Scott Walker’s Record on Local Government Issues

Gov. Scott Walker’s decision to rescind the state’s application for a national marine sanctuary was a cause for celebration for many lakefront homeowners, but was also a devastating blow to some community leaders who had worked on the project for the past four years… After initially supporting the sanctuary, Walker surprised local leaders when he sent a letter on Feb. 27 to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announcing his decision to rescind the state’s nomination for the sanctuary… Walker said the designation of a national marine sanctuary “would create further unnecessary bureaucratic red tape.”

Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor, indicated on Wednesday that he will not take any action against Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, the Chicago Tribune reported. Walker said that while he has the authority to remove Clarke, he did not believe it was just job to do so. “I’m not in a position to say,” Walker reportedly said, adding that it was up to voters to determine Clark’s fate. The conservative governor admitted that the surge of inmates’ deaths were concerning. Terrill Thomas, a 38-year-old inmate who died in April, was the fourth inmate to die in Milwaukee County in the past six months.

Gov. Scott Walker said he won’t remove Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke from office despite reports of an inmate who died of dehydration after being deprived of water for seven days in the Milwaukee County Jail, which is run by the sheriff’s office. … “I’ve read some of the stories, but to me I don’t make decisions based upon what I see in stories,” Walker told reporters Wednesday in Madison. “I want to look at a scientific report, and I haven’t analyzed that.”

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation that prevents local governments from requiring contractors to hire union labor for publicly funded construction projects. Walker signed the legislation, which passed along party lines in February, at a local distributor of construction materials in De Pere, Wisconsin, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The governor and Wisconsin Republicans have blasted project labor agreements as a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Yesterday, Governor Scott Walker, responding to an excerpt from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s new book, agreed with his long-time aide R.J. Johnson that the sheriff made up a story about his interactions with the governor.

If Clarke is about to leave, Gov. Scott Walker should get serious about who would replace him. For the sake of the county he once led, Walker needs to get this appointment right. The governor should avoid playing politics, and appoint a steady, thoughtful, professional leader — qualities sorely needed after years of neglect by Clarke, who, after a promising start, used the office to build his personal brand.

Gov. Scott Walker is meeting with Milwaukee authorities to discuss public safety issues. Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said the governor met with Milwaukee aldermen and the Milwaukee police and firefighter union presidents in the state Capitol on Friday. Milwaukee Police spokesman Tim Gauerke said police Chief Ed Flynn also attended. A neighborhood on the city’s northwest side erupted in violence Saturday and Sunday nights after a police officer shot and killed 23-year-old Sylville Smith.

In an interview on “Fox and Friends,” Walker accused both Clinton and Obama of making the situation in the city worse, though he did not specify how. “I think comments like that are just inflaming the situation,” the former GOP presidential candidate said of Clinton’s remarks. He continued: “I think people understand in that neighborhood, in Sherman Park and Milwaukee, they want the law enforcement to step up and protect them. The people who live in that neighborhood want police in Milwaukee and the sheriff’s department to step up and protect them. They don’t want the the criminals who are doing those actions against those businesses to do that. I think statements like that and the lack of leadership we’ve had from the president on this issue only inflames the situation.”

Another bill signed into law permits libraries to report borrowers who owe late fees to collections agencies, or in some cases, to law enforcement. It allows a library to report delinquent accounts to a law enforcement agency if the delinquency is at least $50. Information that may be disclosed is the individual’s name, contact information and the amount owed.

Walker also signed a bill allowing towns in Dane County to opt out of county zoning laws. The bill, authored by Rep. Keith Ripp, R-Lodi, was introduced after the Dane County Towns Association pushed for a way for towns to gain more autonomy over developments in rural areas, and to grow tax bases to pay for services. But officials from Dane County, its cities and villages and a group of towns say town governments lack the financial and staff resources to responsibly administer their own zoning codes, and that allowing an opt-out could unleash irresponsible rural development.

Gov. Scott Walker has signed a bill that creates uniform restrictions on where violent sex offenders can live.Municipalities currently use local ordinances to create zones where sex offenders can’t live.The bill creates statewide regulations barring violent sex offenders from living within 1,500 feet of any school, day care, youth center, church or public park. Sex offenders who committed crimes against children can’t live next door to children. Sex offenders who committed crimes against an elderly or disabled person can’t live within 1,500 feet of a nursing home or other assisted living facility. Local ordinances will generally remain enforceable. Walker signed the bill privately on Monday.

Gov. Scott Walker says he doesn’t expect the Wisconsin state Senate will pass a bill banning sanctuary cities, and he’s “just fine with that.” Walker said Wednesday that his focus is on bills that help improve the state’s economy. The Assembly last week passed the bill that says local governments can’t prohibit police from inquiring about immigration status of someone charged with a crime or from working with federal immigration authorities.

Since Gov. Scott Walker took office in 2011, Republicans have passed nearly 100 unfunded mandates or measures that restrict the authority of local governments, according to a new memo. Over the last three legislative sessions, lawmakers have enacted 99 provisions that represent unfunded mandates or restrict the decision-making power of local governments, according to a Feb. 4 memo released by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau at the request of Assistant Assembly Minority Leader Katrina Shankland, D-Stevens Point.

In the five years since Act 10 became law, Wisconsin school districts have experienced a dramatic decline in the number of applicants for each teacher vacancy. In 2015, there were an average of 3.2 candidates per vacancy, down from 6.6 candidates in 2012, according to Wisconsin Education Career Access Network data provided by Means. In the Mequon-Thiensville, the district has an average of 16.9 applicants per vacancy, down from 31 applicants in 2012, the data indicate. “I think Act 10 has hurt the image of our profession,” Means said. “I think that the consternation and the conflict that people saw in our state five years ago has had an impact on morale, on people’s view on our profession.”

Before Act 10, the law championed by Gov. Scott Walker to limit collective bargaining powers, public school districts in Wisconsin used step-and-lane models in which educators advanced on a salary schedule by accruing years of service and graduate school credits. Neenah, Appleton, Little Chute and a number of other school districts throughout the state have since changed their compensation models to make job performance a greater factor – or the sole factor – in determining salary increases.

Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill on Nov. 30 rebating millions of dollars in excess Lambeau Field stadium tax revenue to Brown County communities. Green Bay’s finance committee will resume a discussion Monday on how to use its $5.4 million share of that money.

Signed bill that limited clerk’s office hours and days available for early voting, eliminating weekend voting and severely restricting voting hours available outside the normal work day. The Assembly version of the bill (2013 AB 54) failed to pass, but a substantially similar bill (SB 324) was adopted. The Governor exercised a partial veto, striking language limiting voting hours to 45 hours per week but leaving intact restrictions on hours of day (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and elimination of weekend hours.

A report that Gov. Walker’s gubernatorial campaign manager directed his Milwaukee County staff to “drag out” fulfilling requests under the state open records law for information related to a tragic incident involving the death of a young boy outside a county owned facility may not be an isolated incident, according to One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. Numerous open record requests made by One Wisconsin Now experienced the same fate, with delays of up to six months and the charging exorbitant fees for simple information.

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross released the following statements related to the announcement that Kelly Rindfleisch will plead guilty to one count of felony misconduct in public office for her actions as Deputy Chief of Staff to Scott Walker while he was Milwaukee County Executive:

Here's the challenge: The state cut funding to operate economic support services by 16.8 percent, while at the same time requiring counties to contribute the same amount to services that they did in 2009. In his budget repair bill, Gov. Scott Walker proposed taking all of those duties away from counties. Medical Assistance, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program -- formerly referred to as food stamps -- BadgerCare and subsidized childcare, consolidating them at the state level, and providing service through a call-center model. A private company, not state workers, would oversee programs. Gov. Scott Walker's administration estimated the proposal would save $48 million each year and eliminate 270 state positions. Previous efforts to run programs such as BadgerCare out of centralized offices didn't work. The Legislative Audit Bureau gave the state performance in operating BadgerCare a dismal review. So counties offered the state an alternative: Counties would continue to provide the services but they would form income maintenance consortiums. The lead county in each consortium would work with the state, and each county within the consortium would continue to provide face-to-face services for their residents. In addition, each county would provide a call center to answer questions and process change orders for all of the consortium's clients.

Madison city officials and housing advocates are reeling from a punch delivered by new GOP legislation that threatens to erase several decades worth of renter protections enacted here. Senate Bill 107, introduced on May 26 with the backing of landlords and property owners, realty agents and the construction industry, is on a fast track and is expected to reach the Senate floor as early as this week after being approved last week by the Housing and Insurance Committee.* The bill would prohibit local governments from enacting ordinances that limit a residential landlord's ability to obtain and use personal information from tenants and prospective tenants, including income and source of income, occupation, court records, rental history, and credit information, according to an analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau...Supporters don't deny charges that the bill takes special aim at Madison. It was meant to. (*Note: this bill was passed and signed into law by Walker.)

Walker signed into law a bill that prevented local government's from passing paid sick leave or family medical leave laws that are more inclusive and powerful than the statewide law. The governor signed the bill into law on May 5, 2011. (2011 SB 23, introduced 2/23/11; Senate Roll Call; Assembly Roll Call)

“(Chad Wegener) works for Wackenhut Security Services, a big international firm, which took over security at the Courthouse last month. However, back in 2004, Wegener resigned as chief of police in Manawa, Wisconsin amid scandal -- accused of making repeated unwanted sexual advances towards on-duty male officers after pressuring them to drink beer and watch pornography at his home. Wegener plead no contest to five misdemeanors, including disorderly conduct, and spent three months in jail.”

“Walker, the county executive who is running for governor, renewed his call Monday to parcel out county functions to the state, municipalities and to governmental districts yet to be created. Walker has proposed having the state take over administration of public assistance programs, social services for seniors and people with disabilities, and the courts. Cities and villages could take over maintenance of county roads. He also advocated for new, specialized districts to run transit, the parks, and the zoo and local cultural institutions...”

“Doyle said Friday he is working with Democratic legislative leaders on the next round of cuts for all state programs but was not ready to announce what he will recommend. A 5% cut in state aid to local governments would give them about $48 million less for their 2010 budgets. In February, before the latest drop in tax collections, Doyle had proposed a 1% cut in state aid. Doyle's comments were met with apprehension from the leaders of Wisconsin's two largest local governments. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker were already in the process of chopping spending this year and preparing drastically scaled-back budgets for next year. They said further cuts to shared revenue would only make that job harder.”

“The referendum also faced organized opposition from a local conservative political action group, Wisconsin Club for Growth, which ran radio ads critical of the sales tax increase over the past week. Walker recorded the ads for the group. In them, he raised the still-potent specter of the controversial 2001 county pension deal by saying, ‘The same County Board that voted to increase their own pensions now want your permission to raise taxes by $130 million.’ That line drew protests from supervisors, who said only seven of the 19 current board members were on the board in 2001 and only five voted for the pension deal.”

“But Walker exacerbates the county's woes by sticking to his pledge to freeze the county property tax. The sentiment is commendable, but his intransigence is anything but. ...Walker's pledge fits his belief in small government. But it also conveniently provides Walker, who ran for governor in 2006 and clearly has his sights on higher office, with an immensely popular platform plank.”

“Assembly Republicans on Thursday proposed a two-year statewide property tax freeze as a way to shield taxpayers...State aid to cities, counties, villages and towns would be set at $931 million in 2004 -- the level recommended by Doyle, and about a 7 percent cut from state aid in 2003. Doyle, speaking to about 200 municipal leaders Thursday in Madison, slammed the proposal as a way to shift the blame for the state's finances to local officials...Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a former Republican lawmaker, supported the freeze. ‘This plan guarantees that Milwaukee County taxpayers will not see a tax increase in 2004,’ Walker said in a statement. But the Wisconsin Counties Association said the freeze would only compound problems for counties in providing services the state requires.”

The lawmakers' proposal would eliminate the $ 819.5 million a year in operating subsidies that state government gives to cities, villages and towns.But it would continue state operating aid of $189 million to counties. The proposal would cut the 5 percent statewide sales tax by an amount equal to $ 819.5 million, which officials said would lower the sales tax to 3.8 percent. City councils and village and town boards would gain authority to create local sales taxes under the proposal. Only counties can currently levy local sales taxes of 0.5 percent, and 51 of the 72 counties collect this surtax.The plan "allows us to cut the state sales tax, avoid property tax increases and give power back to the cities," Walker said. Sen. Brian Burke, D-Milwaukee, denounced the Republicans' plan, saying it would raise the sales tax in Milwaukee County from more than 2 percent. The sales tax rate would have to soar to replace the $340 million the county and all local governments get in state aid, said Burke, co-chairman of the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee.Walker conceded that his plan would lead to different sales tax rates among communities. Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist denounced the plan."I think it's a goofy kind of idea," Norquist said.

The bill proposed making permanent a previously adopted cap on public school funding.

Walker claimed the new Republican Legislators pioneered the idea. “We felt it was important as new members to stress that we were looking for something dynamic and different.”