Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Senate preparing to vote on compromise GAB reform bill (WI)
Wisconsin Watchdog ^ | 11-5-15 | M. D. Kittle

Posted on 11/05/2015 3:48:18 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic

MADISON, Wis. – Government Accountability Board Judge Gerald Nichol has said he has no regrets about the early-morning raids and other constitutionally challenged tactics used to go after conservatives.

“I don’t have a problem with the way we played that role,” he said last month when asked about the GAB’s integral involvement in an unconstitutional John Doe investigation that upended the lives of dozens of citizens who were never charged with any wrongdoing – all in the name of political speech. “It obviously angered one specific party,” he added.

Nichol and his fellow retired judges who preside over the state’s political speech regulator, relentlessly pushed their part in the sweeping dragnet. They did so as their political theories were rejected by multiple courts, even as they acknowledged they had no legal right to use the millions of documents seized by their prosecutor partners.

These are the people four Senate Republicans reportedly are so keen on keeping amid a looming overhaul of the GAB.

Rob Cowles, Green Bay; Luther Olsen, Ripon; Sheila Harsdorf, River Falls, and Jerry Petrowski, Marathon, have dragged down passage of an Assembly bill that would split the agency into two separate entities, an elections commission and an ethics commission.

The Assembly proposal calls for appointment of three Democrats and three Republicans to the Ethics Commission, much like the makeup of the Federal Election Commission. Appointments would not have to include retired judges.

On Wednesday, still at an impasse, Republican leadership appeared to be leaning toward a compromise proposal that would retain at least two retired judges, still appointed by partisans, on the commission.

Olsen told Wispolitics.com that he believes the two judges wouldn’t be true partisans, no matter their political perspectives.

“We feel that we get rid of the part that we thought almost guaranteed gridlock,” said Olsen, seemingly speaking for the Senate Republican’s cold feet coalition.

One legislative source with knowledge of the proceedings told Wisconsin watchdog that the consensus among Republicans in both houses is that the four senators are looking for any excuse to put their mark on the legislation. The source said the legislators seem more afraid of withering criticism from mainstream media editorial boards than standing with the majority.

Harsdorf, Olsen and Petrowski could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

Cowles expressed irritation when Wisconsin Watchdog reached him on his district phone at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. He said he was sleeping when the phone rang.

The senator didn’t want to talk about the compromise. He pointed to his colleagues in the Assembly.

“You can ask them. They were advocating for the changes,” Cowles said curtly. “At this point there is an agreement and we will vote on it on Friday.”

It appears GOP leadership is ready to roll with the compromise bill, with enough votes to pass the measure.

State Rep. Dean Knudson, R-Hudson, author of the Assembly bill, told Wisconsin Watchdog that the Assembly members were told to hold Nov. 12 and 16th open for an extraordinary session to take up the altered GAB overhaul bill and legislation it already has passed on reforms to Wisconsin’s troubled campaign finance law.

Knudson said he hasn’t seen the proposed compromise, but he can live with the “minimal changes proposed.” The most important thing, he said, is complete restructuring of the agency, and now.

“I would say it is critical that we reform the GAB, that we take the sucker apart,” Knudson said. “I think there has largely been buy-in of the concept … that we need to take apart that concentration of (GAB) power that was so problematic.”

Critics of the agency, particularly the conservatives targeted in the GAB’s political investigation, say the “nonpartisan” veneer of the regulator and its retired judges has been shattered by revelations of partisan motives. Retaining even a part of the eight-year-old GAB system, they say, opens the door for continued abuse.

Knudson acknowledges that even under the Assembly bill, Democrats could push for the appointment of controversial GAB director Kevin Kennedy, Nichol or any one of the judges that signed off on the agency’s involvement in the political probe.

Knudson said he can accept some minor tweaking to his reform bill. Most of his Republican colleagues, the lawmaker said, are very concerned about the abuses and excesses of the GAB.

“I understand people want input,” he said. “What is not acceptable is letting the GAB go on unchanged. The biggest failure is if we failed to take action.”


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: compromise; deanknudsen; gab; geroldnichol; johndoe; lutherolson; robcowles

COMPROMISE: State Sen. Rob Cowles, R-Green Bay, is one of four senators reportedly pushing for a compromise version of a Government Accountability Board overhaul bill. Cowles says the Assembly made him do it.

RELATED: GAB kept pushing political probe despite daunting evidence problems

1 posted on 11/05/2015 3:48:18 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic; onyx; Hunton Peck; Diana in Wisconsin; P from Sheb; Shady; DonkeyBonker; ...

Doesn’t Walker have the line item veto (the Frankenstein veto) where he can take out anything he doesn’t like in this Bill before he signs it? Even if it is pieces of words, or single letters.

It looks like there are 4 Senators who are just looking for 15 minutes of fame. All I really want to know is if Kevin Kennedy loses his job and (hopefully) stands trial.

FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.


2 posted on 11/05/2015 3:52:34 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

RINOs at the state level but many of these elected folks give RINO a bad name.


3 posted on 11/05/2015 3:53:06 AM PST by armydawg505
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: armydawg505

I only “know” one of these recalcitrant Senators — Luther Olson. I saw him in action at a state budget hearing several years ago. I actually thought he was a Democrat.


4 posted on 11/05/2015 3:55:26 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: armydawg505
I see that Olson is from Ripon which, incidentally, is the historical birthplace of the Republican Party. Perhaps that is why he calls himself a Republican.

The birthplace of the Republican Party, Ripon's Little White School House stands as a museum where a group of people first gathered to change the political climate of the United States.

Visit Ripon 1854 for more details

5 posted on 11/05/2015 4:04:45 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

Someone needs to publish his home address.

The left would have a year ago.


6 posted on 11/05/2015 5:07:08 AM PST by Basket_of_Deplorables (Trump: Black Swan Event--Black Swan Don)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

Judge Gerald Nichol must know that his actions were shockingly evil. I hope he experiences justice - one way or another.


7 posted on 11/05/2015 5:20:54 AM PST by Pollster1 ("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic; All

Luther Olsen. One of those in the Recall Election we SHOULD have thrown under the bus! Fred Clark (D) would’ve been worse, of course.

I HATE having to choose between the lesser of two evils all the time. Grrrr!


8 posted on 11/05/2015 6:28:38 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson