeeded Doyle. While Committee, and she pledges to reform a she has little to do with solving the budget Senate that was run in dictatorial fashion mess, she likely will be called upon to take by the wily Chvala. Some Republicans a leadership role in improving the ethical think she's too moderate, but she usually climate. scores points for a thoughtful, consensus- building style. • Republican Assembly Speaker John Gard, who rose from the co-chairmanship of the 4 Winter 2003 • Democratic Assembly Minority Leader Jim as usual” attitude was evident in some quar- Kreuser. Kreuser was assistant to ters; they hope that will invite more charges in Democratic Leader Spencer Black, and the caucus scandal, which has been running took over after Democrats lost ground for since mid-2001, and force politicians to deal the sixth election in a row. The Kenosha with ethics and campaign reform issues they politician faces a rebuilding effort akin to otherwise might choose to leave on the shelf. the one his city had to mount after In the meantime, the budget deficit and Chrysler closed most of its operations in what to do with it dominated media coverage the late 1980s. A Democratic majority in and the minds of voters. the Assembly seems a long way off. A late November WisPolitics.com/Wood • Democratic Senate Minority Leader Jon Communications Group poll found the budget Erpenbach. Erpenbach, a Democrat from deficit to be the number one issue on the minds Middleton only in his second four-year of Wisconsin citizens. The other high-ranking term, leads a dispirited caucus that hopes issues named by respondents to an open-ended for influence now that there's a Democrat question include public education, jobs and the in the East Wing. economy, health care, and Erpenbach early on property taxes. Corruption joined with former in public office and ethics Republican leader reform garnered responses and now reformer from only 6 percent of Mike Ellis in pushing In the meantime, the those surveyed, according for campaign finance budget deficit and what to the poll. Campaign reform; that's a good finance reform netted 2 fit, considering he's to do with it dominated percent. (The telephone the brother-in-law of poll, conducted November U.S. Senator Russ media coverage and the 21-25, surveyed 400 Feingold and now Wisconsin residents. The holds his old state minds of voters. margin of error was plus Senate seat. A former or minus 5 percent.) radio personality, Erpenbach will need Eighty-seven percent all his good humor to of respondents said they keep his senior members happy and pro- were “somewhat concerned” or “very con- tect freshmen Mark Meyer of La Crosse cerned” that “the budget deficit is serious and Dave Hansen of Green Bay in 2004, enough to affect” them and their families. The given that their names are prominent in concern appeared to center on taxes and the Chvala criminal complaint. spending, with 83 percent of those responding somewhat opposed or strongly opposed to The leaders all started the year with post- raising taxes while 84 percent were strongly election declarations of bipartisan cooperation supportive or somewhat supportive of cuts in and a similar set of goals: balance the budget state spending. Feelings ran high on the issues, without raising taxes and improve the growth with 66 percent saying they strongly opposed potential of the state's economy. raising taxes and 54 percent saying they were But few observers expect the cooperative strongly supportive of cuts in state spending. mood to last for long. They see differences in But those polled were skeptical about state how the principal players will pursue those politicians, doubting they would deliver. They goals and note that the next election campaign were asked: “When all is said and done, do is just around the corner. Reformers also com- you believe Governor Doyle and the plained that, despite the changes, a “business Legislature can balance the budget without Wisconsin Interest 5 raising taxes?” The answers were: 51 percent pledge of his campaign.
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