More Questionable Use of State Time by Gableman?

We already know that when Michael Gableman was working in Appleton as an Administrative Law Judge, that he traveled to a Republican fundraiser some 250 miles away without taking off from his state job. While he was being paid by the hardworking people of Wisconsin, he was busy traveling the state to help raise cash for partisan causes. Now new documents raise more questions about Gableman and his use of state time and resources.

The Greater Wisconsin Committee revealed this week that they obtained phone records from Gableman’€™s time as Ashland County District Attorney. The records only seem to verify what has become a very troubling pattern of partisan work on state time and with state resources. The newly obtained documents reveal more than 50 long distance telephone calls from the Ashland DA’€™s office to top Governor McCallum fundraisers, contributors and other political groups. These calls happened in the two months leading up to the Northwoods Regional Governor’€™s Club fundraiser on June 12, 2002.

To make matters worse, the fundraiser happened in the middle of the selection process for Burnett County Judge. Although he was not a part of the process, Gableman (a McCallum donor and fundraiser) was allowed to jump over all other applicants to get the judgeship. Not only does Gableman’€™s suspicious appointment raise concerns, but now his repeated misuse of state time and resources has become a question. Those that aspire to our state’€™s highest court should also have the highest standards. Unfortunately these new revelations show that Michael Gableman may be more concerned with political connections and partisan influence.

UPDATE: Wisconsin State Journal reporter, Dee Hall, has a piece in today’s paper on this topic.