Posts Tagged ‘Sunshine’

Documents Reveal Fake Retirement Scheme at UW Green Bay

MacIver News Service | October 12, 2011

[Madison, Wisc…] Documents obtained by a State Representative and reviewed by the MacIver News Service reveal that UW Green Bay officials knew they would be rehiring Tom Maki as Vice Chancellor and openly discussed the move only four days after he retired in March.

Tom Maki, Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance, announced his decision to retire on March 7, 2011. He officially retired four days later on March 11.

The Wisconsin Retirement System and Employee Trust Fund allows retired workers to take public jobs and collect pension payments as long as they’ve been retired for at least 30 days.

“The records my office obtained leave little doubt that discussions were underway for Tom Maki’s return prior to his retirement,” said State State Representative Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), Chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee. “In fact, he drafted his own re-employment contract prior to his retirement.  This whole affair just keep getting worse,”

In an email dated March  14, only four days after Maki’s retirement UW Green Bay Chancellor Harden in an internal email that “I am pleased to announce that Tom Maki will be returning to UW-Green bay as a rehired annuitant on April 22, 2011.

A day later, Sheryl Van Gruensven, UW Green Bay’s director of human resources said Maki’s ‘rehire’ would actually occur on April 11. She wrote  in an email “We also need a PA form to end Tom Maki on 3/11 and then rehire in the same position on 4/11/10 at $131,048.”

Less than a month later, on March 31, 2011, Chancellor Thomas Harden publicly offered Maki his old job back at a salary of $131,048. Maki signed the offer letter on April 2, less than 30 days after he announced his retirement.

Maki spent 33 years with the university, 20 in his current position. Since controversy brewed after news first broke about his sudden unretirement, Maki announced he would resign, for good this time, in December.

Earlier this month, State Representative Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), Chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, had expressed outrage over the arrangement, which was first revealed on Mark Belling’s Milwaukee Radio Talk Show.

“The Maki situation raises serious doubt about the leadership of UW-Green Bay and the bill authorizing those same administrators to increase tuition on students. I am concerned about the stewardship of public resources at UW-Green Bay in light of the double dipping arrangement,” Nass said at the time.

The state Department of Employee Trust Funds is investigating Harden’s decision to rehire Maki after he retired. The move allowed Maki to collect his retirement pension and receive the same salary. He is not, however, receiving employee health benefits, but rather those financed by his retirement plan.

Nass had a meeting with the Green Bay Chancellor Wednesday.

We’ll have more on this story as it develops.

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Posted in News | October 12, 2011 | | Comments Off

Who Will Pay for Milwaukee Train’s Utility Costs?
Brett Healy Seeks Declaratory Ruling from PSC

MacIver Institute President Seeks Declaratory Ruling From PSC on Milwaukee Trolley Utility Costs

The president of the MacIver Institute wants a definitive answer regarding who will be on the hook for paying for infrastructure costs associated with construction of a proposed a 2-mile boutique trolley route.

Brett Healy

Brett Healy, President of the Wisconsin-based John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, announced that he will file a petition with the Public Service Commission requesting a declaratory judgment that the City of Milwaukee will be responsible for paying for the costs associated with moving utility facilities underneath the proposed Milwaukee Streetcar route.

STATEMENT BY HEALY

“This two-mile train line at best benefits a minuscule segment of Milwaukee residents, business owners and tourists. I believe the costs should be borne by them and not those who will receive no benefit. Nevertheless, the taxpayers and ratepayers of Wisconsin deserve to know how much this will cost and who will have to pay for this project before any more expenses are incurred. I am seeking a declaratory judgment so that all involved will know, without a shadow of a doubt, who is going to pay for this trolley. While the PSC has issued an initial analysis that the City of Milwaukee could be responsible for these costs, taxpayers and ratepayers in Wisconsin deserve a definitive answer.”

BACKGROUND ON THE PROJECT

General construction of the $64.6 million, 2.1-mile rail line would be funded by $55 million in federal transit aid (previously allocated twenty years ago) and $9.7 million in tax-incremental financing district funds. Supporters assert that rider fares, downtown parking fees and advertising revenue will cover the $2.65 million annual operating cost.  The Milwaukee Common Council has approved the project although they have withheld the release of funding for the project pending additional information.

In their response to queries made by State Senators Van Wanggaard and Leah Vukmir, the PSC confirmed that additional, utility-related, costs associated with the project could exceed $70 million.

The PSC broke down the costs:

  • WEPCO  - $45 million
  • ATC .5 to 15.4 million
  • AT&T 10 million

The PSC said the ATC costs will vary depending on the need for corrosion protection for the steel conduit holding the underground transmission lines because of the proximity to DC (direct current) lines powering the proposed streetcars. The Commission further notes that the AT&T estimate is not for costs that would be incurred by other co-located telecommunication providers.

As the letter to Wanggaard and Vukmir states “Wiscosnin Stat. 227.41 allows the Commission to issue a declaratory ruling if a petition is filed by an interested person regarding whether a utility would be obligated to pay for moving its facilities associated with the Streetcar Project. Here, an affected utility or a ratepayer would request a declaratory ruling.”

Healy will be filing a petition to the PSC requesting such a ruling as an individual utility ratepayer in Southeast Wisconsin, not on behalf of or in his role as President of the MacIver Institute.

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Posted in News | September 30, 2011 | | Comments Off

State Regulators Tell Lawmakers Two-Mile Milwaukee Train Project Could Require $70 Million in Related Utility Work

MacIver News Service | September 26, 2011 | 9:40 am

[Madison, Wisc…] The price tag for a controversial streetcar in Milwaukee continues to grow, with the revelation from Wisconsin’s utility regulators that  costs to move utility lines for the boutique transportation project could exceed $70 million.

Cynthia Smith, general counsel for the Public Service Commission, explained the new figure in a letter to two Republican legislators who want to know if ratepayers outside the City of Milwaukee will be on the hook for paying for the costs.

THE PROJECT

The $64.6 million, 2.1-mile rail line would be funded by $55 million in federal transit aid (previously allocated twenty years ago) and $9.7 million in tax-incremental financing district funds. Supporters assert that rider fares, downtown parking fees and advertising revenue will the $2.65 million annual operating cost.  The Milwaukee Common Council has approved the project although they have withheld the release of funding for the project pending additional information regarding associated costs such as those described by the PSC in their letter to the senators.

THE ASSOCIATED COSTS

As we reported last month, Racine County Republican State Senator Van Wanggaard  sent a letter to Public Service Commission Chairperson Phil Montgomery seeking more information about the proposal.

In their response to Wanggaard and fellow Republican State Senator Leah Vukmir, the PSC confirmed the utility-related costs associated with the project could exceed $70 million.

The PSC broke down the costs.

WEPCO  – $45 million
ATC .5 to 15.4 million
AT&T 10 million

The PSC said the ATC costs will vary depending on the need for corrosion protection for the steel conduit holding the underground transmission lines because of the proximity to DC (direct current) lines powering the proposed streetcars. The Commission further notes that the AT&T estimate is not for costs that would be incurred by other co-located telecommunication providers.

The PSC letter states in part:

“At this time, it does not appear that the City has identified an “adequate health, safety or public welfare justification” for the Streetcar Project and therefore the utility (and its ratepayers) would not be obligated to pay for it. Rather, the project appears to be proposed by the City in its “proprietary” capacity and not in the exercise of its police powers and the costs should likely be borne by the City.”

Wanggaard believes the PSC’s letter alleviates his concerns that Racine utility ratepayers could be responsible for paying the cost of moving telecom and other utility infrastructure to construct the Milwaukee line.

“I am pleased that the Public Service Commission agrees that the costs of this purely local project should be paid for locally,” Wanggaard said. “My interest in this project has been, and continues to be, ensuring Racine residents are not picking up the tab for this Milwaukee transportation desire.”

In 1949 a consulting firm told the city it was time to get rid of its previous streetcars, saying, among other things, Milwaukee lacked the population density to make their operation feasible. March 2, 1958 was the last time a streetcar ran its route in Milwaukee. Since then, the population density of the city has decreased by nearly half.

Smith’s letter to the Senators.

Proposed route, courtesy of milwaukeestreetcar.com

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Posted in News | September 26, 2011 | | 1 Comment

Audit Finds State Not Following Contract Disclosure Law

MacIver News Service | August 31, 2011

[Madison, Wisconsin] The state of Wisconsin is not following state law regarding contract transparency according to a new audit released today.

“Although some had expected the Contract Sunshine Web site to serve as an “open checkbook” showing how state agencies spend public funds, it has been of limited value in providing the public with clear, comprehensive, and useful information,” according to the findings of the Legislative Audit Bureau.

Wisconsin’s Contract Sunshine Act requires all state agencies in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to report their purchasing activities amounting to $10,000 or more in a fiscal biennium to the Government Accountability Board (GAB) for posting to a publicly accessible Web site.

According to state law, the information must be reported within 24 hours and must include the purpose, date, and estimated amount of each reportable transaction.

The LAB is a nonpartisan legislative service agency responsible for conducting financial and program evaluation audits of state agencies. Their reports are submitted to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and made available to other committees of the Legislature and to the public.

According to the Audit:

  • Wisconsin’s Contract Sunshine statutes were enacted in May 2006 to promote transparency and fiscal responsibility
  • Only minimal resources have been devoted to developing and maintaining the Contract Sunshine Web site
  • Reporting has increased since July 2010, but information is not always complete, accurate, timely, or useful to the public

“Clearly, the previous Administration did not value openness and transparency,” said MacIver Institute President Brett Healy. “We hope the new Administration will fix the problems addressed by this audit, and we will aggressively monitor their progress along the way.”

The MacIver News Service is a project of the MacIver Institute.

Wisconsin’s Contract Sunshine Act requires all state agencies in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to report their purchasing activities amounting to $10,000 or more in a fiscal biennium to the Government Accountability Board (GAB) for posting to a publicly accessible Web site.

According to state law, the information must be reported within 24 hours and must include the purpose, date, and estimated amount of each reportable transaction.

In December 2006, the Legislature made $30,000 available to fund external development of the current Contract Sunshine Web site. It took an entire year before the site was launched.

Since late 2009 the GAB has had one staff member to spend 35 percent of his time on Contract Sunshine issues. They continue to contract with a Madison firm for Web site maintenance and is appropriated $11,300 annually for the Web site.

Ninety-five state agencies are subject to Contract Sunshine reporting requirements, however, not all state agencies regularly make purchases of $10,000 or more in each two-year budget period.

The Audit revealed that than 60.0 percent of all transactions posted on the Contract Sunshine Web site were reported only after the LAB began the audit. Only 12 agencies reported transactions in fiscal year 2009-10, but 38 agencies reported 2,526 transactions during the first four months of FY 2010-11, including several large agencies that reported to the current Web site for the first time in that year.

“We need to take the findings of the audit and strongly contemplate change,” said Rep. Samantha Kerkman (R-Randall), co-chair of the Legislative Audit Committee. “Transparency in government is important and should be able to be accomplished without duplication.”

Despite the failure of the state to comply with the 2006 law, a provision of the recently-passed state budget (Act 32) requires the Department of Administration to establish a new publicly accessible Web site that will report all expenditures for state operations exceeding $100.

The Audit Bureau recommends the legislature require the Department of Administration to report to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee by January 17, 2012, on the status of its efforts to implement the new expenditure, contract, and grant information Web site required by 2011 Wisconsin Act 32, as well as projected development and maintenance costs and the reporting efforts that will be required by state agencies.

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Posted in News | August 31, 2011 | | Comments Off

Chicago Liberal Donor Sends $200,000 to Wisconsin Recall

MacIver News Service | August 9, 2011

[Madison, Wisc...] A reclusive Chicago millionaire is one of the top individual contributors trying to recall Wisconsin’s Republican Senators, according to Government Accountability Board records.

Fred Eychaner wrote a check for $200,000 last month to the America Votes Action Fund, according to that PAC’s July 15 Special Report of Late Contribution filed at GAB. Prior to that donation, Eychaner’s all time contributions in Wisconsin was $21,100, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

America Votes Action Fund has contributed more than a half million dollars to the Greater Wisconsin Political Independent Expenditure fund and more than $44,000 to Wisconsin Citizen Action. Citizen Action is the controversial liberal activist group currently under scrutiny for their ties to the Sandy Pasch campaign and a controversial get out the vote effort that some claim involved election bribery.  Pasch, a Democrat state representative from Whitefish Bay is challenging State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills).

In a 2005 Chicago Tribune article, Eychaner was described as one of the top 20 Democratic donors in the country.  Open Secrets.org listed him in the top five liberal individual donors in 2010.

That Chicago Tribune article said he is “rarely interviewed and adamant about not being photographed.”

Eychaner is the founder and chairman of the Alphawood Foundation and Newsweb Corporation.  He owns radio stations in Chicago, including WCPT-AM “Chicago’s Progressive Talk.”  In 2002, he sold WPWR, channel 50, to Rupert Murdoch for $425 million.

His worth in 2005 was $500 million according to the Chicago Tribune.  Open Secrets.org puts his all time political contributions at $9.9 million.

That total does not include the most recent contributions to the Wisconsin recalls.  The Darling-Pasch recall is today.

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Posted in News | August 9, 2011 | | 1 Comment

Walker, Evers Move Forward on Accountability Efforts without WEAC, Which Refused to Participate

By Christian D’Andrea
 MacIver Institute Education Policy Analyst

For years, Wisconsin has been identified as having some of the most relaxed standards when it comes to assessing public schools. A new task force created by Governor Scott Walker and Department of Public Instruction Tony Evers is planning to change that.

The two joined forces Thursday afternoon to unveil a design team aimed towards keeping Wisconsin’s public schools accountable to students, families, and the general population of the Badger State. Together, they’ll work to phase out the flawed No Child Left Behind (NCLB) school grading metric and create a value-added system that accurately gauges how effective the state’s schools are.

Various school leaders, including representatives from public, private, charter and higher education institutions will help create and implement a new accountability system for Wisconsin’s schools. Their work will replace a current metric that State Superintendent Tony Evers described as being “flat-out broken.”

“This is going to be a wake up call for citizens and states that think ‘well, our schools are good,’” said panelist Damian Betebenner.

The meeting was an introductory presentation that unveiled the purpose of the group. Their goal will be to create growth-based methods to replicate the success of high-performing schools while providing assistance for low-performing ones.

This accountability program would have roots in Florida, where overwhelming reform helped turn around the Sunshine State’s schools. Speaker Patricia Levesque, Executive Director of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, expounded on how Florida was able to raise their public schools from the bottom of the national rankings in part thanks to a comprehensive school grading system.

In Wisconsin, this would go beyond Florida’s individual progress measures to include more comprehensive measures for grading schools. This would expand the current scope of accountability from a four-pronged approach (WKCE, attendance, test participation, and graduation rates) to a larger, more descriptive focus on what makes a school successful.

The new system would phase out the current NCLB slate of school grading. Wisconsin’s schools had become proficient of gaming this system to make bad schools seem better, as publicized in the Fordham Institute’s study The Accountability Illusion. This research showed that thanks to relaxed standards, it was considerably easier for schools to meet Adequate Yearly Progress in Wisconsin than in the 27 other states examined in the study. The program devised by the task force would solve this problem by making sure that schools grade proficiently on a rigid metric that allows parents to understand just how strong their neighborhood schools really are.

Value-added research – which counts student progress and how much he or she has learned – stands to be the backbone of the school grading system. Rather than penalizing schools for accepting students who come in at low testing levels, this program would reward teachers and schools who help pupils learn and catch up to their peers. Dr. Rob Meyer, Director of the Value-Added Research Center at UW-Madison, led a session that revolved around measuring this progress.

However, one key player in the future of Wisconsin’s public education was noticeably absent Thursday afternoon. The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the state’s largest teachers’ union, declined to participate in the talks over how to assess school quality in the future.

WEAC President Mary Bell refused to have a member of her team participate in the discussion despite the potential effect that the task force could have on the state’s public school teachers. The organization cited a lack of trust in Governor Walker, along with Education Committee Chairmen Senator Luther Olsen and Representative Steve Kestell as the motivating force behind WEAC’s choice not to participate. “We will not join with those who do not value Wisconsin’s public schools,” Bell was quoted as saying in regards to the task force.

WEAC’s refusal means that the union won’t have a say in policy decisions that will shape how Wisconsin’s schools are graded and presented to the public. However, other teacher advocate groups, such as the American Federation for Teachers, Wisconsin Association of School Administrators, and the Wisconsin Association of School Boards have lent their support to ensure that the state’s teachers are included in the grading process. Their lack of participation was a still a concern, however, as one participant, a local special education teacher, openly worried that teachers wouldn’t be well represented without WEAC’s presence.

Despite this absence, the design team appears poised to create a program that will accurately grade Wisconsin’s schools and relay important information to parents and families. The end goal will be an overarching accountability system that Evers is “positively jazzed” to put in place. If successful, this could be the catalyst that pulls the state out of its hypnotic illusion of high performing schools and into an era where the best schools are recognized and the ones that need help are identified.

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Posted in News | July 29, 2011 | | Comments Off

Governor Walker Signs Balanced Budget with No Tax Increases

Fifty Vetoes Include Provisions on Milwaukee Police Pay, Access Restrictions on Public Officials’ Financial Connections, Spaceport Earmark

MacIver News Service | June 26, 2011 | Updated 5:30 pm

[Green Bay, Wisc…] Stressing the desire to create a better jobs climate in Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker today signed the 2011-13 budget at a Green Bay manufacturing plant.

The budget balances a $3.6 billion deficit without raising taxes and, Walker says, continues to support critical services, while promoting job growth and investing in education.

“Our balanced budget makes tough choices while providing a path to recovery and prosperity for our state and our people,” Governor Walker (R) said at Fox Valley Metal-Tech.  “Through honest budgeting, we are showing the way forward.”

Walker’s plan received high praise from Wisconsin’s business community.

“Governor Walker and legislative Republicans deserve tremendous credit for making tough decisions to balance the state budget without raising taxes,” said Kurt R. Bauer, President/CEO of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce. “The budget provides greater certainty for business executives and that should encourage job growth.”

Still Photo Captured from YouTube Video of Budget Address

The budget eliminates the state’s $3.6 billion deficit. Only seven states in the nation faced larger per capita deficits than Wisconsin.

“Just as any parent would dread leaving their kids in debt, it is the dream of every father and mother to leave their children a little better off, and that’s what our budget will do,” said Governor Walker.

The governor issued 50 revisions to the plan legislators sent him, although the controversial restrictions on craft brewers survived his veto pen.

In part, Walker:

  • Vetoed a provision allowing Milwaukee police officers to be paid while appealing dismissal
  • Eliminated the provision restricting public access to officials’ economic interest statements
  • Cut the $10,000 in segregated fees earmarked to the Aerospace Authority in Sheboygan
  • Issued a partial veto regarding WiscNet that will prohibit UW System from competing with private sector businesses in telecom services and removes the ability of the Joint Committee on Finance to waive deadlines
  • Vetoed the requirement that all child care providers submit fingerprints to state and instead will seeks rule change to mandate for those providers participating in Wisconsin Shares

The governor’s full veto message can be found, here:

Walker highlighted the plan’s property tax freeze, which he says will save the average homeowner over $700 dollars over the next two years.

“It is my hope that due to this budget, thousands of Wisconsinites can breathe just a little bit easier and not worry about how they’re going to stay in the home they love,” said walker.

The budget also includes a manufacturing tax credit and capital gains tax credit aimed at creating jobs in Wisconsin.

While legislative Demcorats were critical of the spending cuts in the plan, Republicans were adamant that the budget continues support for BadgerCare, Medical Assistance, and SeniorCare. They say the budget allocates an additional $1.2 billion into the state’s Medicaid program and the note that nearly all new revenue the state receives over the next two years will go to the Department of Health Services.

“The budget signed into law today by Gov. Walker that shamelessly attacks Wisconsin’s shared values and middle class families is certainly a dark chapter in our state’s proud history,” said Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) in an online post Sunday. “We must continue to tell the stories of struggling middle-class, working Wisconsinites that will suffer additional hardships as a result of Gov. Walker’s poor budget choices and his assault on worker rights.”

Despite $800 million in cuts to aid to local school districts, Walker says the budget continues to prioritize education.  Public K-12 schools are the single largest expenditure in the budget, he notes, and the state will also begin a new statewide student information system which will allow for real-time state-wide data collection from schools on everything from course grades to attendance.  That will allow for better tracking of students and better accountability metrics for teachers, administrators, and schools, supporters argue.

The Governor’s budget also expands Choice and Charter schools, removing the enrollment caps on the state’s online public virtual charter schools and the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, while beginning a choice program in Racine.

In his budget remarks, the Governor expressed optimism that the tumult of recent months in Madison could be a thing of the past.

“The recent debates in Madison found us spending too much time focused on our differences, rather than our similarities,” Walker said. “But today we turn the page.”

Barca, however, signaled that the acrimony is likely to continue.

“To take back our state legislature and to build our case for recalling Gov. Walker and Republican senators in the months ahead, we must continue to pull back the shroud of darkness and secrecy they have imposed on our state – we have to provide the sunlight that will ultimately disinfect Wisconsin of their radical and misguided agenda,” he wrote.

Yet, Walker said his experiences hearing from the families of Wisconsin gives him reason to be optimistic.

“We may disagree on the issue of the day, but we always find a way to unite and reach out when it means helping our neighbors in need; or inspiring our children to achieve success,” said Walker.

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Posted in News | June 26, 2011 | | 5 Comments

Wisconsin Schools Pay 324 Guidance Counselors More than $100k/year in Annual Compensation

Tom Long, a student at the University of Wisconsin, has won $500 for discovering that there are 324 guidance counselors in Wisconsin schools who make more than $100,000 in total annual compensation (salary and fringe benefits). In 2001, that number was zero.

To promote www.WIOpenGov.org, the MacIver Institute offered a $500 prize for the most interesting information gleaned from the new government transparency website.

“Tom Long showed just how powerful our WIOpenGov.org website is,” said MacIver Institute President Brett Healy. “His search of K-12 payrolls revealed the shocking news that there are more than 300 guidance counselors in Wisconsin Schools with six figure compensation packages.

Launched earlier this year, the MacIver Institute’s new open government site provides you with one location for data on Wisconsin public employee salaries, benefits and labor contracts. MacIver has worked hard to not just allow “access” the way many government information sites do, but to give you all of the data in a format that is easy to search.

“The website is loaded with data that is only one click away,” said Long who is studying Economics and Math at UW-Madison.

The MacIver Institute just added 2010 payroll data for more than 30,000 state employees to the site.

Healy said Long submitted the most interesting entry, as judged by the staff of the MacIver Institute, and received a check for $500.

About www.WiOpenGov.Org

MacIver Institute staff does not augment or manipulate the data it receives from the state and local governments. Healy says www.WIOpenGov.orgcurrently includes payroll information for all state employees, payroll and benefit information for every K-12 school employee in Wisconsin and information from several large municipalities.

All of the data available on www.WIOpenGov.orgis public, in accordance to state law. However, different government entities have varying commitments to just how accessible the information was to the general public.

The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, a two-year old think tank located on the Capitol Square in Madison, is the Free Market Voice for Wisconsin. In addition to WIOpenGov.org, MacIver publishes research and analysis on education, tax and health care issues and operates the MacIver News Service—a copyright free open source news-reporting agency that focuses on free market issues in the public arena.

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Posted in News | June 16, 2011 | | Comments Off

MacIver Solicits Information Regarding Labor Contracts, Union Membership Renewals

In November of 2010 as a lame duck legislature was preparing to vote on unseen contracts with state government employee unions, the MacIver Institute issued a plea to the public for help. We asked that anyone with access to details of the agreements, or the actual proposals, send them to us. We vowed to make them public.

“We believe the public should have an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of these agreements before they are voted on by the legislature,” Brett Healy, MacIver Institute’s President said at the time. “We’re asking anyone with access to the various proposed agreements to email them to us so that we can post them online for Wisconsin citizens to see.”

You came through, and we followed through on our promise.  Because of that partnership, the deals were no longer secretive, and the general public was better informed.

Today, as Act 10 currently sits in limbo as the result of judicial activism in Dane County, many local governments and school districts are in a rush to extend contract agreements under the old law. In many cases these agreements are being voted on with little advance notice.

We think that’s wrong, and we’re hoping that, together, we can bring some transparency to these efforts.

So, today, we turn to you again.  We’re reaching out to the teachers, school board members and school district administrators who have access to material that is not yet public, but should be.

Specifically we’re in search of two types of materials:

1)    Information regarding pending labor agreements between school districts and their employee unions

2)    Materials pertaining to unions’ membership renewal / automatic dues payment efforts

Send us what you have. After verifying authenticity, we’ll report on these efforts and post the tentative agreements online, again.

Our email address is info@MacIverInstitute.com .

The MacIver Institute is committed to greater transparency within state and local governments in Wisconsin. In the last two years MacIver has disclosed previously-secret agreements on the state budget, filed several open records requests regarding ongoing capital projects like the proposed rail line between Madison and Milwaukee, published the Statements of Economic Interest for all 132 state lawmakers online and launched the most comprehensive public salary transparency website in the state, WIOpenGov.org.

We’ll keep you posted.

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Posted in News | June 1, 2011 | | 2 Comments

An Open Letter to the Wisconsin Secretary of State

May 17, 2011
Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug LaFollette
VIA EMAIL: statesec@sos.state.wi.us
30 W. Mifflin, 10th Floor
Madison, WI 53703

Dear Secretary LaFollette:

Two months ago, we wrote to you with a request under the state’s Open Records Law (19.31-39, Wisconsin Statutes).

Specifically, we asked for the following from January 1st to March 18th:

Copies of all correspondence you have received, including, but not limited to, letters, emails, voice mails, records of phone calls, and logs of in-person meetings regarding the subject of changes to Wisconsin’s collective bargaining laws for public employees.

Included in this request are communications specifically pertaining to SSSB11, SSAB11, and 2011 Wis. Act 10 as well as the issue generally.

We are puzzled by your response.

Your office turned over a grand total of seven documents: Copies of three emails you received in support of your actions; copies of three letters you received in support of your actions; and, one mass email your office apparently forwarded to an unknown list of recipients.

If, indeed, your office only has received six emails/letters on this topic (and none prior to your announcement that you would delay publication of Act 10), you owe the taxpayers of Wisconsin an explanation.

On March 3rd, Fox6 television news investigators in Milwaukee reported that emails they obtained showed that the then-mayor of Madison enlisted the help of State Senator Mark Miller in an attempt to convince you to hold up the bill by taking the maximum 10 days allowed by law before publishing the bill.

On March 14th the Associated Press reported: “La Follette said he heard from many schools, cities and counties urging him to delay enactment of the law as long as possible.”

Was the documentation of these contacts from ‘many schools, cities and counties’ destroyed?

Was it merely misplaced?

Did these contacts really happen?

We’re releasing a copy of this letter to the public. If you feel no responsibility to give us an answer to these questions, perhaps you will, as a Constitutional Officer of the State of Wisconsin, feel a moral obligation to tell the truth to the citizens of the state.

Sincerely,

Brett Healy, President
The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy

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Posted in News, mi investigations | May 17, 2011 | | 6 Comments
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