Gableman’s Suspicious Appointment II

McCallum Confirms Manipulating Judicial Selection Process for Donor Gableman Gableman Campaign Refuses to Directly Address Facts Raised by OWN Report

MILWAUKEE — Former Republican Governor Scott McCallum admitted Thursday he manipulated the judicial appointment process established by his own executive orders in order to appoint Republican Party official Mike Gableman, a McCallum donor and fundraiser, to the Burnett County Circuit Court.

“[A]s governor, the final decision to appoint a judge was mine alone…,” McCallum said through a Gableman campaign press release. The media has reported McCallum has refused press calls since an investigation by One Wisconsin Now released Wednesday showed Gableman was appointed judge after McCallum ignored established protocol for a candidate who neither applied in time, nor was a finalist recommended by McCallum’s own judicial advisory council.

The executive orders McCallum ignored, requiring a Judicial Advisory Panel screen potential judicial nominees and forward finalists for consideration to the Governor to ensure among other issues the “appointment of competent, public-minded lawyers of the highest integrity,” can be accessed here, page 2, page 3.

“Governor McCallum confirmed what we already knew, that Mike Gableman got his job as a judge because that’s what McCallum wanted for his donor and fundraiser,” said Scot Ross, Executive Director of One Wisconsin Now. “Why are there no state documents showing that Gableman ever formally applied for the job, that he was ever interviewed for the job, or that he ever answered the extensive questions designed to indicate his qualifications and competence to have the job?”

One Wisconsin Now’s investigation focused on Gableman’s questionable appointment in light of the facts assembled by open records requests and examination of documents at the State Historical Society, showing Gableman had leapfrogged over six candidates for the position he had not applied for by the deadline after hosting a fundraiser, attending a private meeting at the Governor’s mansion with Republican Party officials and donating $2,500 to election campaign, including $1,250 in the middle of the selection process.

“Instead of the formal process he established by executive order, McCallum apparently relied on his own perception, which may have been improved by Gableman hosting two fundraisers for him and bringing a number of political supporters for a private breakfast at the residence,” said Ross. “Wisconsin must have a judiciary with the highest judicial ethics and experience and Gableman’s suspicious appointment hangs over him like a dark cloud.”

February 21, 2008

Gablemans Suspicious Appointment II

Former Republican Governor Scott McCallum has refused to answer reporter’s direct questions about his suspicious appointment of Michael Gableman as Burnett County judge. Instead he decided to speak through a Gableman campaign press release. In the statement, McCallum admitted that he manipulated the judicial appointment process established by his own executive orders. In doing so, he appointed donor, fundraiser, and Republican Party official Michael Gableman to the Burnett County bench.

In the Gableman campaign release, McCallum said that ‘[A]s governor, the final decision to appoint a judge was mine alone’¦’ With the Gableman appointment, McCallum ignored his own executive orders requiring a Judicial Advisory Panel to screen potential nominees and forward finalists to him for consideration. Gableman was never a part of this formal process, established by McCallum himself. Why are there no state documents showing that Gableman formally applied for the job, that he was ever interviewed for the job, or that he ever answered the extensive questions designed to indicate his qualifications and competence to have the job? It seems that the only qualifications needed was that he was a partisan donor and the only relevant competence considered was his ability to throw a fundraiser.

OWN’s investigation has shown that Michael Gableman was allowed to avoid the arduous process that the McCallum Administration itself required. He was allowed to leapfrog over six candidates, including the two local finalists. One of the two finalists only found out about Gableman being appointed through the media. In the August 21, 2002 issue of the Burnett County Sentinel, neighboring District Attorney Mark Biller was quoted as saying the following:

’It (McCallum’s appointment) absolutely comes out of the blue. I’m very disappointed the way this whole thing was handled. [Ken and I] have both stood watch in our respective counties and I think we could have had the courtesy of hearing first-hand from the Governor about his decision.’ Biller concluded saying, ‘To me, that is unconscionable. I think both counties (Polk and Burnett) were essentially snubbed.’

Apparently McCallum was not concerned with snubbing long-time local DA’s that took all of the required steps. Apparently McCallum was not even concerned with his own rules that were supposed to diligently guide the process. Apparently his only concern was to appoint a donor, a fundraiser, and Republican official. McCallum apparently was determined to find a crony, even if he had to reach nearly 300 miles across the entire state to do so.