20120523134342814

Downing, Karley - GOV
From: Schrimpf, Chris - GOV

Sent:
To:
Friday, March 18, 2011 8:50 AM
Werwie, Cullen J - GOV;
Subject: Re: Walker Op-ed
Perfect. Good work
From: Werwie, Cullen J - GOV
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 08:35 AM
To: Schrimpf, Chris - GOV;
Subject: FW: Walker
Governor's budget op-ed on in LaX to run on Sunday.
Cullen Werwie
Press Secretary
Office of Governor Scott Walker
Press Office: (608} 267-7303
Email: Cullen. Werwie@WI.Gov
www. walker. wi.qov
From: Chris Hardie [mailto:Chris.Hardie@lacrossetribune.com]
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 8:32AM
To: Werwie, Cullen J - GOV
Subject: RE: Walker Op-ed
Cullen:
We should be able to run this Sunday.
Chris Hardie
News - Tri-County Foxxy Shoppers Coulee News - Vernon County Broadcaster - Westby Times - Onalaska-Holmen Courier Life
Tomah Journal Tomah Monitor Herald Jackson County Chronicle Houston County News
First. Best.
In local news.
-----Original Message-----
From: Werwie, Cullen J - GOV [mailto:Cullen.Werwie@wisconsin.gov]
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 8:24AM
To: Chris Hardie
Subject: Walker Op-ed
85
Chris-
Below is a La Crosse specific op-ed written by Governor we'd like to submit to your newspaper. I still have him
on the docket to do an editorial board interview at some point in the near future when he has a bit of time in
the area. Let me know the possibility of running this op-ed-or if would help to have it revised/shortened let
me know that as well.
Thanks,
Cullen Werwie
Press Secretary
Press Office: (608} 267-7303
Email:
www. walker. wi.qov
Reform Budget Improves Services, Makes Government More Efficient
When I ran for governor I took part in what amounts to an 18-month job interview. I told the people of
Wisconsin what I would do to reform our government and create jobs. With our state facing serious
fiscal and economic crises, we came into office ready to work and get Wisconsin back to work.
In our first weeks in office, we passed many pieces of legislation with bipartisan support to show that
Wisconsin is Open for Business. We lowered the cost of healthcare for small businesses, family
farmers, and employees, we reduced taxes for job creators, and helped create a job-friendly legal
environment.
The early results of our efforts have been encouraging. In the first month of the year more than 10,000
private sector jobs were created and our unemployment rate dropped to 7.4 percent. While these
signs are encouraging, they are not good enough. That's why in the coming months we'll continue to
work on bipartisan measures to grow jobs- because they are not Republican or Democratic jobs, they
are Wisconsin jobs.
At the same time our state is facing a jobs crisis we are also facing a fiscal crisis. The state is facing a
$3.6 billion deficit. Some have suggested we address that deficit through tax increases. If we took that
route it would mean increased taxes of more than $600 for every man, woman, and child in the
state. A family of four would face more than $2500 in new taxes, on top of what they already pay. In
challenging times like this, we simply can not allow that to happen.
With the state facing a massive budget deficit, too-high unemployment, and an ever growing
government that taxpayers can no longer afford to support, I introduced modest reforms that improve
services and control costs.
While my budget proposal reduces state aid to local units of the government by about a billion dollars,
local units of government will realize $1.44 billion in savings by asking all public employees to
86
contribute 5.8% oftheir paycheck to their pension and pay a greater portion oftheir health insurance
costs. This is in addition to the $300 million state government will save over the next two years.
Counties, municipalities, school districts and other government entities will realize more savings than
reductions in state aid. Instead of pushing tough spending decisions and potential tax increases onto
other levels of government like has been done in the past, I chose a new direction.
The City of La Crosse is a good example. While my budget reduces state aid to the City of La Crosse by
$1.2 million, the city can save $1.4 million through the reforms contained in the budget repair bill. La
Crosse County's aid is reduced by $1.2 million, but they are set to realize $1.9 million in savings. The La
Crosse School District will see a $3.8 million in reduced general school aids, but like other units of
government, they are set to save nearly $5 million.
In order to ensure that these savings could be realized, we had to reform Wisconsin's collective
bargaining laws. Even with the reforms Wisconsin employees are still protected by one ofthe nation's
strongest civil service laws and they still enjoy a more generous bargaining position than federal
employees (who don't have collective bargaining for wages and benefits). Wisconsin's benefits are
also far more generous than those for federal government workers.
In addition, the reforms we signed into law will improve government services. For example, last year
one of Wisconsin's Outstanding First Year Teachers received a layoff notice a week after receiving her
award. This happened because of her collectively bargained union contract. The reforms we are
implementing will allow staffing decisions to be made based on merit and performance, not on union
contracts or seniority.
By reforming government, the state will be able to save money while maintaining core services. Our
biennial budget also protects SeniorCare and other medical assistance programs so that Wisconsinites
who are in need have a basic safety net. in addition, our budget gives the Department of Justice the
resources to take action on the 22,000 known iP addresses of individuals who are suspected of using
the internet to prey on Wisconsin children. Previously the state did not have the money to go after
these criminals. We will now.
Our reforms also ensure that more money is spent in the classroom. It includes a 3'd grade reading
initiative to make sure that every 3'd grader in Wisconsin knows how to read. Up until 3'd grade our
students are learning to read, after 3'd grade, they are reading to learn.
Getting our state's fiscal house in order, improving services and avoiding tax increases or mass layoffs
will help us create a business climate that allows the private sector to create 250,000 jobs over the
next four years. We have made and will continue to make the hard decisions now so our children will
inherit an even better Wisconsin than the one we grew up in.
-Governor Scott Walker
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From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
March 18, 2011
Le Monds, Tim J - DOC
Friday, March 18, 201111:13 AM
DOC DL Executive Planning
DOC News Watch - March 18, 2011
ooeNewsWatch
Source: Fond du Lac Reporter {WI) 16300
1 Inde><ed At: 03/18/2011 11:23 AM .
Keywords: Prison {1)
Abstract: ... school aid 85 Letter: Do you want this prison guard's job? 40 Wisconsin Democratic Party files complaint
Involving Governor Scott Walker 25 Wisconsin Sen ....
Source: WKOW-TV 27 ABC {WI) N/A
Indlex<od At: 03/18/201111:06 AM
Keywords: Prison {1)
Abstract: ... Davies has been sentenced to two years in prison. Marla Alejandra Espinoza of Clarksville, Md., was
sentenced at a hearing in federal ...
Source: Oshkosh Northwestern (WI) 21400
Indexed At: 03/18/201110:44 AM .
Keywords: Prison (3)
Abstract: ... Attack on fiancee brings 4-year prison sentence You will be redirected to the page you want to view in
seconds, Contract ...
Source: Surviving Job
IInde><ed At: 03/18/201110:05 AM
Keywords: WI Dept of Corrections- social media feeds {1)
Abstract: .. .I am a correctional officer for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. My job soon will be open. I'm
going to retire in the near future not because I. ...
Source: WNCY-FM {WI) N/A
IInde><ed At: 03/18/2011 9:12AM
Keywords: Extended Supervision {1)
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once he leaves
Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (WI) 56300
Indexed At: 03/18/2011 8:57AM .
Abstract: ... in 3 counties net man 18 years In prison You will be redirected to the page you want to view in seconds.
The Japanese ...
Keith !iirr <It Nee(Jall could still face time after being acguitted of bgmjcide charge _
Indexed At: 03/18/2011 6:35AM
Keywords: Prison ( 5)
Abstract: ... Keith Birr of Neenah could still face prison time after being acquitted of homicide charge APPLETON A
Neenah man .acquitted of a homicide ...
M > > d (h . . [( .. ld "II f . ' . .. " .
.
. . . .
.- ... . .. .
..
an acgu1tte o . om1c1 e coy st1 . ace gnson t1me
. ..._ . . .. ... ..
Indexed At: 03/18/2011 6:03AM
Abstract: ... Man acquitted of homicide could still face prison time You will be redirected to the page you want to view in
seconds. YAMAGATA, ...
Aythorities 'failed oil R}!an Zellner, exwil'e clims
.... .
... . .
.
. .. ......... ..
. . .
Indexed At: 03/18/2011 5:48 AM
Keywords: Sex Offender (2)
Abstract: ... Zimmerman says she told Green Bay officials about sex offender The former wife of convicted sex
offender Ryan Zellner says authorities In the Green Bay ... .
luclge dedcle 211!largaining bill todai
- ... .. .... .. . ... . .- .....
. . . . . .
. ... .
...
... -. .
Indexed At: 03/18/2011 5:46AM
Keywords: Ismael Ozanne (1)
Abstract: ... lawsuit filed this week, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne contends a legislative committee that
broke a stalemate that had kept the law in limbo ...
.. - ... . . ' . :.:: .. .......... ,.
. .. . . .

-..
Portage man gets 5 fter asking teen for sex .. . ..
.
Byline: Shann
Source: Portage Daily Register (WI) 5200
Indexed At: 03/18/2011 3:05AM
Keywords: Extended Supervision (1),Sex Offender (1),Prison (3)
Abstract: ... Portage man was sentenced to five years in prison afterauthorities said he propositioned a 16-year-old girl
for sex. At a hearing Tuesday in Columbia ...
. . . .. . . ... . ... . ....
. .
.. ... . ..
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Walker budget makes some dvilservlce jobs aggoiote!! . .
.
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.. _-
Byline: Jason Stein
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) 186433
Indexed At: 03/18/2011 2:31AM
Keywords: Ismael Ozanne (1)
Abstract: ... - County Executive Kathleen Falk and District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, both Democrats - have filed
separate court actions seeking to block the law from being ...
Beaver Dam man charged with fifth OWI . -.. .
..
.
..
. . . .. .
.
.
Byline: Citizen
Source: Beaver Dam Daily Citizen (WI) 10000
Indexed At: 03/18/2011 2:11 AM
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Abstract: ... Lot 111, could face up to sixyears In prison on that charge and an addition year in jail foroperating a motor
. vehicle after revocation ....
; lllllrl!e jail, forstealing RJC: cl[ugs f[olll Tdrriatr \ ... . ... ... ..
Source: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse (WI) N/ A
Indexed At: 03/17/2011 5:43PM
Abstract: ... the Monroe County Jail. A judge stayed a prison sentence for Peth, which would have sent her to state
prison for several years. Peth .. . .
From the Department of Corrections: Please consider the environment before printing this message.
84
From: Wisconsin Counties Association
Friday, March 18, 201112:49 PM
Schrimpf, Chris - GOV
Sent:
To:
Subject: "WCA eNews"Week of 2.14.2011
Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
j0i0i0j0j0j0j0i(j
Volume 5, Issue 3
3.14.2011
Budget Repair Bill: The Next Steps for
Counties
At times like this, it is critical counties focus an getting it right. The rules
of the game have changed drastically and now, more than ever before,
counties will need to collaborate
1
innovate and adapt to achieve
success. The Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation, in
conjunction with Phillips Borowski, S.C., general legal counsel to WCA, is
devoted to ensuring our members have the tools to succeed in this
environment.
Counties and their employees are understandably concerned about what
'------' each day will hold in terms of the implementation of the Budget Repair
Bill. (BRB) and the restructuring of county workplaces. While these concerns are
understandable/ counties may avoid much of the anxiety associated with the BRB by
taking an orderly, deliberate approach to addressing the BRB and its changes. Making
rash decisions in response to the BRB will only result in further concern and confusion
among county employees and supervisors. Take a deep breath, do what you need to do
today and plan for what can be done tomorrow.
Phillips Borowski has put together an overview document about the immediate,
transitional and long-term steps needed to be taken now that the Budget Repair Bill is
law. Read it here.
78
www. wicounties. org
In This Issue
Budget Repair Bill: Next Steps
for Counties
LFB Releases Estimates on
Effect of State Budget
Register Today for March WCA
Seminar
Access Low-Cost Tax Exempt
Financing
Wisconsin Elder Economic
Security Initiative
Register for eGovernment
Workshop
UW-Extension Issues
Sustainabillity Report
Training Opportunity for
Essential Records
Identification
To help in this effort, the' Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Comoration (County
Mutual) has partnered with Phillips Borowski. S.C., to provide assistance, the cost of
which is absorbed in the County Mutual member's insurance policy. For information on
this benefit, please contact your County Mutual representative.
Legislative Fiscal Bureau Releases Estimates on
the Effect of State Budget on Local Governments
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has released estimates on the effect of the state budget on
local governments. Read them here:
Distribution of county and municipal aid
Distribution of general transportation aid
Revenue Limit Changes for K-12 School Districts
General Aid Provisions for K-12 School Districts
State Aid and Levy Information for Technical College Districts
Potential Savings to Local Governments Due to Employee Contributions to the Wisconsin
Retirement System
Register Today for March WCA Seminar: "Public
Employment and Legislative Changes-What it
Means for Counties
As Governor Walker signed the budget repair bill into law Mcirch 11, 2011, counties are
facing unprecedented changes to employment, personnel and organizational policies. To
help counties navigate through these complex changes, the March WCA Seminar, "Public
Employment and Legislative Changes-What It Means for Counties," will be held March 28,
2011 in Stevens Point. To see the full agenda. click here.
To register, contact WCA directly at 866.404.2700.
Budget Repair Bill Webinar March 23rd for County
Mutual and Community Insurance Corporation
Members
l
fj(l =" - ~ T h e r e will be a webinar next Wednesday, March 23, 2011 from
0 1:00-3:00 p.m. to discuss the Budget Repair Bill and Its 1mpact on
local governments. The free webinar is available to Wisconsin
County Mutua\ Insurance Corporation (County Mutual) and
'--------' Community Insurance Corporation members and is designed to
discuss the bill, which was signed into law March 11, 201_1, as well as answer frequently
asked questions regarding the legislation.
This webinar is another way the County Mutual and Community Insurance Corporation is
committed to bringing our members the latest Information on this critical issue. For
more information, visit the County Mutual website at www.wisconsincountymutual.org.
To learn more about webinar participation, contact Josh Dirkse at josh@aegis-wl.com or
at 800.236.6885.
Interested parties are also encouraged to attend the the March WCA Seminar, "Public
Employment and Legislative Changes-What It Means for Counties," held March 28, 2011
In Stevens Point. To see the full agenda. click here.
How Your Community Can Access Low-Cost Tax
Exempt Financing
The Wisconsin Counties Association and the League of Wisconsin Municipalities is pleased
to announce the Public Finance Authority ("PFA"), a unique new entity designed to
provide innovative financing solutions for communities seeking to generate local
79
WCA Preliminary
Analysis of State
Budget ...
The WCA legislative. team has
prepared a preliminary
summary of provisions In the
Governor's budget that are
likely to affect counties. WCA
will continue to provide
members with additional
information about the budget
as it becomes available.
Note: This document is
continually updated and the
latest version will be posted
on the WCA website. The
below version was updated
March 10, 2011.
Read the WCA preliminary
budget analysis here.
Registration Open for
April WCA Seminar:
"Emergency
Management for
Counties"
Register today for the April
WCA Seminar I
11
Emergency
Management for Counties, n
being held April 18 in Stevens
Point. Learn more here.
Follow County
Coverage From
Around the State
Daily Through "In the
News"
Fo\low up-to-the minute
county news in Wisconsin
every day by clicking on "In
the News" under
11
News" on
the WCA webpage. Bookmark
it toda 1
Hot Links
BRB: Next Steps for
Counties
economic activity. PFA is sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association, the League
of Wisconsin Municipallties, the National Association of Counties and the National League
of Cities.
PFA has already assisted two Wisconsin electric cooperatives in gaining access to the
low-cost, long-term financing for their capital and infrastructure needs that resulted in
significant savings:
$25,000,000 in tax-exempt financing provided for general maintenance
$11,000,000 to be saved by electric ratepayers over the life of the bonds
More than 140 family-supporting jobs maintained
The federal government has allocated $3.6 billion in tax-exempt bonding authority to
Wisconsin and, for a limited time
1
nearly every type of capital expenditure can be
financed through PFA, including:
. Warehouses
Restaurants
Electrical facilities
Theatres
Office buildings
Solar facilities
Retail stores
Affordable housing
To Jearn more about how the Public Finance Authority can help your community
drive economic development, register for an upcoming webinar by clicking
here.
,-------,Wisconsin Elder Economic Security
1
0 Initiative
Wisconsin must have an accurate measure of income to
determine what seniors need to be economically secure. The
Wisconsin Elder Economic Secunty In1t1at1ve (W1EESI) 1s a
statewide multi-year project led by the Wisconsin Women's
Network in collaboration with Wider Opportunities for Women in Washington, D.C.
The initiative offers an important tool -the Wisconsin Elder Economic Security Standard
Index (Elder Index) -which measures county by county what it takes for Wisconsin
seniors to meet basic needs in retirement. See the Elder Index here.
Newly updated numbers show that in 2010, a senior renting housing in the city of
Milwaukee needs $20,788 a year to make ends meet. The average Social Security
payment for a senior in Milwaukee, however
1
is $15,286, which provides just 74% of
what is needed to be economically secure.
These updated numbers show that more of our seniors are finding it even more difficult
to make ends meet. The total cost of meeting basic needsin Wisconsin continues to
increase, and our seniors are struggling to find ways to pay for their expenses, a struggle
exacerbated by last year's Social Security cost-of living adjustment freeze.
Click here for in-depth coverage of the Wisconsin Elder Economic Security Initiative.
To read an article that appeared in the April issue of Wisconsin Counties magazine,
uuving on the Edge: Old and Poor in Wisconsin" by Eve Galanter, Chair, Board of
Directors
1
Wisconsin Women's Network
1
Click here.
Register Today for eGovernment Workshop
WCA is sponsoring the 2011 UIC e-Government Workshop, IT Efficiencies
Through Collaboration." The workshop will be held on May 12, 2011 and will once again
be at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville In Lisle, Illinois. Additional workshop information can be
found here.
80
Budget Repair Bill by
Phillips Borowski
Budget Repair Bill FAOs
Budget Repair and
Healthcare Plan
Changes
2011-2012 WCA
Legislative Agenda
WCA on Facebook
EJ
Sign Up for "WCA
eNews"
UW-Extension Issues "Building a More Sustainable
Future in Wisconsin"
Community leaders, grassroots citizen groups, businesses, farmers,
interested citizens, and many others are moving toward more holistic
approaches to policy development that recognize the crucial
importance of key interrelationships. Communities at the forefront of
this movement are searching for creative and fiscally
solutions that simultaneously address their environmental, economic
and social challenges while building on unique local assets and
resources.
The University of Wisconsin-Extension Sustainability Team has provided
a snapshot of sustainability policies and practices under consideration around the state
coupled with recommendations from the 2010 Sustainable Communities Public Policy
Forum. Tl)e two-page executive summary and full report are posted at:
http:/!www.caoacitycenter.org. The executive summary also is available as a free print
brochure through by clicking here.
Training Opportunity: Essential Records
Identification and Protection
The State of Wisconsin, with the endorsement of the Public Records Boards is pleased to
announce the availability of on-line courses designed to assist participants in the
development of the vital records identification and protection component of their
Continuity of Operations (COOP) plan.
The Records Emergency Planning and Response webinar in four sessions will be offered
as follows:
Session 1: Tuesday, March 22, 9:00AM - 11:00 AM
Session 2: Thursday, March 24, 9:00AM - 10:30 AM
Session 3: Tuesday, March 29, 9:00AM - 10:30 AM
Session 4: Thursday, March 31,9:00 AM- 11:00 AM
Webinar class sizes are limited. To register for classes go to the Council of State
Archivists Resource Center at by clicking here.
If you have any questions about registration or course content please contact Virginia
Fritzsch by clicking here or (608)264-6469.
FoiWard email
[]
This email was sent to chris.schrimpf@wisconsin.gov by mail@wlcounties.org 1
Uodate Profile/Email Address I Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe'" I Privacy Policy.
Wisconsin Counties Association I 22 East Mifflin Street, Suite 900 I Madison 1 WI I 53703
81
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
FYI.
From: Mokrohisky,
Eberle, Ed - LTGOV
Friday, March 18, 20111:02 PM
Schrimpf, Chris - GOV; Werwie, Cullen J - GOV; Evenson, Tom - GOV
Gilkes, Keith - GOV; Moore, Dorothy J - GOV
FW: Nevada support
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 12:35
To: Eberle, Ed - L TGOV
Subject: Nevada support
Hi Ed,
I thought you, the Governor and staff would enjoy a letter to the editor from our newspaper of record from today. When I
moved half way across the country two years ago I didn't think I would ever wake up to letters from local residents in
northwestern Nevada talking about Governor Walker!
http://www.recordcourier.com/article/2011 0318/0PINION/11 0319911/1 020&ParentProfile=1 052
Hope you all are doing well.
Steve
Walker doing right
MARCH, 17 2011
EDITOR:
Gov. Walker of Wisconsin is doing the right thing. Change the way business has been done in the past, it is no longer
working. Many old rules need to change in Congress. We need new blood, new innovation, fresh ideas (for starters, get
rid of the old-timers, they are just "milking their pension plan"). Unions have "priced" them self out of tlie global
marketplace. They have served their purpose, done well for all of us, but became greedy and self-serving, hence, a
national and global crisis.
Advice: work for less or don't work at all. Revise collective bargaining to the point of setting time limits to arbitration
by a third, party liaison. Failing to come to an agreement within a set (short) time limit, would-be lock-out. End of
discussion.
Strikes result in a "no win" by either side in this day and age, since there are many constructive and protective
regulations already in place.
Strike per se should be reclassified as First Amendment right when used by unions.
Time for unions to "back off," declare a moratorium on union dues for two years and help our country get back to
prosperity.
Let's move on ... in this different environment.
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H. Ewald
Minden
77
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Friday, March 2011 2:12 PM
- GOV; Evenson, Tom- GOV
Washington Post: Wisconsin's health-care fight illustrates challenges as states change
leadership
Governor- here is that Washington Post healthcare story you did an interview for a couple weeks ago. It was just
published.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/wisconsins-health-care-fight-illustrates-challenges-as-states-change-
leadership/2011/03/09/ABHdjhq_singlePage. html
Wisconsin's health-care fight illustrates challenges
as states change leadership
By Amy Goldstein, Friday, March 18, 2:35PM
MADISON, Wis.- Two weeks after President Obama signed the nation's health-care overhaul into law, then-
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) issued an executive order creating an Office of Health Care Reform.
Then, in late January, Doyle's Republican successor, Scott Walker, issued his own executive order, dissolving
the health reform office and replacing it with the Office of Free Market Health Care.
"We view this as a fundamentally different approach than what the past [Wisconsin] administration was doing
-and what ... the Obama administration is pushing," Walker said in the first interview he has given about
health-care reform since assuming office.
Wisconsin's U-tum, as sharp as anywhere in the country, illustrates how the views of state leaders are shaping
the way the health-care overhaul envisioned by Congress will work on the ground. It illustrates, too, the
treacherous terrain the Obama administration and congressional Democrats are walking by entrusting states to
carry out major parts of the plan now that 29 governors are Republicans, including 18 who -like Walker-
have taken office this winter. In Wisconsin, as in five other states, both chambers of the legislature also have
just switched to GOP control.
"We've gone from one kind of boldness to another," said Robert Kraig, executive director of Citizen Action of
Wisconsin and a leading liberal activist on health care in this university town with its granite-domed state
Capitol.
But being dead set against the health law is not proving to be a simple matter of saying no to everything it
contains. The new opposition is subtler but no less profound- a process of picking and choosing provisions to
embrace or reject, of taking some grants offered by the federal government while spuming others, of striving to
kill the law in Congress or the courts while preparing a conservative alternative.
Walker, best known for his effort to demolish rights to collective bargaining for government employees, thinks
that the health-care statute is unconstitutional and that the government has no business influencing people's
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health-care choices. Doyle's aides estimated that the law would save Wisconsin $850 million by the end of the
decade; Walker's estimate that it would cost $433 million.
Where Wisconsin is coming from
With states required by 2014 to carry out the law's core features - among them, widening access to private and
public insurance- Wisconsin is in a more auspicious starting place than most. Just 6 percent of its residents
lack health coverage, the second-lowest proportion in the country. And over the years, Wisconsin repeatedly has
expanded Medicaid, called BadgerCare here, so that an unusually large share of people already has public
msurance.
Those distinctions are part of the Walker administration's justification for resisting federal requirements.
"Wisconsin ... already has accomplished much of what [the law] aspires to do," said Dennis G. Smith, the new
secretary of the state's Department of Health Services.
Smith, the driving force behind Wisconsin's about-face, arrived from Washington in January with a reputation
as a mild-mannered, highly conservative thinker on health policy. Under President George W. Bush, he was in
charge of Medicaid at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More recently, he was at the
Heritage Foundation, writing criticisms of the new federal law. He said in an interview that he did not have ties
to Wisconsin or know Walker before mutual acquaintances, including Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), chairman of
the House Budget Committee, suggested to both men that they should talk.
In a primary example of obeying the law selectively, Walker and Smith said they will create, as the statute
envisions, one or more marketplaces called exchanges to help individuals and small businesses buy insurance.
But the exchanges will not do everything the law says. "We believe it's got to be free-market driven, not
government driven," Walker said.
Specifically, Smith and the governor said they disagree with a requirement that every health plan sold through
an exchange must cover a list of "essential benefits" that HHS will define. They also object to the law's idea of
"qualified health plans" - meaning that insurers in an exchange must provide those benefits and specific levels
of coverage.
"Lots of people" would prefer less expensive insurance that covers only catastrophic medical problems, Smith
said, and small businesses might prefer to band together to buy insurance privately, rather than use an exchange
designed by the state.
Walker also balks at an expansion of Medicaid to all residents whose incomes are up to one-third above the
federal poverty line. According to state health officials, most people in that income group already are in the
program, but about 64,000 are on a waiting list for a recent expansion ofBadgerCare to a limited number of
adults without children. Adding those people "is not able to happen," Walker said, at a time when Medicaid is
the biggest culprit in the state's strained budget.
New leadership, a change of plans
His predecessor, Doyle, a moderate Democrat, had presided over two significant expansions of Medicaid- to
all children, as well as some childless adults - and had explored, but not created, a state insurance exchange
for small businesses. When the federal law passed, Karen Timberlake, Doyle's health services secretary, and
her colleagues were aware that he was not seeking a third term and "felt an obligation to leave a trail of bread
crumbs," as she put it, to guide their successors in implementing the law.
73
They focused on planning for an insurance exchange, so it would act as a powerful lever to reshape the way
health care in Wisconsin is paid for and delivered. According to Jason Helgerson, Wisconsin's Medicaid
director at the time who did much of the reform office's staff work, he and colleagues wanted to make it easy
for people to slide back and forth between Medicaid and private insurance as their incomes changed. And they
wanted to employ ratings, then give financial incentives to health plans, providers of care and consumers for
preferring high-quality, low-cost services with an emphasis on prevention and coordination of care. Health care
should become "more of a team sport," said Helgerson, now the Medicaid chief in New York state.
The Doyle administration's work had important allies in the state legislature. Last summer, lawmakers formed a
study committee, with representatives from all corners of the health-care system and its consumers, to draft
proposals to carry out the federal law that Democrats and Republicans could support.
In January, the committee was to vote on a proposal for how Wisconsin's insurance exchange should be
governed. The two Republican lawmakers who had just become the panel's leaders abruptly canceled the
meeting. "I would be shocked if we ever meet again," said one of its two former Democratic chairmen, state
Sen. Jon Erpenbach, a proponent of universal health coverage.
One of the new chairmen, state Sen. Alberta Darling (R), said, "We are going to reconstitute the committee"
with members who share a free-market "philosophical bent." She is waiting, she said, for a formal health-care
plan from Smith.
As they develop their plan, Wisconsin's new leaders are accepting some federal help- but not all. Walker
accepted a $3 7 million grant from HHS to help make Wisconsin a role model for other states in information
technology to run exchanges.
On the other hand, Bobby Peterson, the liberal executive director of ABC for Health, a public interest law firm
devoted to health care, got a phone call from the insurance commissioner's office, directing him to give back
$235,000 his group had received as part of a $637,000 federal grant to help consumers find and afford care.
Insurance Commissioner Ted Nickel said the grant duplicated advice provided by state agencies. Peterson said
its termination "leaves consumers in a situation to take their lumps and pay the bill."
It is the only grant Wisconsin has returned so far, but Walker said that "we're reviewing it all."
A broader question is how Wisconsin's new leaders will handle their disagreements with the law: Will they ask
for federal permission to omit parts they dislike- or simply ignore the requirements?
White House and HHS officials say the law gives states considerable flexibility. Late last month, the president,
trying to appease disgruntled governors, said he favored giving states "waivers" by 2014- three years earlier
than allowed by the law- to deviate from its requirements, as long as they meet the same goals.
Smith called Obarna's offer "a cheap carnival trick: We'll let you pick any prize, as long as it's the one prize we
want you to pick."
"What we don't have right now is the flexibility to say what's actually in the exchange," Walker said. "We will
continue to push as far as we can."
Chris Schrimpf
Communications Director
Office of the Governor
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Press Office: 608-267-7303 ,
Email: chris, schrimpj@wisconsingov
75
From: Richard Sementa
Friday, March 18,
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Schrimpf, Chris - GOV; Werwie, Cullen J - GOV
MARK LEVIN TONIGHT?
Hey guys-
Is Gov. Walker available tonight (March 18) at 6:30, 7 or 7:30 pm est to discuss this judge blocking the collective
bargaining law. It will be a very friendly interview. Please let me know, thanksl
Richard Sementa
Executive Producer - The Mark Levin Radio Show
Citadel Media
Floor I NY, NY 10121
www. marklevinshow.com
71
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Index:
Quotes of the Week
Message
Week in Review
Job Focus
Poll of the Week
What the Dems are Saying
Around the State
Around the Country
In Case You Missed It
From Washington
Great Read of the Week
Sen.Fitzgerald <Sen.Fitzgerald@legis.wisconsin.gov>
Friday, March 18, 2011 5:11 PM
*Legislative Senate Republicans
GOP Senate Weekly Update - March 18, 2011
Week of March 18, 2011
***Members and staff are strongly encouraged to contribute to the Update with press releases, talking points,
news items, suggestions, best practices, contributions or ideas for improvement. Please send these Items
throughout the week by email to Dan Romportl or Andrew We/house, or by calling 266-5660.
***In case you missed it, former Sen. Dave Zien was involved in a motorcycle crash in Florida
early this week. His injuries are not expected to be lite-threatening, but he has undergone
several surgeries and is still in the hospital. Well-wishers can cal/608-310-5312 to leave
messages if they'd like.
64
Quotes of the Week
"This is clearly driven by union interests from outside the state. This is
not the Wisconsin way of doing things."
-Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, on the death threats and inappropriate comments being made in the past two
weeks. Read more ...
"I was part of creating this divide. I need to be part of fixing it."
-Sen. Tim Cullen, on his constitutional amendment proposal. Read more ...
Message
Court Ruling: Judicial Overreach will be Appealed. Legislature still
focused on Jobs.
This morning, a Dane County judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order for the publication of the
budget repair bill, halting the progress of the law taking effect. The ruling raises significant questions
about the constitutional separation of powers, and may have been a significant overreach.
The Attorney General has announced that it will formally appeal the decision on Monday of next week.
Sen. and Rep. Fitzgerald issued a joint statement on Friday:
"Dane County always seems to play by its own rules, but this morning we saw a Dane County
judge try to re-write the constitutional separation of powers.
"We fully expect an appeals court will find that the Legislature followed the law perfectly and
likely find that today's ruling was a significant overreach. We highly doubt a Dane County judge
has the authority to tell the Legislature how to carry out its constitutional duty.
"In the meantime, both houses of the Legislature will continue working to create jobs, improve
the economy, and balance the state budget."
Reminder: state law is explicitly clear. Open meetings law is superseded by the authority of
Senate rules. In this case, the Senate rule says that no notice above posting on the legislative
bulletin board- which was done properly- is required during special session.
19.87 Legislative meetings.
(2) No provision of this subchapter which conflicts with a rule of the senate or assembly
or joint rule of the legislature shall apply to a meeting conducted in compliance with
such rule.
65
Senate Rule 93. Special or extraordinary sessions.
(2) A notice of a committee meeting is not required other than posting on the
legislative bulletin board, and a bulletin of committee hearings may not be published.
Maciver Institute: Wisconsin AG Slams Order, Promises Appeal
Week in Review
Cullen introduces quorum change
On Tuesday, Sen. Tim Cullen introduced a constitutional amendment aimed at preventing the ability
for the minority to stand in the way of legislation by denying a quorum. His constitutional amendment,
which has been circulated for cosponsorship, changes the quorum requirement from 3/5 to a simple
majority, or 17 members.
Sen. Fitzgerald signed on as a cosponsor of the bill, saying that it is a way to help the state move
forward from the fiasco of the last few weeks. The challenges facing this state are so great that the
Senate needs to be able to focus on creating jobs and balancing the budget, not making sure the
minority isn't going to flee the state every time it's unhappy.
A spokesman for Sen. Mark Miller said that Miller was "proud of what they did using every legal means
at their disposal."
Sen. Fitzgerald Statement
Speaker Fitzgerald Statement
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Senate GOP drops contempt finding
GOP Senators targeted by threats, intimidation
A number of Republican senators have been targeted with specific threats and disturbing actions
aimed at them and their families.
If any member or staff has been targeted by a threat or anything similar, please report the incident to
the Capitol Police and your local law enforcement agency immediately. No threat should be taken
lightly.
Senator Dan Kapanke reported that his car was vandalized on the day that Senate Republicans voted to
approve the budget repair bill. After the vote, he was unable to access his car in the capitol square
because protestors had surrounded it. After a state trooper parked the car off of the Capitol grounds,
the Senator noticed a crack and chip in the windshield. Kapanke also reported finding nails in his
driveway after the vote and has filed two polices reports.
National Review: Death threats by the dozens in Wisconsin
66
WXOW Channel19: Senator Kapanke's car window damaged
La Crosse Tribune: Kapanke target of threats, vandalism
Rep. Shilling statement: Denounces threatening acts
Hudson Star Observer Harsdorf coping with threats, intimidation.
Protests Turn to Boycotts
To review- the two caucuses on Jobs this session:
Senate Republicans:
Reorganized the Department of Commerce to make it more efficient, effective, and
responsive to today's changing global economy {SSSB6)
Eliminated a job-killing sick leave mandate in Milwaukee, a top priority for Milwaukee's
business community {SB-23)
Enacted a $67 million tax credit for small businesses which will encourage them to
expand their workforce {SSSB7)
Eliminated the red-tape for major job-creating retail projects in Green Bay & Brookfield
{SSSBlO & SB21)
Reformed the state's litigation/tort climate to make it harder to frivolously sue
businesses (SSSB1)
Reformed the state's regulatory process to ensure job-killing rules are blocked before
promulgation (SSSB8)
Made the use of Health Savings Accounts more affordable for businesses by creating a
tax exemption associated with their use (SSSB2)
Created a tax credit for companies that relocate to the state (SSSB3)
Increased the availability of economic development tax credits {SSSB4)
Authorized four additional enterprise zones that will be used to create jobs in rural
areas (SB4)
Repealed costly auto insurance mandates that drove premiums up for families &
businesses with vehicle fleets {SB7)
Extended the dairy tax credit, a popular cost-saving mechanism for farmers {S89)
Provided retailers of all sizes with a new, valuable marketing tool {S812)
Senate Democrats:
67
Called for boycotts of businesses all over the state, which willie ad to job losses and
slow our state's economic recovery.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial: Short sighted efforts (boycott)
Christian Schneider: Wisconsin catches boycott fever
lobs Focus

DWD Announces January Local Unemployment Rates
Highest County: Door County 13.3%
Lowest: Dane County 5.3%
Highest City: Beloit 13.8%
Lowest: Madison 4.9 %
Click here to read the entire DWD report on local unemployment numbers from the month of January.
Be sure to note that DWD Secretary Manny Perez reported that Wisconsin added 10,100 private sector
jobs in January and expects continued job growth with Wisconsin's new business-friendly image.
Secretary Perez encourages the unemployed to utilize DWD's online employment site:
https:Uiobcenterofwisconsin.com/ where there are over 26,500 job openings.
La Crosse Tribune: Area jobless rates for January
Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan unemployment up to 10.5%
Beloit Daily News Editorial: Businesses have options
Lt. Gov Kleefisch: Works to grow jobs in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin State Journal: Illinois company to relocate, bringing 10S jobs to Kenosha area
Pofls ofthe Week
PPP: Wisconsin governor rising in Republican eyes
Dick Morris: Americans Back Governors Over Unions
A poll conducted by Dick Morris this week found that the majority (47-39) of likely voters in the
United States support "the governors of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio who have clashed with
the public employee unions in their states" over their unions.
What the Dems are Saying
68
"It is inappropriate for an employee to know that their chance at fairness lies
with a Walker crony who is subject to dismissal if he takes a side in opposition of
the Governor."
-Rep. Peter Barca statement in response to Gov Walker's provision to make the top lawyer at the
Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission a political appointee.
"This is Wisconsin. People have a right to have their voices heard. They have a
right to know if this budget is serving them or the special interests filling
Republican campaign war chests."
-Reps. Shilling and Grigsby statement requesting locations for public hearings on budget bill.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Eugene Kane Has Walker become unrecognizable?
New York Times: Paul Krugman The Wisconsin Effect
Capital Times: Dave Zweifel Plain Talk: Push to Kill Unions Trumps Effort
Janesville Gazette: Mary Bell: Teachers will move forward
Ed Garvey: Never seen anything like it!
Around the State
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Navy awards $376 million contract to Marinette Marine. U.S. Rep. Ribble.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Wisconsin's reactors among 104 in U.S. getting safety checks.
La Crosse Tribune. Editorial: Nuclear power still a viable option
Oshkosh Northwestern. Unions offer concessions in exchange to contract extensions.
Around the Country
CBS News: Union: 19,000 educators get pink slips in California
Stateline. Focus on privatization seen in Ohio budget proposal.
Rivertowns. Minnesota's deficit deeper than Wisconsin's shortfall.
The Daily Reporter. Minnesota toys with prevailing wage reform.
69
In Case You Missed It
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW reminds staff to campaign on their own time
Gov. Walker. Releases Capital budget. Recommendations list.
From Washington
U.S. Rep. Duffy. Less government, more growth.
DCist: DC GOP HQ windows hit by pellet fire
Great Read of the Week
Washington Examiner: Unions vs. the Little Guy
"Unions are very good at things like gathering signatures and chartering buses to take people to
the polls. But don't rule out the team that's fighting on principle."
For more information on anything contained in the GOP Senate Update and to contribute ideas and topics
for future weeks, please contact Sen. Fitzgerald's office at 608-266-5660 or email Andrew Wei house or Dan
Romportl.
70
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Goetzman, Michael - DOT
Monday, March 21, 2011 8:10 AM
DOT DL EXEC Reader Review
In today's Reader Review
Revised Zoo Interchange project to seek go-ahead
http://www. jsonline.com/newslmilwaukee/118341699. html
Confident in their downsized plan for the Zoo Interchange reconstruction, state transportation officials will seek public
approval this week and the go-ahead from the Federal Highway Administration within a few months.
Under the accelerated reconstruction sought by Gov. Scott Walker, work on the Zoo Interchange project would start in
2013 and finish in 2018.
The proposal to expand 1-894/Highway 45 to eight lanes and delay a similar build-out on 1-94 into downtown Milwaukee is
clearly the favored option, developed in part from criticism pointed at the alternatives presented nearly two years ago.
At that time, the favored plans expanded both the east-west and north-south freeways and created a looping exit and
entrance system at State Fair Park. The costs were significant: an estimated $2.3 billion to build it and 28 buildings razed
to make way for the new roadways.
Dubbed the Reduced Impact Alternative, the new plan, made public Feb. 17, has a price tag of $1.7 billion, provides direct
freeway ramps to and from 84th St. and reduces the property taking to one apartment building, three businesses and two
county buildings.
"I believe the plan we're putting forward is very responsive and is an adequate plan to reconstruct the interchange," said
Mark Gottlieb, the secretary of transportation appointed by Walker.
The public will have its say Tuesday and Wednesday during public hearings in the Thompson Youth Center, 640 S. 84th
St.
The hearing on Tuesday is scheduled from 2 to 7 p.m. On Wednesday, the session will run from 4 to 8 p.m.
Dianne Dagelen, the conservation chair of the Sierra Club Great Waters Group, fears the short deadline will limit time for
objections to elements of the plan that she views as harmful to the environment. She has been alerting club members that
the reconstruction and expansion would harm the monarch butterfly habitat near Watertown Plank Road and create storm
water detention ponds in the Underwood Creek and Honey Creek parkways.
A section of that stretch along 84th St. may be turned into a 2.7-acre detention pond, according to the DOT proposal. The
specific size and location of the ponds have not been determined.
The revised DOT reconstruction plan includes dedicated left-turn lanes to be added on 84th St. to improve traffic flow.
Serving medical centers
Both Watertown Plank Road and Highway 100 also would be expanded, with an additional lane in each direction, to
reduce the congestion on the freeways. Moving traffic to and from the Milwaukee County Research Park and the
Milwaukee Regional Medical Center has been a priority guiding the reconstruction planning.
The Medical College of Wisconsin, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital and the other operations nearby
employ 15,000 people and account for roughly 6 million visits per year. That activity contributes to making the Zoo
Interchange the busiest in the state, with roughly 350,000 vehicles a day.
50
At Watertown Plank Road, traffic volume on Highway 45 is roughly 170,000 vehicles a day. The DOT projects the volume
will increase to 192,000 by 2035.
Interstate 94 at 84th St. has an equal traffic volume, but the plans to expand the freeway in that area are on hold.
The shoulders in the median of the east-west freeway will be paved 18 feet wide, compared with the standard 12 feet. The
added width will be in place to accommodate a future expansion, likely to come after the Zoo Interchange reconstruction
is completed and the 1-94 expansion project south to the state line has been finished.
Gottlieb cited 2021 as the completion date of that project, with the widening of the freeway from Highway 50 in Kenosha
County to College Ave. in Milwaukee County. Work to add lanes in that area is being delayed by the effort to advance the
work in the Zoo Interchange.
"After we've completed the Zoo Interchange and 1-94 north-south, there's going to have to be thought given to what is the
next piece, what's most in need of rehabilitation and capacity expansion," Gottlieb said.
That discussion would include adding lanes to 1-43 north of Milwaukee.
"We definitely need capacity expansion on 1-43 from Bender Road going north," Gottlieb said.
Developing a transit alternative to the freeway expansion is not likely to be part of the DOT plans, according to the new
transportation secretary, a civil engineer who served as a Republican in the state Assembly from 2002 until his
appointment earlier this year.
"In general, transit is important, providing transit options is important," Gottlieb said. "What the studies have shown, under
any scenario of transit, we're going to have congestion and additional capacity needs at various points in the system,
either now or in the future.
"I think the studies have shown that transit itself is not enough to eliminate the need for future capacity expansion to
relieve congestion on the freeway."
The development of transit options, however, will fall to local governments and regional transportation authorities, he said.
Where were the troopers?
Shifts at Capitol translate to drop in tickets, warnings
http://www. jsonline. com/news/statepolitics/11831 0309.html
Lead-footed drivers caught a break in recent weeks, compliments of the massive Capitol protests that forced scores of
state troopers off the roads and to the Statehouse in Madison.
The result: Wisconsin state troopers wrote about half as many tickets and warnings for speeding, moving violations and
other common infractions during the time protests were staged this year compared with the same three-week period last
year, records show.
State transportation records provided to the Journal Sentinel show troopers wrote 9,324 tickets and warnings in the three-
week period starting Feb. 14 this year, down nearly 53% from the 19,713 written during that time in 2010. The year
before, troopers cited or warned 19,124 drivers during the same period.
Troopers patrol freeways and highways throughout the state with the exception of Milwaukee County, which is patrolled
by local authorities.
State Patrol Major Darren Price said there were several factors for the decrease in citations. But he acknowledged the key
reason was that the agency assigned an average of 85 troopers to the Capitol each day and during one shift had 187
troopers as!ligned to provide security there.
Protesters began gathering regularly at the Capitol to voice opposition to Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill and his
move to end most collective bargaining rights for public employees.
"Going to the Capitol was a significant event for us as an agency," Price said. "We did the best we could with the numbers
we had."
He said even though the state patrol had fewer than the normal number of officers patrolling, the agency still answered
emergency calls promptly.
"Nothing was lost, nothing fell through the cracks that I'm aware," said Price, who oversees the patrol's Bureau of Field
Operation.
Police agencies from across the state provided security at the daily demonstrations, which often attracted tens of
thousands of protesters. The police effort was led by the Capitol Police, though the State Patrol provided more officers in
the Capitol than any other single agency.
51
"It was a balancing act that we tried to get as many people rotated out as we could to patrol the highways," Price said. "It
was a challenging event."
Drivers aware
Some drivers noticed the relative absence of troopers patrolling highways or hidden just off the streets timing traffic.
"Now that you mention it, I didn't see many," said August Grulich, a retired truck driver from Racine. "And I watch for them,
believe me."
Case in point: On the first weekend of March, Grulich drove from Racine to Beloit and said he didn't notice much of a
police presence. His route took him south on state Highway 31, west on state Highway 50 and then south on 1-43.
"I didn't see a single state trooper out there," he said.
Price said other factors accounted for the decreased presence of troopers, including a snowstorm that hit the state just
before the protest. It can take a couple of days for troopers to complete the cleanup after a storm before they resume
patrolling freeways and highways at their normal pace, he said.
Also, there are fewer troopers on the job today than in past years, Price said. The patrol is authorized to have 399
troopers, sergeants and inspectors - the personnel that patrol the highways. But because of attrition, it only has 378 of
those positions filled, Price said.
So, were people traveling the highways at ridiculous speeds because they noticed troopers weren't as visible as usual?
Not for Grulich, who said escalating gas prices had a greater impact on his travel speed.
"When I hit the interstate, I actually kept my cruise control at 64 to save on gas," he said.
With troopers at protests, drivers caught break
(Gannett papers): http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/2011 0321/0SH01 01/11 0320056/With-troopers-protests-
drivers-caught-break?odyssey-mod!newswell!text!OSH-News!s
http://www.gmtoday.com/news/fronVtopstory1 O.asp
http://host. madison.com/news/state and regional/article Odbc4834-1 d7a-5d9e-989e-98ac130d0092.html
MILWAUKEE (AP)- It seems speedy drivers in Wisconsin caught a break while state troopers were monitoring union
rallies at the Capitol.
Records analyzed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel show that while the protests were going on in Madison, state
troopers wrote about half as many tickets and warnings for speeding and other violations when compared with the same
three-week period last year.
State Patrol Maj. Darren Price says there were several reasons for the drop. But he says a key reason was that that 85
troopers were assigned to Capitol security each day. He says during one shift, 187 troopers were working there.
Records show troopers wrote 9,324 tickets and warnings in the three weeks starting Feb. 14, compared with 19,713
written during that same period in 2010.
Duke Behnke's Q&A: Does the state of Wisconsin have any laws, rules or regulations
to govern the number of automobile dealerships held by one corporation before it is
deemed a monopoly?
http://www. postcrescent. com/article/20 11 0320/ APCO 1 01/303200021/ Are-there-any-regulations-how-many-auto-
dealerships-one-corporation-can-?odyssey-mod!newswell!text!APC-News!s
Q: Does the state of Wisconsin have any laws, rules or regulations to govern the number of automobile dealerships held
by one corporation before it is deemed a monopoly?
A: I'm assuming the question centers on Bergstrom Automotive, the largest car dealer in Wisconsin and one of the largest
in the United States.
According to its website, the Neenah-based company sells 33 brands of cars at 27 dealerships throughout the state,
including the Fox Valley, Milwaukee and Madison areas.
No government regulations prevent it from expanding further.
"We do not have any laws that govern the number of dealerships held by one corporation," said Allison Benton, supervisor
of the business and consumer services unit for the state Department of Transportation's Division of Motor Vehicles.
"If they want to monopolize an area, they can do it. They can open as many dealership as they would like."
The Division of Motor Vehicles licenses dealerships in the state.
Bergstrom Automotive operates 13 dealerships in Appleton and Grand Chute, six in Oshkosh, three in Milwaukee, two in
Neenah and one each in Kaukauna, Green Bay and Madison.
Editorial: It's road construction season in Fond du Lac
http://www. fd !reporter. com/article/20 11 0321/F ON 0601/1 0321 0393/Editorial-s-road-construction-season-F ond-d u-
Lac?odyssey-modlnewswellltextiOpinionlp
52
Drivers: Consider yourself warned.
City of Fond du Lac Public Works and Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials have done a nice job of keeping
area residents informed about several upcoming road projects that will impact motorists' traffic routes.
Yes, spring has arrived, and the road construction season gets under way in earnest this week.
Jackie Kahn, project manager with the engineering and traffic division of the Fond du Lac Public Works Department,
informs local residents that the segment of West Scott Street between North Main and North Macy streets will be closed
to through traffic beginning today and continuing through Friday, June 3.
The good news is that West Scott will reopen in time for the heavy traffic moving to and from Lakeside Park for Walleye
Weekend.
"Motorists will be able to traverse around the (West Scott) construction zone via the posted detour route on Brooke Street
and Johnson Street," Kahn said.
The West Scott (Highway 45) closure will allow crews to complete underground utility work and street reconstruction.
Access will be maintained to local businesses along the segment of West Scott that is under construction, Kahn said.
Then, beginning Monday, March 28, crews will close the half-mile segment of North Main Street from Johnson to Scott,
said Kim Rudat, regional communications manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
The closure will allow Vinton Construction Co. to undertake a road project that will last until early October. The work will
include grading and concrete paving of the roadway, replacement of curb and gutter, sidewalk, sanitary sewer and service
laterals, installation of new traffic signals, signing, street lighting and pavement marking.
"The road is being closed to all traffic, with local access to businesses and residences being maintained through adjacent
alleys and side streets," Rudat said.
Cross streets are being closed at the intersections with North Main with the exception of Arndt and McWilliams streets, he
said.
The signed detour route, Rudat said, includes Johnson and North Brooke streets and segments of Kelly Drive and North
Military Road.
The closures are just the beginning of roadwork to be undertaken in the area this construction season. Projects on
Highway 23 west of Fond du Lac, on Pioneer Road and on other routes will impact drivers later.
We trust that similar advance notices from transportation officials will keep the public informed, so that drivers can
formulate alternate routes to get them to their desired destinations.
1-39, Highway 59 lane closures scheduled
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/2011 0319/WDH01 01/1 03190643/-1/7 daysarchives/1-39-Highway-59-lane-
closures-scheduled
Wisconsin Department of Transportation crews plan single-lane closures on Interstate 39/Highway 51 in Marathon County
beginning Monday for repair work.
Lanes will be closed in the following locations:
Southbound Interstate 39/Highway 51 between the Pepling Creek bridge and the Big River bridge to repair guard rails.
Northbound Highway 51/Highway 29 between Sherman Street and Highway 52 in Wausau to repair beam guards.
Westbound Highway 29 between Chestnut Road and Rosedale Avenue to repair beam guards.
Work is scheduled for completion by Friday.
Pro: High-speed rail essential to winningAmerica's future
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -EDITOR'S NOTE: The writer is addressing the question, Can high-speed rail boost the U.S.
economy?
http://www. gazettextra.{;om/news/2 011/mar/19/pro-hig h-speed-rail-essential-win ning-americas-fuU
Would high-speed rail spending add jobs in the United States? Of course.
Even if some of the rolling stock for the trains were imported, structures and other permanent way would still have to be
built in the United States. Under current conditions, any government spending-for rails, for bridges, for highways, for the
military-would contribute to job creation.
Fears that government spending might displace or crowd out private-sector capital formation would be justified were we at
or close to capacity. But we are not.
The unemployment rate remains almost 10 percent, and this doesn't account for those who, discouraged, have simply left
the workforce.
Even more telling is the ratio of employment to population, which has fallen from its all-time high of over 64 percent in
1999 to 58 percent today. In spite of large "supply side" tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy, the record of the George W.
Bush presidency on job creation was in fact quite poor.
For a variety of reasons, including the recent financial crisis, the U.S. economy remains in a serious slump. High-speed
rail spending could stimulate job growth and help jump start the economy.
53
These projects would, of course, add to the deficit and concerns about its long-term growth, particularly that attributable to
health care, are merited.
Looking back over the last three decades, however, Republicans' interests in deficit reduction seems to have waxed and
waned depending upon who occupied the White House.
The deficit ballooned under Bush, due largely to tax cuts but also to increases in military spending and a new unfunded
prescription drug benefit. The resulting run-up in the debt was regrettable, but the time to cut government spending is
when the economy is strong, not when it is weak.
If the country is going to incur new debt, it is better to do so to acquire well-chosen infrastructure and equipment than to
fund consumption.
Would high-speed rail represent well-chosen infrastructure? In other words, would it help the U.S. "win the future?" This is
a more complex question. It requires us to consider not simply whether such projects would help close the output gap, but
whether and how effectively they would expand the potential output of the economy.
Here there are legitimate concerns about whether the U.S. has enough high-density corridors-such as that between
Boston and Washington-to yield large benefits.
And building in dense areas can be costly. For example, the proposed Los Angeles to San Francisco route would go right
through my backyard in Palo Alto, and the extent to which that part of the route will or will not be put underground has
become a contentious political issue.
That said, state and federal governments have a long and largely successful record of supporting infrastructure
development, from the Erie Canal to regional and transcontinental railroads to the Interstate Highway System and, more
recently, to the Internet.
The build-out of the surface road network during the Great Depression generated large private-sector benefits,
contributing to very fast productivity growth in transportation-railroads and trucking-as well as in wholesale and retail
distribution.
High-speed rail projects could certainly create jobs and stimulate the economy in the short run. Whether they would
generate benefits similar to those of other government funded infrastructure projects is uncertain. History suggests,
however, that there's a g o ~ d chance they would.
Alexander J. Field is a professor of economics at Santa Clara University. Readers may write him at Santa Clara
University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, Calif. 95053.
Con: Rail boondoggle should be permanently side-tracked
http://www. gazettextra. com/news/20 11 /mar/19/con-rail-boon doggle-should-be-permanently-side-tra/
WASHINGTON- EDITOR'S NOTE: The writer is addressing the question, Can high-speed rail boost the U.S. economy?
An astute journalist in the 20th century once defined public relations as "organized lying." Keep that in mind as a barrage
of newsfeatures and commentaries extolling the benefits of President Obama's high-speed rail initiatives appear in
coming days.
Indeed, some of Washington's largest and most ruthless public relations firms are spearheading the effort to revive rail,
and no wonder.
Billions of taxpayer dollars are on the table and likely to be picked up by foreign companies such as Canada's Bombardier
and Germany's Siemens. Unfortunately, the money they'll pocket will come from American taxpayers at a time of record
federal deficits and depressingly high unemployment.
Tea party members who consider Obama to be the ultimate spender had that view reinforced when he pledged in his
State of the Union address that 80 percent of Americans will have access to bullet trains in a mere 25 years.
A few weeks later, Vice President Joe Biden, one of the few politicians who regularly rides Amtrak, proposed spending
$53 billion to get highcspeed rail on track.
The Obama administration already has set aside more than $10 billion for super-fast rail projects, but many of its partners
in state governments are dubious.
Newly elected Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker rejected $810 million for a line between Madison and Milwaukee,
noting that motorists already can drive the 79-mile route on state freeways in just over an hour. Walker vigorously
campaigned against the project last fall.
Walker's GOP counterpart in Ohio, former U.S. House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich, also campaigned
against a $400 million federal grant that would have created a high-speed passenger service between Cleveland,
Columbus and Cincinnati, his state's three largest cities, wryly observing that its top speed of 79 mph was far too slow to
attract many passengers.
Another Republican newcomer, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, is highly skeptical of the federal government's proposed 84-mile
high-speed route from the Orlando airport to downtown Tampa-even though the U.S. Department of Transportation has
promised to pony up $2.4 billion of $2.7 billion projected price tag.
Even California, where free-spending politicians have long dreamed of an BOO-mile super-line from San Francisco to San
Diego, is having second thoughts. Sober-minded legislators in Sacramento are beginning to ask how a state staring at a
$28 billion deficit by the fall of 2012 can afford to shell out $43 billion for a train where a one-way ticket would cost more
than $200 or nearly four times the ticket for an air flight.
54
Complicating matters, the California fast line ironically has attracted the wrath of normally green San Francisco Bay-area
residents, who are worried about property values, and Central Valley farmers, who are concerned about crop damage.
The only area in the United States with enough population to make high-speed rail feasible is the Northeast Corridor
spanning Washington to Boston, where Amtrak's Acela Express now achieves top speeds of 150 mph but averages a
slow-motion 70 mph because it must share track with other trains.
Acquiring enough land through eminent domain actions and constructing the high-tech rails needed for a Northeast high-
speed rail line likely would be prohibitively expensive. Amtrak's current estimate-which many experts consider a
decidedly low-ball one-says it would take 25 years and cost $117 billion.
Unfortunately, Biden, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and other Obama higher-ups still view rail travel through a
1950 lens of nostalgia, when one could enjoy the overnight luxury of the 20th Century Limited-leaving Grand Central
Station in the evening and disembarking the next morning in downtown Chicago.
Those days-like Alfred Hitchcock, who had Cary Grant and Eva-Marie Saint do just that in his 1959 thriller "North by
Northwest"-are long gone.
Amy Ridenour is president of the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank in Washington.
Readers may write to her at: NCPPR, 501 Capitol Court NE, Washington, D. C. 20002; Web site: www.nationalcenter.org;
e-mail: aridenournationalcenter.org.
Airport's overlay impact unknown
http://www. wiscnews.com/bdc/news/locallarticle ca4ba83c-5361-11 e0-9883-001 cc4c002eO.html
JUNEAU- Dodge County's Airport Overlay Zoning Ordinance is in its formative stages; its language and actual impact
remain unclear.
Still, the airport's nearest neighbors met with the Dodge County Highway Committee Thursday morning to express fears
that the final draft of the ordinance may render their real estate worthless.
"You're putting people in a situation to destroy their financial future," said Tami Brabant, W6343 Sunset Rd., Juneau, who,
along with about 15 other property owners, is concerned that restrictions imposed by the ordinance may make their
parcels unmarketable in the wake of fire, storm or other catastrophe.
"If you put us in a situation where, if something happens to our home and we can't rebuild or if we want to sell, with all
these restrictions, who's going to buy it?" she asked.
"We haven't done anything yet; just remember that," replied Dodge County Highway Commissioner Brian Field, whose
department is part of the committee charged with creation of the overlay ordinance.
"We haven't seen the code in its entirety," added county supervisor and committee chairman Harold Johnson.
"It is the responsibility of AZTAC (the Dodge County Airport Zoning Technical Advisory Committee), he said.
Andrew Bremer, of MSA Professional Services Inc., was hired to help draft the county's airport overlay zoning ordinance.
In July he said the Federal Aeronautics Administration (FAA), along with the state bureau of aeronautics, recommends
some public airports create and enforce an ordinance regulating land use within a prescribed area beyond its runways in
order to qualify for federal funds.
"For general-aviation airports, which we are, there's an allocation into our account each year of $150,000," said Dodge
County Assistant Highway Commissioner Pete Thompson.
Thompson explained the F M contributes 95 percent of the cost of some airport projects, while the county and state
provide 2.5 percent each.
He also said certain projects can cost more than $150,000, so annual allocations are "banked" by the bureau of
aeronautics in an account for Dodge County's use.
AZTAC consists of local officials from each municipality potentially affected by the ordinance and the Dodge County
Highway Committee is involved because it oversees the airport.
"Eighty percent of general aviation accidents occur within one mile of an airport," Bremer said in July.
With that grim statistic in mind, he said the bureau of aeronautics has established guidelines within an airport's three-mile
reach to minimize danger.
The proposed overlay district would dictate land use in declining degrees of restriction within irregular, three-mile radii
measured from the airport's runways.
The most restrictive sections of the proposed ordinance affect the land closest to the runways.
It is within that zone that the 15 home and property owners present Thursday live.
Current use of land close to the airport's runways would not be affected, according to Thompson, who has spearheaded
the county's portion of the AZTAC effort.
It's the language proposed in two different code sections that is worrisome, according to Judy Stamnes, W6331 Sunset
Rd., Juneau, who noted before the meeting that each proposed section speaks to damage or destruction of
"nonconforming uses" of the land and of "nonconforming structures" thereon.
55
Joe Giebel Dodge County's manager of code administration, Thursday defined "nonconforming" with the language of the
Dodge County Zoning Code: "Any land or water lawfully used, occupied or erected at the time of the effective date of this
code or amendments thereto, which does not conform to the requirements of this code or any amendments thereto."
Slang for "nonconforming," Giebel said, was that such a use or structure was "grandfathered."
Once that "grandfathered" use or structure changes, however, a landowner may be forced to comply with new and
potentially more-restrictive "requirements of this code," he said.
The greatest restriction on land use will apply to the airport itself, Bremer said.
Next, narrowly drawn areas at the ends and on each side of the airport's two runways, over which aircraft are expected to
approach and depart would be off-limits to activities or enterprises that attract wildlife, erect smokestacks or are
dedicated to "public assembly" such as schools, jails, camping and new residences, according to Bremer.
A third, "low-impact" zone is proposed and a fourth zone would provide a one-mile "buffer overflight" district, he said.
Between that perimeter and the three-mile, outside reach of the overlay, Bremer said a fifth zone would be established. In
zones four and five, residences would be allowed, he said.
The only use banned in all five zones, according to Bremer, would be landfills because they attract birds and other
animals that interfere with safe takeoff and landing.
Height limits imposed on structures by county ordinance, which Thompson said have been in place since 1995, will
remain in effect.
If a home or other building lies within zones one, two or three of the proposed ordinance, as do some belonging to those
present Thursday and damage to those structures amounted to more than 50 percent, reconstruction could be governed
by new overlay restrictions in those zones.
"The intent was to prohibit new development that would not be compatible," Thompson said, adding, "The main thrust of
the ordinance is to protect future development.
"The county has an interest in the airport that we'd like to protect," he continued, noting, "Your existing homes are in a
gray area."
Stillwater bridge project gaining bi-partisan support
http://www. rivertowns. net/event/article/id/32070/pub\isher I D/13
A small group of local residents showed up to cheer a group of politicians who toured the Stillwater, Minn. lift bridge Friday
afternoon.
"Build the bridge," they chanted over and over.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann headed straight for the group when the tour
was done, shaking hands and thanking them for their encouragement.
Dayton and Bachmann joined Minnesota and Wisconsin state legislators, Stillwater officials and other elected officials
from both side of the St. Croix River for the gathering. It appeared most, if not all, were there to give their support to the
idea of constructing a new four-lane bridge to help alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety for motorists.
Bachmann, who has introduced a bill in Congress to exempt a new river crossing project from present Wild and Scenic
Riverways Act restrictions, wanted to bring Dayton up to speed on what's happening with the local bridge. The project was
derailed again last year when a judge ruled in favor of opponents of the plan who claimed the bridge would conflict with
the federal protections designed to limit environmental impacts along the St. Croix.
As the tour started, Tom Styrbicki, assistant state bridge engineer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation,
answered questions as the group made its way halfway across the bridge.
Styrbicki assured Gov. Dayton that the local bridge remains structurally sound and safe for motorists, despite low ratings
in federal reports.
According to Kevin Gutknecht, MnDOT spokesman, talk of a new bridge in Stillwater has been going on since the 1950s.
But the span remains a viable transportation link between the two states.
"It's 80 years old," he said. "It isn't pretty. But we've done a lot of work on this bridge. The bridge is safe; the bridge is
sound."
Still, Dayton suggested that the historic bridge has served its purpose and the best option for meeting the future
transportation needs of the region was for work on a new bridge to begin soon. He called the current bridge inadequate
and something needs to be done soon.
If the bridge project heads back to the drawing board, Dayton warned, it would be at least another 10 years before a new
plan could be developed and the span ultimately constructed. Opponents to the current plan suggests that a smaller, two-
lane bridge be considered instead.
"\want a resolution to this," Dayton said. "This is the only realistic option for the next decade. It's not realistic to say that
there's another alternative."
Dayton recalled that he spoke before the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce a decade ago, when he was a U.S. senator,
and the bridge project hasn't progressed much since then.
Bachmann said she's optimistic that Congress will approve the bill to allow for the bridge to begin, noting that there is bi-
partisan support from Wisconsin and Minnesota Congressional delegations. The key, however, is getting the measure
approved in the U.S. Senate.
56
"It's time for this bridge to be built," Bachmann said. "It looks like we have all of the pieces coming together."
John Soderberg, New Richmind, Wis., who has been working with bridge supporters for years, said he was encouraged
by the tour and meeting.
"I'm more optimistic now than I've ever been," he said.
His optimism is buoyed by the fact that both Democratic and Republican elected officials are lining up to back the bill in
Congress.
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, current cost estimates for the proposed bridge range from
$57 4 million to $690 million. Minnesota's share of the project would be $220 million to $380 million, while Wisconsin's
portion will be between $250 million and $310 million.
Dayton, Bachmann team up to support new St. Croix bridge
http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci 17648492
Although Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann are polar opposites on most
political issues, they agreed Friday to team up to push for construction of a long-delayed four-lane bridge over the St.
Croix River south of Stillwater.
After touring the decaying Stillwater Lift Bridge, which the new span would replace, Dayton said during a joint news
conference that the bridge proposed by the Minnesota and Wisconsin transportation departments is the "only realistic
option" for getting a new crossing built in the next 10 years.
The National Park Service blocked construction last fall when it reversed an opinion it issued five years earlier and ruled
the bridge should not be allowed because it would conflict with the U.S. Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
Earlier this month, Bachmann introduced a bill asking Congress to overrule that decision.
Dayton endorsed her legislation. But he said that doesn't mean much.
The former U.S. senator said, "I've learned that I don't have much influence there" anymore, and he won't lobby Congress
to pass the legislation.
This was the first time Dayton has taken a stand on the issue. It puts him at odds with Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty
McCollum, who has pledged to do "everything in my power" to defeat Bachmann's bill and protect the St. Croix.
The governor also rejected a plea from a coalition of environmental groups and St. Croix advocates to support a smaller
bridge.
He said a four-lane bridge
is needed for economic, public safety and "social vitality" reasons. The 80-year-old lift bridge is "structurally safe," he said,
but its inadequate capacity causes massive rush hour and weekend traffic jams.
The proposed new bridge would cost $57 4 million to $690 million, split between Minnesota and Wisconsin, MnDOT
spokesman Kevin Gutknecht said. Minnesota's share would be up to $380 million. Once approved, design and
construction would take about five years.
Delays are costing $3.17 million a month, said Bachmann, who initiated the meeting with Dayton. "Construction must
move forward before the price tag rises on this project anymore."
She said her bill wouldn't require additional federal funding or earmarks.
The Sierra Club released a statement urging the governor and other decision makers to remain open to a modest, less
expensive option.
"Rather than pushing for a massive, expensive freeway-style bridge, we urge elected officials of both states to work
together in quickly developing a new, modestly scaled bridge that addresses the St. Croix valley's traffic congestion
problems while respecting the river and taxpayers' pocketbooks," the statement said.
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, the Democrat who represents the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix, is co-sponsoring her bill, and
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker supports It, she said, "so it looks like we have all of the pieces coming together."
She predicted the Republican-controlled House would pass it.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's office said Friday that she supports a new bridge and that she is working on her own
legislation toward that end.
The new bridge would be the main Minnesota-Wisconsin crossing north of Interstate 94. The debate over
whether and how the span should be built has dragged on for more than 20 years.
On Wisconsin: Rusty span is a bridge to history
http://host. madison.com/wsjinewsllocal/article fb01681 a-5301-11 e0-852b-001 cc4c03286. html
COOKSVILLE- In high school, we called guys like Peter Egan gear heads.
57
They had the fastest and coolest cars, and some of them wound up racing or working in the pits at race tracks in
Jefferson, Beaver Dam and Columbus.
Egan, 63, never had a car in high school but took his love of motors to a different level.
For almost 30 years, the Elroy native, Vietnam War veteran and UW-Madison graduate has written about cars and
motorcycles for Road & Track and Cycle World magazines.
His stories have taken him around the world, but for the past 21 years, he's also been keeping a close eye on a bridge. It
crosses Badfish Creek, just a few yards from the end of his driveway in northern Rock County, about six miles south of
Stoughton.
But for Egan and his wife, Barb, Stoughton is about a nine-mile drive. That's because two months after they moved into
their home, built in 1878 on West Leedle Mill Road, the town of Union closed the bridge because of structural integrity
concerns.
That was in the summer of 1990.
While they've gotten used to the detour, at one time they fought to save the steel bridge. Now they regretfully admit the
time has come to replace it.
Technically known as a Pratt through-truss bridge, the 120-foot-long, single-lane structure was built in 1916. This summer,
the rusting steel will be turned to scrap and a concrete bridge with two lanes and little character will be built to replace the
historic structure and make West Leedle Mill Road whole again.
"It's a beautiful old bridge, but it really wasn't very strong," said Egan, who has to put up with a dead-end road for just a
few more months. "There will be more traffic," he admits.
Attempts to give away the bridge never panned out. Like a free horse, taking possession would mean substantial costs.
Robert Newbery of the state Department of Transportation said he received fewer than 10 requests for information on the
bridge and of those, only one was serious. The potential taker, who wanted to move the bridge 95 miles to the northeast,
near West Bend, backed out when he came up $75,000 short of the $125,000 it would cost to dismantle, move, restore
and reassemble the bridge at his farm.
"I'm disappointed, but l'm.a realist," Newbery said. "It really takes a special combination. The bridge has to be in good
enough shape to be worthwhile, and you have to be a little lucky. There has to be a use nearby."
The Egans were among about 200 people who signed a petition in the early 1990s to have the bridge restored. It was
ignored by the town's leadership, and plans to replace the bridge kept getting pushed back for higher-priority projects by
the state and federal governments, which will fund 90 percent of the $422,000 project. The remaining 10 percent will be
paid by the town. Restoring the bridge carried a $680,000 price tag, but it would have remained a one-lane bridge, said
town Chairman Kendall Schneider.
"I understand the money end of it, and it comes down to dollars and cents," said Schneider, elected in 2000. "If we get a
new bridge, you're probably looking at two to three times the longevity."
Perhaps. But bridges often define an area.
The new bridge over the Wisconsin River near Spring Green is safer, wider and more stable, but I still miss the green
trusses every time I pass through that area on Highway 14.
The concrete Marsh Rainbow Arch Bridge, built in 1916 in Chippewa Falls, is still open to motor vehicles, but officials are
talking about limiting the downtown bridge to foot and bike traffic.
The Michigan Street Bridge, built in 1930 over a shipping canal in Sturgeon Bay, is undergoing an $18.5 million
restoration project that was started in 2009 and is scheduled for completion this fall.
All of those bridges contribute or contributed to the identity of their regions.
The Leedle Mill Bridge is no exception, even though it is partially covered in vegetation, its steel flaking away and its
concrete crumbling.
Cooksville is one of the state's historic gems, founded in 1842 and home to dozens of historic homes and structures,
including the Cooksville Store, founded in 1846 and one of the state's oldest businesses.
A few years later, in 1849, John and Betsy Curtis built a mill along Badfish Creek near the site of the current Leedle Mill
Bridge.
William Leedle and his son bought the four-story mill in 1878 and built the house now owned by the Egans. The dam
created a mill pond where the Leedles harvested ice in the winter and where fishing was popular in warmer months.
The dam failed in 1918 and the mill was torn down in 1948.
Egan, a history buff who recently spent seven years restoring a 1964 Lotus Elan, still has a piece of the millstone in his
garage. The stone at one time could grind 30 bushels of grain an hour, according to historical accounts.
The coming of a concrete bridge across the creek, home to brown trout and history, may be necessary but it just doesn't
seem to fit.
"I think initially it's going to look barren," said Egan. "It's never going to be as pretty as the old bridge."
Edward Huck: Big need for more transport options
http://host. madison. com/wsj/news/opinion/mailbag/article adb96b04-5236-11 e0-9095-00 1 cc4c002e0. html
Not so long ago - but far from our memories, when gas prices were so high that many had to choose between their jobs
and their mortgage payments- people wanted to know why we didn't have more transportation options.
58
Now here we are again. And once again Wisconsin is not prepared for what many of believe is the inevitable.
We are so desperately in need of a statewide transportation network that includes not only roads that move people and
commerce but also rail, freight and regional bus systems that knit the state together. On March 24, Alan Drake will speak
on the UW-Madison campus at 1800 Engineering Hall. He is a researcher on transportation solutions to prepare for a
world of limited oil.
His message of preparation and options is a breath of fresh air in the midst of those who believe we can remain in the
past.
- Edward Huck, political consultant, Sun Prairie
Michael J. Goetzman
Office of Public Affairs
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
4802 Sheboygan Avenue, Room 1038
P.O. Box 7910
Madison, WI 53707-7910
voice: 608/266-2520 fax: 608/266-7186
michael.goetzman@dot.wisconsin.gov
10
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Cullen and Chris,
This is great news.
Fantle, David -TOURISM
Monday, March 21, 201112:40 PM
Werwie, Cullen J - GOV; Schrimpf, Chris - GOV
Gilkes, Keith - GOV; Klett Stephanie -TOURISM
FW: Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
Per Keith, we think the Governor should issue a congratulatory news release on this. The USS Freedom was
commissioned in Milwaukee in late 2008 and it bought tremendous positive attention and economic impact to the state.
Then County Executive Walker was very supportive and Fran from his o'ffice, along with Candee Arendt and I were on the
commissioning committee.
If I were to suggest some copy for the release it would go along this line:
.Governor Walker Applauds Navy's Decision to Name Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Milwaukee
"Marinette Marine Corp. built the first-in-class littoral combat ship USS Freedom, which was commissioned in
Milwaukee in 2008," said Governor Walker. "The shipyard jobs and economic impact are significant and hosting a
commissioning ceremony as we'd hope to do in Milwaukee is a prestigious event that brings thousands of visitors to our
state. I look forward to celebrating this occasion and supporting it through assistance from our Department ofTourism."
DF
Dave Fantle I Deputy Secretary I Wisconsin Department ofTourism
201 West Washington Avenue PO Box 8690 Madison, WI 53708-8690 TravelWisconsin.com
Harnessing the power of tourism to build a better Wisconsin
From: James Young [mail
Sent: Friday, March 18,
To: Alan Perlstein; Anthony Balestrieri; Arvid Tillmar; Bernie Faust; Bill Fantry; 'Bill Huesmann'; Bill Kalmer; Bobby V.
Ferguson; Brooke VandeBerg; 'Candee Arndt'; Dan McElroy; Dave Drent; Fantle, David -TOURISM; Denny Behr; Dick
Vallin; Fran McLaughlin; James Young; Jerry Stern; Jim Lang; Kim Ramos; Leonard Peace; Representative Moore
(O'Keefe)- DMA; Luis Ramos; 'Norma Bishop'; Phil Vollrath; Tim Flatley; 'Tom Plantenberg'; Werner Gade; William
Lemorande
Jim Young; James Young
Subject: FW: Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
SECNAV announced this afternoon that LCS 5 will be named USS Milwaukee- this is great news and now we will
transition to the "USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) Commissioning Committee". I think that phrase has a great ring to it! I!
43
USS Fortworth (LCS 3) and USS Coronado (LCS 4) are currently under construction so this suggests the USS Milwaukee
will be the next ship to be built by Marinette Marine.
Thanks to all of you who forwarded the news to me. I was away from my I phone and computer much of the day so that's
why the notice is late.
Jim
From: DoD News
To: Ramos, Luis (SA-1)
Sent: Fri Mar 18 16:27:12 2011
Subject: Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and
Detroit<http:/ /www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14348>
Fri, 18 Mar 201117:05:00-0500
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 222-11
March 18, 2011
Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the next two Freedom-class littoral combat ships (LCS) to
be built in Wisconsin will be named the USS Milwaukee and the USS Detroit.
These two ships are part of a dual block buy of LCS class ships announced by Mabus in December 2010. By
procuring both versions of the LCS- Lockheed Martin's mono hull and General Dynamic's aluminum trimaran
-the Navy can stabilize the LCS program and the industrial base with an award of 20 ships; increase ship procurement
rate to support operational requirements; sustain competition through the program; and enhance foreign military sales
opportunities. Both designs meet the Navy's LCS requirement. However, the diversity provided by two designs provides
operational flexibility.
Milwaukee and Detroit will be designed to defeat growing littoral threats and provide access and dominance in
the coastal waters. A fast, agile surface combatant, the LCS provides the required war fighting capabilities and
operational flexibility to execute focused missions close to the shore such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and
surface warfare.
The Milwaukee and Detroit will be 378 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 57 feet, displace approximately
3,000 tons, and will make speed in excess of 40 knots.
Construction of Milwaukee and Detroit will be by a Lockheed Martin led industry team in Marinette, Wis.
44
The selection of Milwaukee, designated LCS 5, honors the city's citizens and their continued support to our
nation's military. Milwaukee has been a city of national pride since its official founding in 1846. This makes the sixth
ship to bear the city's name.
The selection of Detroit, designated LCS 7, honors the citizens of the Motor City and their ongoing patriotic spirit
and military support. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River in the state of Michigan. It was founded on July 24,
1701. Detroit is the seventh ship to bear the city's name.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
On the Web: http:/ /www.defense.gov/releases/ Media Contact:
http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your User
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to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail
support@govdelivery.com<mailto:support@govdelivery.com>.
[http:/ /s7 .addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-
e n .gif]<http :/ fwww .addthis.com/bookma rk. ph p ?pu b=govdelive ry&u rl=http%3A%2 F%2 Fs ha ring.govde livery. com%2 Fbull
etins%2FGD%2FUSDOD-136779&title=Bookmark+and+Share>
GovDelivery, Inc. sending on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense 408 St. Peter Street Suite 600 St. Paul, MN
55102. 1-800-439-1420
45
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Thanks. I think this is a good idea.
Chris Schrimpf
Press Office: 608-267-7303
Fantle, David -TOURISM; Werwie, Cullen J - GOV
Gilkes, Keith - GOV; Klett, Stephanie -TOURISM
RE: Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
Email: chris.schrimpf@wisconsin.gov
From: Fant\e, David- TOURISM
Sent: Monday, March 21, 201112:40 PM
To: Werwie, Cullen J- GOV; Schrimpf, Chris- GOV
Cc: Gilkes, Keith- GOV; Klett, Stephanie- TOURISM
Cullen and Chris,
This is great news.
Then County Executive Walker was very supportive and Fran from his office, along with Candee Arendt and I were on the
Governor Walker Applauds Navy's Decision to Name Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Milwaukee
state. \look forward to celebrating this occasion and supporting it through assistance from our Department of Tourism."
DF
Dave Fantle I Deputy Secretary I Wisconsin Department of Tourism
201 West Washington Avenue PO Box 8690 Madison, WI 53708-8690 Trave\Wisconsin.com
40
From: James Young
Vallin; Fran Mclaughlin; James Young; Jerry Stern; Jim Lang; Kim Ramos; Leonard Peace; Representative Moore
Lemorande
'""rnP' Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
transition to the "USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) Commissioning Committee". I think that phrase has a great ring to it!!!
USS Fortworth (LCS 3} and USS Coronado (LCS 4) are currently under construction so this suggests the USS Milwaukee
Jim
From: DoD News <dodnews@subscriptions.dod.mil>
To: Ramos, Luis (SA-l)
Sent: Fri Mar 18 16:27:12 2011
Detroit<http:/ /www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14348>
Fri, 18 Mar 201117:05:00 -0500
March 18, 2011
procuring both versions of the LCS- Lockheed Martin's semiplaning mono hull and General Dynamic's aluminum trimaran
41
surface warfare.
http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 {703) 428-0711 +1
Public Contact:
en.gif]<http://www.addthis.comjbookmark.php?pub=govdelivery&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsharing.govdelivery.com%2Fbull
55102 1-800-439-1420
42
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Fantle, David - TOURISM; Werwie, Cullen J - GOV
RE: Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
David - Before we send this release, do we have a reasonable level of confidence that the city of Milwaukee will host a
commissioning ceremony?
Chris Schrimpf
From: Fantle, David- TOURISM
To: Werwie, Cullen J- GOV; Schrimpf, Chris- GOV
Cullen and Chris,
This is great news.
commissioned in Milwaukee in late 2008 and it bought tremendous.positive attention and economic impact to the state.
state. I look forward to celebrating this occasion and supporting it through assistance from our Department of Tourism."
DF
Dave Fantle I Deputy Secretary I Wisconsin Department of Tourism I 608.266.8773
201 West Washington Avenue PO Box 8690 Madison, WI 53708-8690 TraveiWisconsin.com
37
From: James Young fm:,iltooj
Sent: Friday, March 18, 201111:13 PM
Ferguson; Brooke VandeBerg; 'Candee Arndt'; Dan McElroy; Dave Drent; Fantle, David- TOURISM; Denny Behr; Dick
Val lin; Fran Mclaughlin; James Young; Jerry Stern; Jim Lang; Kim Ramos; Leonard Peace; Representative Moore
Jim
From: DoD News
Sent: Fri Mar 18 16:27:12 2011
Detroit<http :/ /www .defense .gov I releases/release .aspx ?releaseid=14348>
Fri, 18 Mar 201117:05:00 -0500
March 18, 2011
procuring both versions of the LCS- Lockheed Martin's semiplaning monohull and General Dynamic's aluminum trimaran
38
surface warfare.
On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/releases/ Media Contact:
Contact:
Profile Page<http://service.govdelivery.com/service/user.html?code=USDOD>. You will need to use your e-mail address
en.gif]<http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=govdelivery&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsharing.govdelivery.com%2Fbull
GovDelivery, Inc. sending on behalf ofthe U.S. Department of Defense 408 St. Peter Street Suite 600 St. Paul, MN
55102. 1-800-439-1420
39
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject: Re: Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
I'm checking on this. DF
From: Schrimpf, Chris- GOV
Sent: Monday, March 21, 2011 01:50 PM
To: Fantle, David- TOURISM; Werwie, Cullen J- GOV
Cc: Gilkes, Keith- GOV; Klett, Stephanie -TOURISM
Subject: RE: Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
David- Before we send this release, do we have a reasonable level of confidence that the city of Milwaukee will host a
Chris Schrimpf
From: Fantle, David- TOURISM
To: Werwle, Cullen J- GOV; Schrimpf, Chris- GOV
Cullen and Chris,
This is great news.
Governor Walker Applauds Navy's Decision to Name Littoral Combat Ship (LCS} USS Milwaukee
34
state. I look forward to celebrating this occasion and supporting it through assistance from our Department ofTourism."
OF
From: James Young
Vall in; Fran Mclaughlin; James Young; Jerry Stern; Jim Lang; Kim Ramos; Leonard Peace; Representative Moore
Lemorande
Cc: bvferguson@sbcglobal.com; Jim Young; James Young
Jim
From: DoD News
Sent: Fri Mar 18 16:27:12 2011
Detroit< http://www .defense .gov I releases/release .aspx? release id= 14348>
Fri, 18 Mar 201117:05:00-0500
March 18, 2011
35
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the next two Freedom-class littoral combat ships (LCS} to
procuring both versions ofthe LCS- Lockheed Martin's semiplaning monohull and General Dynamic's aluminum trimaran
surface warfare.
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs}
http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 (703} 428-0711 +1
Contact:
[http:/ Is 7 .ad dth is.com /sta ti c/btn/ sm-sha re-
55102. 1-800-439-1420
36
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Keith,
Monday, March 21, 2011 3:36 PM
Gilkes, Keith - GOV
Schrimpf, Chris- GOV; Werwie, Cullen J - GOV; Klett, Stephanie- TOURISM; Moore,
Dorothy J - GOV
FW: Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
It looks like Candee will be preparing a letter of support from the Governor to the Secretary of the Navy to bring the
commissioning of USS Milwaukee to Milwaukee!
Thanks,
DF
Dave Fantle 1 Deputy Secretary I Wisconsin Department of Tourism
From: VandeBerg, Brooke lm;alltD!
Sent: Monday, March 21, 2011 3:27 PM
To: Fantle, David- TOURISM
Cc: James Young; carndt2370@aol.com
Subject: RE: Navy Names Uttoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
Hi Dave,
Great to hear from you. Exciting news isn't it? Secretary Mabus gave the Mayor no commitment on the commissioning
in their conversation on Friday. In fact, we are drafting a letter- also hoping the Governor would write one as well-
thanking the Secretary for the naming and asking for the commissioning to be held here. Candee Arndt is going to bring
the request and draft letter to the Governor's staff.
So glad to hear this is on his radar. Very exciting.
Best,
Brooke
Brooke VandeBerg
Office of Tom Barrett
30
From: Fantle, David -TOURISM [mai
To: 'James Young'; Alan Perlstein; Anthony Balestrieri; Arvid Till mar; Bernie Faust; Bill Fantry; 'Bill Huesmann'; Bill
Kalmer; Bobby V. Ferguson; VandeBerg, Brooke; 'Candee Arndt'; Dan McElroy; Dave Drent; Denny Behr; Dick Vall in; Fran
Mclaughlin; Jerry Stern; Jim Lang; Kim Ramos; Leonard Peace; Representative Moore (O'Keefe)- DMA; Luis Ramos;
11snonn Phil Tim Flatley; 'Tom Plantenberg'; Werner Gade; William Lemorande
Jim Young
Great news.
Governor Walker wants to come out with an official statement in congratulations/support, but I have one question:
Does the naming of the ship (Milwaukee) automatically mean we will get the commissioning or will we have to bid on it
like last time?
Thanks,
DF
From: James Young [ m a i l t ~
Vall in; Fran Mclaughlin; James Young; Jerry Stern; Jim Lang; Kim Ramos; Leonard Peace; Representative Moore
Lemorande
Cc: Jim Young; James Young
NernPs Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
31
Jim
From: DoD
Sent: Fri Mar 18 16:27:12 2011
Detro it<http:/ /www .defense .gov Ire leases/release .aspx? release id= 14348>
Fri, 18 Mar 201117:05:00-0500
March 18, 2011
-the Navy can stabilize the LCS program ~ m d the industrial base with an award of 20 ships; increase ship procurement
opportunities. Both designs meet the Navy's LCS requirement. However, the .diversity provided by two designs provides
surface warfare.
32
Public Contact:
[http:/ I s7 .addth is.co m/ static/btn/ sm-sha re-
55102. 1-800-439-1420
The City of Milwaukee is subject to Wisconsin Statutes related to public records. Unless otherwise exempted from the
public records law, senders and receivers of City of Milwaukee e-mail should presume that e-mail is subject to release
upon request, and is subject to state records retention requirements. See City of Milwaukee full e-mail disclaimer at
www.milwaukee.gov/email_disclaimer
33
From:
Sent:
Monday, March 21, 2011 3:39 PM
To:
Cc:
Gilkes, Keith- GOV; Klett, Stephanie -TOURISM
Chris,
Talked to a few people and it's hard to imagine that the commissioning of the Milwaukee won't take place in Milwaukee.
If all goes as planned this would happen sometime in 2013. In the news release I wouldn't allude to the commissioning
as a "for sure" or state the year. I would thank Navy Secretary Mabus for the decision to name a LCS Milwaukee and
have the Governor say he's looking forward to working with the Mayor, other elected officials and the commissioning
committee in welcoming the USS Milwaukee to the Navy fleet.
DF
From: Schrimpf, Chris- GOV
To: Fantle, David -TOURISM; Werwie, Cullen J- GOV
David - Before we send this release, do we have a reasonable level of confidence that the city of Milwaukee will host a
Chris Schrimpf
From: Fantle, David -TOURISM
To: Werwie, Cullen J - GOV; Schrimpf, Chris- GOV
Cullen and Chris,
26
This is great news.
state. I look forward to celebrating this occasion and supporting it through assistance from our Department of Tourism."
DF
Dave Fantle I Deputy Secretary I Wisconsin Department of Tourism 1-
201 West Washington Avenue PO Box 8690 Madison, WI 53708-8690 Trave\Wisconsin.com
From: James Young fm<liltcJ;
Vall in; Fran McLaughlin; James Young; Jerry Stern ; Jim Lang; Kim Ramos; Leonard Peace; Representative Moore
Lemorande
. Subject: FW: Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Milwaukee and Detroit
USS Fortworth (LCS 3) and USS Coronado (LCS 4) are currently under construction so this suggests the USSMilwaukee
Thanks to all of you who forwarded the news to me. I was away from my \phone and computer much of the day so that's
Jim
From: DoD
27
Sent: Fri Mar 18 16:27:12 2011
Detro it<http:/ /www .defense .gov Ire leases/release .aspx ?release id= 14348>
Fri, 18 Mar 201117:05:00-0500
March 18, 2011
surface warfare.
28
http:/ /www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 (703) 42!!-01'1
Contact:
[http:/ I s7 .ad dth is.co m/ static/btn/ sm-sha re-
e n.gif]<http:/ /www. addthis. com/bookmark. p hp ?pu b=govde I ive ry& u rl= http%3A%2 F%2 Fsha ring.govde live ry.com%2 Fbu II
55102. 1-800-439-1420
29
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Hi Cullen, Chris,
ESME E. DEPREZ, BLOOMBERG/ NEWSROOM: <edeprez@bloomberg.net>
Tuesday, March 22, 20111:01 PM
Werwie, Cullen J - GOV; Schrimpf, Chris - GOV
bond sale questions
Included in Governor Walker's budget repair bill was the approval of the sale of $165 million of municipal bonds. He said
it was necessary in part to avert a fiscal crisis, and as you'll recall, used the sale's deadline to persuade Senate Democrats
to return to the state.
Eight days after Walker took office in January, the state canceled a similar bond sale planned 10 months earlier,
according to bond documents.
Could you please provide some clarification on this, or make Walker available for an interview on the subject?
1. Why was the bond sale, planned in March 2010, canceled in January 2011? What was the purpose of the sale?
2. Who made the decision to cancel it?
3. Why did Walker need to go to state lawmakers when plans to sell debt were already in place?
4. What happens now that the $165 million refinancing wasn't included in the modified version of the budget repair bill
that eventually passed?
5. Is there a backup or alternative plan to still sell the bonds? (Cullen, I remember asking you if the biennium budget
assumed that the $165 million issue would go through, and you said yes. What happens now to that budget now that
this sale didn't get authorized?) 6. Had the original $184 million issue gone through, would you have had a budget
deficit (crisis) for the current year? The deficit without a bond issue for the current year is $176 million as you've been
saying for a while now, correct? How much would it be if you had a). sold the original issue and b). ifthe $165M issue
included in the original repair bill had been approved and sold?
7. Critics accuse of you of using this new bond issue to play politics, to try to get the Dems to return, threaten layoffs,
and to push through the budget repair bill, the focus of which was the curbs to collective bargaining. What is your
response?
8. What are the state's plans for the May 1 payment that was supposed to be covered by the bond sale?
Appreciate any insight you can provide. Deadline is tonight I midday tomorrow (Weds)- please let me know how that
works for you?
Sincerely,
Esme'
esme' e. deprez
bloom berg news
edep.lrez@t>lo<>mlberg.rlet
From: DARRELL PRESTON (BLOOMBERG/ NEWSROOM:)
To: ESME E. DEPREZ (BLOOMBERG/ NEWSROOM:)
At: 3/2117:09:22
25
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Werwie, Cullen J - GOV
Tuesday, March 22, 20111:39 PM
FW: Mitch Daniels
Thoughts? Bill is a good guy and a very fair reporter.
Cullen Werwie
Press Secretary
Press Office: {608) 267-l303
Email:
www. walker. wi.qov
From: Bill Glauber [mailto:BGLAUBER@journalsentinel.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 20111:37 PM
To: Werwie, Cullen J - GOV
Subject: Mitch Daniels
Cullen: I hope all is well. I'm headed to Indiana tomorrow for a Thursday interview with Mitch Daniels. We're going to be
discussing some of the policies in Indiana and how they relate to what Gov. Walker is trying to do in Wisconsin-
collective bargaining and retooled Commerce agency. I know the governor speaks frequently with Daniels. Does he have
a few minutes to talk about the burgeoning relationships as well as the template that Gov. Daniels has created in Indiana?
I'm My cell phone is If he had a few moments, and a time when he might call, I'll.
make sure to be at the cell.
Best.
Bill
24
But sometimes, bi-partisanship is not so good. During several of the past budgets, members of both political
parties raided segregated funds, used questionable accounting principles and deferred tough decisions. This,
along with the use of billions of dollars worth of one-time federal stimulus money for the budget two years ago,
left Wisconsin with the current $3.6 billion deficit.
In contrast, we are making a commitment to the future so our children do not face even more dire consequences
than what we face today. Our reforms give state and local governments the tools to insure that we are stable for
decades to come and that will lead to a better economy for our state.
Having the courage to make decisions in the best interest of the next generation- despite external pressures- is
a concept that was once admired. I am betting that the people of Wisconsin still appreciate that type of courage
today.
23
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
liiiiliilll2011 4:10 PM
Werwie, Cullen J - GOV; Gilkes, Keith - GOV; Murray, Ryan M - GOV; Schutt, Eric - GOV
ap story
Email to Wis. gov. initially favored union rights
By SCOTT BAUER and TODD RICHMOND ASSOCIATED PRESS
Seeking a way to counter a growing protest movement, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker cited his
email, confidently declaring that most people writing his office had urged him to. eliminate nearly
all union rights for state workers.
But an Associated Press analysis of the emails shows that, for close to a week, messages in
Walker's inbox were ruiming roughly 2-to-1 against his plans. The tide did not turn in his favor
until shortly after desperate Democrats fled the state to stop a vote they knew they would lose.
The AP analyzed more than 26,000 emails sent to Walker from the time he formally announced
his plans until he first mentioned the emails in public.
During that time, the overall tally ran 55 percent in support, 44 percent against. In the weeks since, Walker has continued to receive
tens of thousands of emails on the issue.
The AP obtained the emails through a legal settlement with office, the result of a lawsuit filed by the news cooperative and the
Isthmus, a weekly newspaper in Madison. The news organizations sued after the governor's office did not respond to requests for the
emails filed under the state's open records law.
Walker's comments about the emails came on the evening of Feb. 17, as roughly 25,000 protesters packed into the Capitol's ornate
rotunda and filled its lawn outside. They could be heard screaming outside the conference room where he met with reporters in a news
conference broadcast live by several cable news networks.
"The more than 8,000 em ails we got today, the majority are telling us to stay firm, to stay strong, to stand with the taxpayers," Walker
said of the emails. "While the protesters have every right to be heard, I'm going to make sure the taxpayers of the state are heard and
their voices are not drowned out by those circling the Capitol."
But for several preceding days, the emails of support Walker received had been vastly outnumbered by those opposed to his plan.
On Feb. 11, the day Walker formally outlined his "budget-repair bill" and his proposal to dramatically curb union rights, the emails sent
to his office ran more than 5-to-1 against his plan. Much of that opposition came from public workers directly affected by the proposal,
many of whom responded to an email sent by Walker that offered a rationale for his proposal.
The gap closed over the next five days, as protesters arrived in large numbers at the Capitol and the Republican-controlled Legislature
set a course to pass the bill in less than a week.
By the end of Feb. 16 _the eve of a vote in the state Senate and a day in which Madison's schools were forced to close due to high
number of teacher and staff absences, presumably to protest at the Capitol_ Walker had received more than 12,000 emails in all, and
they ran roughly 2-to-1 against the bill.
Things changed dramatically the next day as the tide of emails shifted in Walker's favor. By the time his press conference began, the
gap had closed significantly as emails of support arrived by the hundreds every hour.
At 5 p.m., 15 minutes after he took the podium, the office had received nearly 5,900 emails of support that day to roughly
1,400 against. Still, at that point, the overall tally was split roughly down the middle.
In an interview Tuesday, Walker said he was only talking about emails his office had received the day of the news conference.
Walker said he called several of the people who sent emails, both in support and against, but the thousands of messages that came in
didn't influence his actions.
20
"We've never based support for the bill on how many emails we got," Walker said.
As Walker spoke at the news conference, a massive spike of emails in favor of his proposal poured into the governor's inbox. At the
end of the day, he had received more than 9,400 emails cheering him on_ three times the number of messages of opposition. The final
overall tally through the end of the day: 54 percent in support, 43 percent against.
The AP's analysis was based on an individual review of each email, which was categorized as either pro, con, ambiguous or unrelated.
Some authors noted clearly they were from out of state, while others said they were teachers and other Wisconsin public employees
who would be directly affected by Walker's plans.
"Thanks for the 10% pay cut," wrote a Department of Corrections employee. "I can1 believe that I voted for you. Get bent."
Many em ails encouraged Walker to fire the teachers who called in sick to attend protests at the Capitol, specifically citing President
Ronald Reagan's action against the nation's air traffic controllers during a labor dispute in 1981. Walker later compared the stand he
was taking to Reagan's during a prank phone call he thought was from billionaire GOP donor David Koch.
"That was the first crack in the Berlin Wall and led to the fall of the Soviets," Walker said on the call taped by a New York-based
blogger.
The emails did not represent a scientific measure of public opinion. Some on both sides were profane. Others were deeply personal.
Jean Eichman, a special education teacher in Walworth County, said in her note to Walker that his father, a minister, had performed her
wedding ceremony in 1978 and Walker himself had once babysat for one of her children more than 20 years ago.
"It's hard to criticize people you know," Eichman said, but the importance of the issue compelled her to email Walker.
An email typical of the supporters came from Gail Whittier, an accountant in Racine who said she and her husband have struggled
during the recession. She wrote to Walker that public employees should make sacrifices as well, and said in an interview that he
needed to know_ as the protesters got so much attention_ there were people who supported him.
"I just wish that people would kind of sit back and look at the facts," Whittier said in an interview. "I wish people wouldn1just run on
emotion."
In the weeks that followed, the protests grew at times to include more than 75,000 people. Democrats in the state Assembly launched a
61-hour filibuster before the bill passed in the middle of the night. And Senate Republicans eventually used a parliamentary maneuver
to force a vote without the missing Democrats present.
The law requires all public workers, except most police and firefighters, to pay more for their benefits, equating to an 8 percent pay cut
on average. It also limits most public workers' collective union bargaining rights to wages only, and caps potential wage increases to the
rate of inflation. That means they can no longer negotiate issues such as work conditions or vacation time.
Walker has signed the law, but Democrats have challenged it in court, arguing that Republicans violated the state's open meetings law
in their efforts to push the legislation through.
Chris Schrimpf
Email: chris.schrimp.f@wisconsin.gov
21
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Goetzman, Michael - DOT
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 8:05 AM
DOT DL EXEC Reader Review
In today's Reader Review
Brown County OWl Task Force to work in De Pere in Friday
http://www. green baypressgazette. com/article/20 11 0323/GPGO 1 01/1 03230668/1207/g pgO 1 01/Brown-County-OWJ-Task
Force-work-De-Pere-Friday
DE PERE- The Brown County OWl Task Force will make a second trip to De Pere on Friday night.
Several officers from the multi-jurisdictional unit will set up in the area to deter drunken driving and educate motorists
about the risks of such behavior.
The task force, made up of six area Jaw enforcement agencies, issued four drunken driving citations and 30 various
warnings during a De Pere sting Feb. 25.
It will be the fifth deployment for the task force, which is funded by a $100,641 federal grant. Previous efforts targeted
Ashwaubenon, Hobart, Lawrence and Green Bay.
So far, the task force has issued a total of 25 drunken-driving citations. Fifteen more operations are planned through
September.
Revised plans for Zoo Interchange on display
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/118453049.html
State transportation officials will display the revised plans for reconstruction of the Zoo Interchange in the Tommy G.
Thompson Youth Center at State Fair Park from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Based in part on the public input two years ago, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation altered the favored
reconstruction option. The latest plan includes direct access to 84th St. and reduces the freeway expansion to only
Highway 45/1-894.
Underthe current proposal, work would start in 2013 and finish in 2018, with an estimated cost of $1.7 billion.
Formal testimony to be included in the decision-making will open at 3 p.m. on Tuesday and 5 p.m. on Thursday. The
deadline for testimony and written comments is April 4.
The supplemental environmental impact statement, which lays out the entire plan for the reconstruction, can be found
here.
Aid loss from state budget hangs over Sheboygan Transit service
http://www. sheboygan press.com/article/2 011 0323/S H E01 01/1 03230468/ Aid-Joss-from-state-budget-hangs-over-
Sheboygan-Transit-service?odyssey=tabltopnewsJtextJFRONTPAGE
The Sheboygan Transit Commission held off Tuesday on deciding whether to extend its labor agreement with the union
representing its drivers and other personnel.
Shoreline Metro and Metro Connection faces a possible $1.4 million Joss per year in federal funds under Gov. Scott
Walker's budget repair bill, because it includes an end to virtually all collective bargaining rights for most public
employees, except for wage increases, which would be capped at the consumer price index.
Under the Department of Labor, when federal funds are used to operate a transit system, federal law requires
arrangements be made to protect rights of transit employees under collective bargaining agreements or otherwise.
Statewide, $46.6 million in federal funds could be withheld for transit systems.
One way to keep Sheboygan Transit in accordance with federal labor Jaw would be to extend its agreement with the
transit union past the Dec. 31 expiration date.
"Other cities have done that for the short term," said Ron McDonald, transit director.
Of Sheboygan's $4.4 million budget for the Shoreline Metro and Metro Connection transit systems, 80 percent comes
from federal and state funds, with the city contributing $638,595 this year. The remainder comes from subsidies from
Kohler and Sheboygan Falls, funds from Sheboygan County and from advertising and passenger fares.
The commission met in closed session for about a half-hour Tuesday before deciding to hold off on a possible contract
extension.
16
James Amodeo, city finance director, said the city and the transit union have talked in "generalities" about possible
concessions in exchange for an extension of the contract. The concessions discussed so far, Amodeo said, include
contributions similar to those in Walker's budget repair bill, 5.8 percent of their wages toward retirement benefits, and 12.5
percent of their health insurance premiums.
"There wasn't enough specifics," Amodeo said, explaining why the matter was held. "We don't have any specific from the
union."
The city and union met earlier and Amodeo said union officials told him that they would look at their contract and return
with a proposal, "hopefully this week."
"We asked them to go back and look at their 60-plus page contract and see what's really important to them," Amodeo
said.
The city could also decide, under federal law, to contract its transit service with a management company to operate the
system, hire workers, and maintain private sector rights with the employees, as long as they can ensure those employees
can continue to have collective bargaining rights that they had while working for the city.
Cullen Werwie, the governor's press secretary, has said that is one way for transit systems to qualify for federal funds
under Walker's bill.
Another option to retain the funding, McDonald said, would be to turn the transit system into a not-for-profit corporation,
similar to Milwaukee County's transit system.
"I think there are certainly more questions than answers at this point," McDonald said: "We're gathering information daily
to try to help us work through this."
The Transit Commission doesn't have a regularly scheduled meeting until May, but Amodeo said it could meet on an
emergency basis if needed.
Mayor Bob Ryan, who is on the Transit Commission but did not attend Tuesday's meeting, has said if Sheboygan loses
the federal funding, he did not see how bus service could economically exist.
Shoreline Metro has 44 full- and part-time employees, and provided 440,780 rides in 2010. Metro Connection, which does
door-to-door service, and employs 21 part-time employees, provided 64,355 rides last year.
US 14 road project in Vernon County starts Wednesday
http://dailyreporter. com/blog/20 11/03/22/us-14-roa d-project-in-vernon-county-starts-wednesday/
Construction is scheduled to begin Wednesday on US 14 between Readstown and the east Vernon County line. The
highway will remain open to traffic under flagging operations.
Project work includes pavement replacement and intersection improvements. Work is expected to be completed by
November 2011, according to a news release from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Voter ID bill will hurt seniors
http://www.leadertelegram.com/opinions/letters to editor/article 59797 c71-9666-5b11-a39c-2014f7d67ac5.html
AARP Wisconsin strongly opposes a bill being considered by the state Legislature that would require voters to show a
state-issued photo ID at the polls.
This bill, if enacted, will deter many older, low-income and minority residents, as well as students, from voting, but it would
have a devastating budgetary impact at a time when our governor is looking to make extensive cuts to balance the
budget.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has estimated 20 percent of Wisconsin residents do not have the type of voter ID required
by the legislation. That's 1 of every 5. It is believed more than 120,000 students, senior citizens and other qualified voters
would have their voting rights restricted by the bill.
Courts already have ruled that photo IDs sufficient for voting must be available free of charge for all eligible citizens who
do not already have an acceptable I D. As a result, Wisconsin will likely have to expand the number of ID-issuing offices
and extend its operating hours to meet this requirement.
States also must undertake substantial voter outreach and public education efforts to ensure voters are apprised of the
law's requirements and the procedures for obtaining the IDs they will need to vote.
As such, Wisconsin taxpayers will be biting the budgetary bullet to fund a program that does little more than
disenfranchise thousands of voters every Election Day.
It is irresponsible for the Legislature to consider this expensive program when no evidence has been produced that shows
it will improve the integrity of elections in our state or that it is even needed. AARP calls on our state lawmakers to do the
right thing for our election process in Wisconsin and vote this bill down.
AL MAJKRZAK
President, AARP Wisconsin
Madison
17
Sneak peek at 'near-zero emission' buses at transit meeting Thursday
http://www. journaltimes. com/news/local/article f83ee382-553f-11 e0-b6ce-OO 1 cc4c03286. htm I
RACINE -The public is invited to get a sneak peek at the new "near-zero emission" buses on Thursday that will be put
into service around the city next month.
Short free demonstration rides will be offered between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Thursday along with a presentation at
noon followed by a 10-minute bus tour starting at 12:20 p.m. and an hourlong community transit meeting at 12:30 p.m.
Community and transit leaders will be discussing state budget impact and the future of Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee
commuter rail during the meeting hosted by the Racine Transit Task Force at Festival Hall, 5 Fifth St.
The five new buses, which would replace old ones at the end of its useful life, feature a new emissions system that
virtually eliminates exhaust, said Kerry Thomas, executive director of Transit Now.
To RSVP for the transit meeting, email kthomas@transitnow.org or call (262) 246-6151.
Free popcorn and bottled water will be provided
Residents discuss study of Highway M safety
http://www.wdtimes.com/articles/2011/03/23/news/news3.txt
CLYMAN -About 25 residents who reside along County Highway M from Watertown to Juneau attended a safety
improvement meeting at the Clyman Town Hall Monday night.
It was the first part of a safety project Dodge County is undertaking.
As part of a federally funded highway safety program, the county was awarded funds to complete a safety study of rural
county highways and to implement improvements.
Monday's meeting was the first of several planned in the county over the next several weeks. Project corridors in the study
include County Highway M from Watertown to Juneau; County Highway A from state Highway 33 to Fox Lake; County
Highway E from Beaver Dam to Horicon; County Highway G from state Highway 19 to state Highway 73; County Highway
NN from Neosho to County Highway P; County Highway 0 from County Highway R east to the county line; and County
Highway P from the south county line to Theresa.
Engineers have been reviewing construction plans and analyzing vehicle crash data, with the focus on identifying roadway
hazards and high crash rate locations.
The meetings with local landowners are being held to gain insight from those who travel the rural routes on a daily basis,
according to Richard Schmale, project manager with Donohue & Associates. "We are trying to eliminate runoff road
crashes," he told those gathered at the town hall. The engineers are seeking information on hills that may blind drivers or
on driveways that may be located in blind spots along the roadway.
"There are seven routes, 100 miles of roads we are trying to minimize crashes on," Pete Thompson, Dodge County
assistant highway commissioner said. "We are trying to make the roads as safe as possible to avoid crashes."
The plan is to gather the information about the highway's trouble spots and prepare a report, Schmale said. The county
highway officials, along with highway committee members, will review the report and determine which projects are
feasible, he said. "Minor improvements can be funded through this program, the engineer said. Funding is not available
for reconstruction of the roadway, residents were informed.
The idea is to install road signs if needed or lower a hill or widen a curve.
"It is just to address safety features," Highway Commissioner Brian Field said. The county has no plans to purchase any
land along the rights of ways, he added.
Officials are asking residents if there are intersections along the highway that have limited sight distance, heavy traffic
flows or where drivers fail to yield.
In 2009, there were 1,100 vehicles a day that traveled County Highway M between Watertown and Juneau. There were
two fatal accidents that year and 19 injury accidents along the corridor. Engineers are studying the crashes to see if crash
patterns or trouble areas can be identified.
"There are some things there that we do not see by looking at a map," Schmale said. "We have a long laundry list of
things that need to be done.
"There is a far greater need than what we have funds for," Schmale said. There is $1 million available for the first phase of
the project, he added. The first phase of the project is to identify known and potential hazard locations. Known hazards
18
are roadway features that do not meet current design standards, such as a bridge without a guardrail. Potential h'azards
create the possibility of a serious crash if a car were to leave the roadway, such as a large tree close to the edge of the
roadway.
Some improvements will require less funds, such as a new road sign, compared to reducing a hill, he pointed out. It may
also take two to three years to complete the project, he added.
Schmale said he was pleased with the turnout of interested residents at the meeting. There were two tables for
participants to review the road maps. Officials asked residents to identify safety concerns along the route.
Other meetings are set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Ashippun Town Hall, 6 p.m. Monday at the Reeseville Community
Center, 6 p.m. Thursday, April?, at the Beaver Dam City Hall, and 6 p.m. Monday, April11, at Herman School in Mayville.
Michael J. Goetzman
Office of Public Affairs
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
4802 Sheboygan Avenue, Room 103B
P.O. Box 7910
Madison, WI 53707-7910
voice: 608/266-2520 fax: 608/266-7186
michael. goetzman@dot. wisconsin .gov
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DWD MB Communications Office
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 9:10 AM
Barroilhet, Dan - DWD; Bartol, Fred - DWD; Baumbach, Scott C - DWD; Beckett, Laura L-
DWD; Berge, Sharon - DWD; Bernstein, Howard I- DWD; Black-Radloff, Rita - DWD;
Brockmiller, William - DWD; Crary, Cathy- DWD; Denis, Gary J - DWD; Dipko, John A-
DWD; Falk, Elizabeth C - DWD; Fosdick, Anna - DWD; Gerrits, Karen - DWD; Grant, Ken G
- DWD; Grosso, Eric- DWD; Hodek, Scott A- DWD; Holt, Deb - DWD; Jones, Richard -
DWD; Kikkert, Becky- DOA; Lied I, Kimberly- GOV; Lingard, Sue - DWD; Maxwell,
Georgia E - DWD; McDonald, Scott - DWD; Michels, Thomas A - DWD; Morgan, Karen P
- DWD; Natera, Ramon V- DWD; OBrien, Christopher D - DWD; O'Brien, Pamela : DWD;
Perez, Manuel - DWD; Phillips, Amelia - DWD; Preysz, Linda - DWD; Reid, Andrea -
DWD; Richard, JoAnna - DWD; Rodgers-Rhyme, Anne M - DWD; Sachse, Jeff A- DWD;
Schmalle, Verlynn C - DWD; Schrimpf, Chris - GOV; Shutes, David L- DWD; Solomon,
Brian - DWD; Spurlin, Dennis A- DWD; Thompson, Heather- DWD; Udalova, Victoria M
- DWD; Vue, Mai Zong - DCF; Weber, Sue - DWD; Werwie, Cullen J - GOV; Westbury,
John R- DWD; Westfall, Grant- DWD; Williamson, Linda - DWD; Winters, Dennis K-
DWD; Wisnewski, Jerry- DWD; Wolfe, Brian M - DWD; Wurl, Mark W - DWD
DWD CustomScoop, Wednesday 3.23.11
CustomS coop
Source: Wausau Daily Herald (WI) Circulation: 21,200
Indexed At: 03/23/2011 8:01 AM
Keywords: workforce development
Abstract: ... movies.-12:01 pm According to a Department of Workforce Development flier, manufacturing
has a dim future in Wisconsin. The flier highlights health and social services,. ..
Source: Wausau Daily Herald (WI) Circulation: 21 ,200
Indexed At: 03/23/2011 6:04AM
Keywords: workforce development
Abstract: ... Larry King ... - 11:16 am The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development tracks
unemployment each month and estimates how many jobs exist in various industries. The
agency ...
also appeared:
Stevens Point
source: Appleton Post-Gazette & Post Crescent. com (WI) Circulation: 52,000
Indexed At: 03/23/2011 4:32AM
Keywords: Governor Scott Walker (10)
Abstract: ... @Larry Avila Selected for you by a sponsor: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker e-mail support of
collective bargaining law gets boost from out of state 211 Editorial: Bo)cotts ...
Source: Appleton Post-Gazette & Post Crescent.com (WI) Circulation: 52,000
Indexed At: 03/23/2011 4:23AM
3
Abstract: ... people. Selected for you by a sponsor: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker e-mail support of
collective bargaining law gets boost from out of state 211 Editorial: Boycotts ...
Article also appeared:
Oshkosh Northwestern
Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (WI) Circulation: 56,300
Indexed At: 03/23/2011 3:26AM
Keywords: Jobless
Abstract: ... 9.2 percent and more than doubling the county's jobless rate a year ago. The closed mill sits at
the center of town, ringed by...
Source: Lacrosse Tribune (WI) Circulation: 31,700
Indexed At: 03/23/2011 3:09AM
Abstract: ... the brew house at City Brewery Friday as Governor Scott Walker speaks. PETER THOMSON
photo Gov. Scott Walker had to compete with the clamor of protestersFriday to announce City
Brewing Co. will receive ...
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Circulation: 186,433
Indexed At: 03/23/2011 12:12 AM
Keywords: Unemployment Insurance OR unemployment benefits
Abstract: ... 10:52 p.m. State has borrowed 1.56 billion for unemployment benefits Updated: March 22,
201110:42 p.m. Jeter sticking around at UWM Updated: March 22, 2011 ...
Source: Wf\ICY-FM (WI)
Indexed At: 03/23/2011 12:01 AM
Keywords: Jobless (4)
Abstract: ... Jobles ... Council Trying to Decide How to Repay Jobless Benefits Debt Posted Tuesday March
22, 2011 10 hours, 36 minutes ago MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) ...
- ------- -------------------------
appeared:
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Circulation: 186,433
Indexed At: 03/2212011 6:19PM
Keywords: Unemployment Insurance OR unemployment benefits, Jobless (2)
Abstract: ... the American Community Survey arrived at the highest jobless rate among working-age black
males ever recorded in Milwaukee. The rePort measured joblessness by looking ...

Source: NewsoftheNorth.net (WI)
Indexed At: 03/22/2011 12:38 AM
Keywords: Unemployment Insurance OR unemployment benefits
Abstract: ... State has borrowed $1.56 billion for unemployment benefits What is the difference between
i to Bikes-N-Boards and going to another ...... Read More ... .
Source: Ashland Press (WI) Circulation: 6,300
Indexed At: 03/22/2011 11:07 AM

Keywords: Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (2), workforce development, DWD
Abstract: ... The Platter restaurant honored at DWD banquet Home News Sports Obituaries Community
Business Health Opinions TV Guide Auto Classifieds SHOP Community ...
-- -------- -- ------------
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iiliilillliill23, 20114:02 PM
Gilkes, Keith - GOV; Murray, Ryan M - GOV; Werwie, Cullen J - GOV; Hurlburt, Waylon -
GOV; Schutt, Eric - GOV
Waukesha County Board endorses Walker budget action
http: I jwww.jsonline.comjnewsjwaukesha/ u8so8684.html
Waukesha County Board endorses Wallzer budget action
e-mail
print
By Laurel Walker of the Journal Sentinel
March 23, 201111:08 a.m. 1(124) COMMENTS
Waukesha- The Waukesha County Board heard from about 70 people Tuesday night- all but three of them opposing recently enacted state
legislation curtailing most public employee collective bargaining provisions- and then voted 19-3 to pass a resolution supporting the state
action.
The resolution introduced by Supervisor Robert Hutton of Sussex initially endorsed Gov. Scott Walker's entire budget-repair bill, but Sutton
successfully requested an amendment Tuesday night that narrowed the focus to support for the collective bargaining changes. The County
Board's Executive Committee last week recommended against supporting the state budget-repair bill on a 4-3 vote.
Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus tallied the citizen comments before the County Board acted Tuesday night. She said 11 people spoke
on the resolution of support and of those 10 opposed it. Nickolaus said another 59 people submitted written opinions and only two of those
urged the County Board to support the state legislation.
Supervisor Du8ne Paulson of Waukesha pressed to table the resolution, but that effort failed 16-6. Paulson, along with Jean Tortomasi of
Waukesha and Pamela Meyer of Eagle, voted against the measure
The state legislation signed by Walker on March 11 is being challenged on several fronts and, temporarily at least, a Dane County judge has
prevented its enactment.
Chris Schrimpf
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Subject:
Tweet
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 4:05 PM
Werwie, Cullen J - GOV
Waukesha County Board endorses Walker budget action - JSOnline.mobi
Another local government sees value of our collective bargaining reforms:
http://www .jsonline. mobi/118508684. htm? ua= black be rry&dc=sma rt&c=y
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Vigue, Carla J - DOA
Thursday, March 24, 201112:27 PM
Schrimpf, Chris - GOV; Werwie, Cullen J - GOV; Jensen, Jodi - DOA
FW: budget fix bill
Chris and Cullen- I understand this may be on hold for today but Jodi said your office would handle these
requests. I haven't responded to Karen.
Thanks, Carla
To: Vigue,
Subject: budget fix bill
Hi Carla. I'm seeing reports that the remaining parts of the governor's budget fix bill were reformulated and are coming
out today? Can you let me know what's going on? I'm very interested in the bond restructuring part. Thanks.
Karen Pierog
Correspondent
Reuters
karen.pierog@thomsonreuters.com
Reuters Messaging: karen.pierog.reuters.com@reuters.net
Reuters news and information reaches one billion people every day. Get the latest news at Reuters.com
This email was sent to you by Thomson Reuters, the global news and information company. Any views
expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender specifically states them to
be the views of Thomson Reuters.
157
From:
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To:
Ken Harwood Editor
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Subject: WDN -Week of 03.17.11 to 03.24.11
Wisconsin Development News
1 13/24/2011
Volume 4- Issue 12- Circulation 5,000- Week of03.17.11 to 03.24.11
Online at WisconsinDevelopment.com- Moble App- Searchable at Search WDN- WDN
Tool Box, Links you can use everyday to help you and Wisconsin grow! -Edited and
compiled by Ken Harwood
Badgers have realistic shot at Final Four
1 fThat'll only be true ifUW plays well enough to capitalize on its good fortune.
Ken Notes: Not Development but, Hey it's my newsletter. Go Bucky!!!
Worldwide online fashion retailer move could help revitalize Near East Side
3/23/2011 A move by online fashion retailer Shopbop.com to a former
factory space on East Washington Avenue could kickstart development of the Capitol East
District, city officials and the property's owners say ...
Ken Notes: This would be WAY COOL! And a perfect use for the building. Let's build
a plan around this project for the East Wash corridor.
St. Paul's may reduce scope of Catholic student center project
3/23/2011 Leadership of St. Paul's University Catholic Center
announced Monday they are considering reducing the scope of their proposed 14-story, $45
million facility to be located on the State Street Mall...
Ken Notes: Too bad, I really liked this project and an on campus housing project
would be a good thing. Maybe Steve Brown should call the Pope. Seriously a private I
parochial partnership could work here. Location location location ..
MSA Professional Services
141
Upscale Miffland apartment
/
0
fMadison - 3/18/2011 All the city approvals are in place for a new four-story 44-unit
apartment at 424 W. Mifflin St. Now, developer Pat McCaughey just needs to line up the
financing. The development will replace the old "Planned Parenthood" building at 416 W.
Mifflin St. and a single family home next door. Both will be razed ....
Ken Notes: Nice looking project. I hope it is party proof because the Mifflin St.
residents are professionals.
Walker rapped over wind farm cancellation
/
0
lBrown County - 3/23/2011 The executive director of a statewide renewable energy
group is blasting Gov. Walker and the Legislature after a Chicago-based wind developer
dropped plans to install up to 100 wind turbines in southern Brown County ...
Ken Notes: For the record we will take the wind turbines in Lafayette County, I will
handhold a company through the "regulatory climate" issues, Our land is more
reasonably priced and we have better wind.
Findorff- Character Community Craftsmanship
Findorff, builders of Wisconsin's finest projects ..
OPINION: Fresh blood needed to lead our divided state
~ i s cons in - 3/23/2011 Ed Garvey suggests, There is an alarming lack of leadership in
Wisconsin and we are more divided today than at any time in my life. We are, as my friend
Jim Hightower would say, in a world of hurt. Our institutions, without solid leadership, are
failing ...
Ken Notes: I have been saying this for years, but I think the new blood is us, I
wrote Rules for a new governor when Governor Doyle announced his leaving. And, I
suggested what if we all played on the same team? in 2010. Prior to the presidential
election I wrote "we do need to do a much better job of working together to solve our
problems". I still believe the leadership needs to come from us, so fill the square, ask
that there be bipartisan solutions, involve the private sector, and be very very careful
what you ask for!!!
142
Walker guts farmland preservation efforts
~ i s c o n s i n - 3/23/2011 Farmland will be less expensive to develop and harder for farm
families to permanently protect under a series of proposals in Gov. Scott Walkers budget.
The governors plans to eliminate the farmland conversion fee and a farmland preservation
program still in its infancy gut key components of the Working Lands Initiative ...
Ken Notes: I question the title and tone here. This was a very expensive program and
had little actual impact. We need good planning not arbitrary mandates to balance
these issues. We can also fund these plans and maintain farmland by balancing the
equation. This is very fixable just not easy to fix.
Wisconsin Builders Exchange
Commercial Construction Leads - Click for a free trial ...
Mayoral Candidates agree on rail's future, take different routes on buses
I lfMadison- 3/23/2011 ... Cieslewicz and SogliJ,l share similar views on many
transportation and land use issues, but they disagree in some key areas ...
Ken Notes: I know one ofthe candidates read my mass-transit plan because he
commented on it. Again no easy solutions but a great opportunity!
Dave Cieslewicz: More than ever, Im energized to fight for city
I lfMadison - 3/23/2011 In the past few weeks, Madison has been at the center of an
important battle. First the governor attacked the rights of our workers, and then he delivered
one of the most draconian, divisive budgets in recent state history ...
Paul Soglin: Citys top issues are poverty, bad budgeting
I lfMadison- 3/23/2011 This is a city we all love. And the next mayor must be someone
who both loves a challenge and has the experience and the know-how to get things done.
Thats because the most critical issues the next mayor must confront -- the growing poverty
in Madison and a city budget that is really out of whack ...
Coakley Brothers
143
Highest standard in the moving industry - Milwaukee - Madison - Nationwide
Senate should heed revolt against waste
~ a t i o n a l - 3/23/2011 It's been years since Wisconsin's welfare reforms under former
Gov. Tommy Thompson inspired Congress to pass the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. Now,
spurred to action by a looming $1 trillion federal budget deficit, a national debt of $14
trillion and a growing taxpayer rebellion, some members of Congress are taking a stand
against the earmarks so deeply entrenched in defense spending ...
Ken Notes: Great read. This is one of hundreds of examples of how government got so
upside down so fast.
DNR takes another look at Yahara Lakes water levels
1 RMadison Area- 3/23/2011 The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wants to
take another look at the water levels on the Y ahara chain of lakes in the Madison area and
has formed an advisory group to investigate ...
Madison Gas and Electric
Walker proposes creating 3 new enterprise zones
[]wisconsin- 3/23/2011 Gov. Scott Walker is proposing creating three additional
enterprise zones to help foster business development and growth in targeted Wisconsin ...
Ken Notes: Business Week ran this story as well ...
Announces legislation to create three new enterprise zones
[]wisconsin- 3/23/2011 Governor Walker announced in Lomira today that Wisconsin
would be creating three additional Enterprise Zones for the state. Senator Randy Hopper and
Representatives Tom Larson, Jim Steineke and Mary Williams will be introducing the
legislation to authorize the new zones ...
Ken Notes: A few more details in the press release here.
Badgers vs. rest of UW System
144
3/23/2011lfthere was any doubt remaining, it's now gone: Biddy and
Bucky are going it alone ...
Ken Notes: Lots of links and info in this story ..
Wis. chancellors oppose plan to split UW System
I El f3/23/20 11 Thirteen University of Wisconsin chancellors asked state lawmakers
Wednesday to support a new plan that would give all their schools more autonomy but
wouldn't spin offUW-Madison from the rest of the UW System ...
Emmons Business Interiors
Stoughton Trailers gets expansion loan
I El 3/23/2011 Stoughton Trailers expansion project this year is getting help from
the state. Gov. Scott Walker announced last week that the company will receive a $750,000
loan from the Community Development Block Grant-Economic Development Program
administered by the Department of Commerce. The funds will be used by the company for
equipment and training at it soon-to-be-reopened Evansville facility ...
Executive Q&A: Flex Polymer maker does more with less
I El Ladison- 3/23/2011 A Madison company, Flex Biomedical, is developing a potential
treatment for the ailment, also known as degenerative joint disease. According to 2005
figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 million Americans
have osteoarthritis, including one of every three people over age 65 ...
Ken Notes: Growing our own!
Residents fight mega-mansion in 90210 neighborhood
I El Hills- 3/23/2011In the wealthy hillside neighborhoods bordering Beverly
Hills, neighbors are blase about the famous names who live next door and keep to
themselves ...
Ken Notes: I loved this story. The uber wealthy are protesting the uberer wealthy. This
story is laugh out loud funny. I think we should send our Madison neighborhood
145
groups and the Historical Society to Beverly Hills to show them how it is done.
Springsteen, Eisenberg, and Kudrow are amateurs. We have pros in Madison!
CBRE I Brian Wolff
UW-Madison researcher nabs top water honor
3/23/2011 A University of Wisconsin-Madison professor was named the
winner of the 2011 Stockholm Water Prize, considered by some to be the world's most
prestigious award for water-related activities. Lirnnologist Stephen Carpenter earned the
honor on Tuesday for his research on lake ecosystems ...
Donors give $100M toW Michigan for medical school
@]wisconsin- 3/23/2011 Donors have given Western Michigan University $100 million
to launch a private medical school....
Ken Notes: Many have contacted me about the need for a small private medical school
in Wisconsin. This may not be a bad idea.
Eco-Fusion Design (New Info For Professionals)
Please click for special message for Developers Builders Architects ...
Battle heats up to save state's popular SeniorCare drug program
@]wisconsin- 3/23/2011 .. .I'm passing along an informative article about potential
changes to the state's popular prescription drug program that have got the state's seniors
protesting at the Capitol today and Sen. Herb Kohl on the phone lobbying the feds ....
A tram at last winds round Jerusalem complexities
1 lerusalem- 3/23/2011 After years of delays, Jerusalem's historic light rail is set to begin
running next month, completing ajoumey that has circumvented ancient bones,
archaeological treasures, budget overruns and political controversies that have repeatedly
threatened to derail the project...
146
Ken Notes: We have much to learn from Jerusalem.
SAA Design Group
New name same excellence ...
Madisons success in turning technology into business lures conference
1 RMadison- 3/23/2011 A chemical compound being developed by Silatronix, a young
Madison company, could make big batteries used for backup power systems last longer and
keep them stable in the desert heat...
Wis. treasurer moves to cut his position
~ i s c o n s i n - 3/23/2011 Wisconsin Treasurer Kurt Schuller has drafted a bill that would
eliminate his position and the office of the secretary of state ...
Ken Notes: Read between the lines here this has deep political overtones, although the
treasurer is right about the role of the office.
Coldwell Banker Success
New Glarus Brewings Deb Carey named Wisconsin Small Business Person ofYear
1fNew Glarus- 3/23/2011 Deb Carey, founder and president ofNew Glarus Brewing Co.,
has been named the 2011 Wisconsin Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small
Business Administration ...
Ken Notes: Congrats!!!!
Natural Resources Board urges Walker to reconsider rollback of phosphorus rules
~ i s c o n s i n - 3/23/2011 Members of the Natural Resources Board on Wednesday urged
Gov. Scott Walker to reconsider his plan to roll back rules that protect Wisconsin lakes and
streams from phosphorus pollution ...
Ken Notes: Again we need compromise here but the political pendulum has shifted
from when I suggested compromise on the same issue a year ago. Of course know one
147
listened then and now I am but a lowly blogger.
KELLER, INC. PLANNERS, ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS
1 il/27/2010
IMAX to open 75 more theaters in China
J
0
lnternational- 3/23/2011 IMAX Corp. announced plans Thursday to open 75 more
theaters in China within four years in partnership with Wanda Cinemas, the country's largest
theater operator, underscoring the Chinese movie industry's rapid expansion ...
Walker to roll out rest of budget repair bill
1 Ladison- 3/23/2011 Gov. Scott Walker is expected Thursday to roll out the unpassed
pieces of his budget repair bill, including a plan to refinance about $165 million in bonds ...
Focus on arts, but do it on a budget
~ i s c o n s i n - 3/23/2011 Madison needs more collaboration and less isolation among
artists, especially as state funding for the arts faces likely budget cuts, according to an arts
consultant who is helping develop the citys first cultural plan ...
Ken Notes: Art in our public and private projects is a great idea!
Millions in flood relief coming, including $1.4 million to Columbia County
~ i s c o n s i n - 3/23/2011 Don Schultz didn't have to close the doors of his Portage
business, Schultz Small Engine Repair, when deluges in June 2008 sent water gushing into
Portage and several other Columbia County communities ...
Walgreens is denied claim, Epic approved
@Ijyerona- 3/19/2011 On an unusually busy night, the council Monday also denied a
claim from Walgreeen Corporation of excessive assessments for its property at 104 N. Main
St. Walgreens won a claim against the city in December 2009 for the same issue, forcing it
and other jurisdictions to refund more than $63,000 in tax payments and interest. That suit
was for the assessment years of2006-08, and Walgreens filed a similar suit last year for the
2009 tax year. The council voted 7-0 to allow Epic to add a building to its corporate campus
on the citys west side ...
148
Big cuts vanish with new contract
erona- 3/18/2011 One-year deal with teachers could save 70-plus jobs, open the door
for 4K. Millions of dollars in potential budget cuts for local schools vanished last week
when Verona teachers inked a new contract that extends their collective bargaining rights for
another year ...
Ken Notes: I would like to note that LOCAL government are finding compromises that
accomplish what the STATE wants to mandate. I trust local government to find
solutions and local employees to be a part of the team. Not a bad solution.
Downtown lakefront plan to be created by Milwaukee County panel
1 lMilwaukee- 3/21/2011 Milwaukee County will create a committee to develop a long-
range plan for downtown's lakefront under a resolution recently approved by the County
Board ...
Roundys is for sale again
3/23/2011 Milwaukee-based Roundys Supermarkets Inc. is reportedly up
for sale again. The company's Chicago-based owner, Willis Stein & Partners, has hired
Moelis & Co., a New York-based investment bank, as a financial advisor to run an auction
for the firm, along with Credit Suisse, according to a report at TheDeal.com ....
Ex-industrial property in West Allis might get city funds for redevelopment
Allis- 3/23/2011 The nine-acre former Teledyne property, in West Allis at the
southeast comer ofW. Burnham and S. 53rd streets, might get city financing to help pay for
its redevelopment...
Shorewood Walgreens faces pressure to move for new Pick 'n Save
1 - 3/18/2011 The Shorewood Walgreens store must relocate as its lease
expires, a move that would anchor a $32 millon retail and apartment project while also
allowing for the redevelopment of a nearby Pick 'n Save supermarket. The Walgreens, at the .
northwest comer ofN. Oakland Ave. and E. Kenmore Place, has a lease with Roundy's
Supermarkets Inc., which operates the Pick 'n Save chain ....
Pleasant Prairie medical office building project doubles in size
149
1 Prairie- 3/23/2011 United Hospital System has doubled the size of the medical
office building that it plans to build just southwest of its St. Catherines Medical Center at
9555 76th St. in Pleasant Prairie ...
Gov. Walker to sign Brookfield TIF legislation at Town Hall
1Rsrookfield- 3/23/2011 Legislation allowing the Town of Brookfield to create a tax
incremental fmancing district to help fund public improvements at a retail and office
development will be signed Thursday by Gov. Scott Walker at Town Hall....
Legacy name on more than bank
1 Lnwaukee- 3/21/2011 While Chicago-based Seaway Bank and Trust Co. has taken
over the failed Legacy Bank, two operations that share Legacy's name - but are separately
owned and funded- remain in business.
Walmart considers West Milwaukee store on Greenfield Ave. near 41st St.
Milwaukee- 3/23/2011 West Milwaukee officials have had preliminary
discussions with Walmart representatives about a store that might be developed north ofW.
Greenfield Ave., nearS. 41st St., about two blocks east of Miller Park Way ...
The Future Wisconsin Project
Every Community - Every Property - Every Professional
ATC proposes power line from S. Wis to Ill
1 Prairie - 3/24/2011 American Transmission Co. wants to build a $20 million
power line from Pleasant Prairie and Zion, Ill...
Ken Notes: What about Southwest Wisconsin! We have wind, water, land, and want
power lines!!!!
Von Maur-anchored project may eventually include bridge across creek
1 A proposed $100 million retail and office project anchored by a Von Maur
department store could eventually tie into a bridge that would be built over Poplar Creek,
connecting the retail center to other development sites ...
150
Ken Notes: Have they told the DNR yet ...
Von Maur development wins conceptual ()K from Plan Commission
1 - 3/22/2011 A proposed $100 million retail and office development anchored
by a Von Maur department store has received conceptual approval from the Town of
Brookfield Plan Commission ....
HSA plans spec industrial building in Mt. Pleasant
1 tMt. Pleasant- 3/23/2011 Chicago-based HSA Commercial Real Estate is considering
plans to build a 100,000-square-foot speculative industrial building at its Park 94
development in Mt. Pleasant. ..
Construction to begin soon on senior apartments near Southridge
3/23/2011 General Capital Group has completed its purchase of
3 acres adjacent to Southridge Mall, and has secured fmancing to develop 90 senior
apartments on that site ...
Fox Valley homebuilders adapt to market slump
1 fFox Valley- Homebuilder Ed Schmidt remembers a time not too long ago when a
typical day meant working on a new house. "Between 2004 and 2006, around here, that's the
way it was," said Schmidt, co-owner of Appleton-based Schmidt Bros. Custom Homes ...
Treetop Publishing will move from Franklin to Milwaukee
1 - 3/23/2011 Treetop Publishing, which provides blank books, blank puzzles
and other blank products for children to create with, recently purchased a 25,000-square-foot
building at 450 S. 92nd St., Milwaukee. The company will move to the 59-year-old
Milwaukee facility from its current location in a 1 0,200-square-foot space that it leases in
the Franklin Business Park. ..
WDN Economic Development Toolbox
1 i 111/2020 -
Ken Notes: A set of links to economic development tools you can use everyday.
151
Capital Region Business Journal
1 fMadison Area- 6/10/2010 The Capital Region Business Journal, a monthly publication
of the Wisconsin State Journal, is your first and best source of business news and
information for Dane County and the surrounding area. Every month, we provide business
news, interesting features, expert columnists and regional economic indicators that give you
an inside look at the trends that are shaping your market...
Ken Notes: This is an excellent resource for the region. Published monthly ..
Wisconsin Business Resources- (Got Moo-La)
The mother-load of information resources for starting and funding a
Wisconsin Business. A special thanks to Carl Rainey for compiling this data. Updated
weekly! ...
Ken Notes: The link is now to the DATCP version which is updated even more often!
Great Resource I will keep the link in my "Tool Box" as the swiss army knife of ED in
Wisconsin ...
New Commercial Property Listings
1 /2009 Recent commercial property listings from Property Drive.
PropertyDrive Commercia[ Listing Service
State of Wisconsin Space Needs
- 10/29/2009 This section allows you to access any of our current space
needs and acquire some brief detail regarding each. You'll notice that in addition to posting
our current RFPs and RFIS, we are listing other significant needs for which we are seeking
space ....
Ken Notes: Brokers should check this often ..
Wisconsin Real Estate magazine
6/30/2014 This is a perminant link to Wisconsin Real Estate magazine it is
a monthly publication ...
152
Ken Notes: Thanks to all who suggested this link ...
Cirex
Wisconsin's Commercial, Investment and Industrial Real Estate Exchange
Wisconsin Economic Outlook
- The Wisconsin Economic Outlook provides quarterly and annual forecasts
of income and employment for the state. This report focuses on industry employment,
housing trends and income components. The Wisconsin Economic Outlook is prepared by
the department's Division of Research and Policy ...
Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance
3/3/2011 Celebrating its 78th year, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance
(WIST AX) is the state's oldest and most respected private govermnent research
organization. Since 1932, it has been promoting better govermnent and an informed
citizenry through its publications, public outreach and extensive school programs ....
Ken Notes: I read it every month.
Economic Recovery Websites
IFxl1
ElfS/28/2009 Treasury Department Debt to the Penny Link
CNN Money Scorecard
Govermnent Recovery Website
Wisconsin State Budget Google News
Be Bold Wisconsin The Wisconsin Competitiveness Study
2/10/2011 Be Bold Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Competitiveness Study, has
been developed through a collaborative effort between Deloitte and NKF over the past 6
months. This independent, non-partisan study was commissioned by the Wisconsin
Economic Development Association (WEDA), Competitive Wisconsin, Inc. (CWI), and the
Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA), and was administered by the Wisconsin Economic
Development Institute (WEDI) ....
Will move to tools next week. ..
Real Estate Transfer Data
153
1 W9/17 /2009 The seller of real estate is required to file a Real Estate Transfer Return
(RETR) with the County Register of Deeds when recording deeds of property conveyances.
State statutes require those returns to be filed electronically beginning July 1, 2009. Below is
a link to the electronically filed Real Estate Transfer data as of July 1st 2009 and forward.
The data will be updated on a weekly basis ...
Ken Notes: This link is a regular feature ofWDN ...
A database program that is searchable containing four years worth of data ... Ken - Enter any
word or phrase (i.e. edgewater or university square)
Southeastern Wisconsin 2010 Industrial Market Report
jG fsoutheastern Wisconsin - 2/1/2011 Year-End Statistics & Market Report Published
January 2011...
BizStarts Resource Center
1 i11/6/2009 Create a vibrant, innovative and prosperous entrepreneurial business climate,
nurturing, connecting and celebrating entrepreneurs and their companies ...
Ken Notes: A valuable resource worth visiting for all businesses in the state. A special
thanks for BizStarts for compiling and sharing the resource! ...
Wisconsin Economic Development and Business Professionals Data Base
~ S C O N S I N - 9/17/2009 This is a comprehensive data base of all business
professionals in development, planning, government, commercial real estate, architecture,
construction, and service providers to business. Any professional may enter his or her own
business card for free. Future Wisconsin is Wisconsin's own social networking data base to
promote new business in the state ...
Ken Notes: Network with professionals doing business in the state ...
154
Wisconsin stimulus money tracker
~ i s c o n s i n - 5/14/2009 More than $336 million in federal stimulus money has been
allocated to counties, cities, towns and villages in Wisconsin. Of that total, about $124
million has been allocated through the state Department of Transportation for road, bridge
and transit projects. And more than $48 million in Housing and Urban Development funds
has been allocated ...
Ken Notes: Great Resource
Wisconsin Eye Live!
~ i s c o n s i n - Wisconsin Legislative TV ...
Card Search
The Final Word
1 l A single source for all economic development news for Greater Madison, Milwaukee
and beyond. Wisconsin Development News, (WDN) is published weekly by Ken Harwood.
Available to commercial brokers, developers, fmancial professionals, community planners,
public officials, the press and others who have expressed an interest in Wisconsin
development. All stories should link to their original source in the original context. These
pages may contain advertising, and I encourage patronage of both our sponsors and the
related advertisers and publications I link too.
We limit the publication to ten advertisers per week. Advertisers can participate on a
weekly, monthly, or annual basis. Please email your request to advertise or discontinue your
ad to ken@wisconsindevelopment.com. The rates are $50 per week or $150 (4 ads) per
month or $1,200 (50+ ads) per year. We have also been kriown to barter.
We link to Editorial and Opinion articles each week, this does not suggest we agree with the
stance of the author. The "Ken Notes" items are the opinion of our editor. We will include
any comments or feedback sent to WDN. Ken also writes a monthly colunm for Capitol
Region Business Journal and other state publications.
The focus for WDN is to create a positive view of economic development for Wisconsin.
The publication will also feature news from around the state, nation, and world that offers
insight to policy, trends, and projects that may be of interest to the reader.
155

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