Chvala
Posted on 10/18/2002 5:25:03 AM PDT by joesnuffy
Chvala To Resign Senate Leadership Seat Senate Majority Leader Faces 90 Years In Prison If Convicted
POSTED: 3:53 p.m. EDT October 17, 2002 UPDATED: 12:46 a.m. EDT October 18, 2002
MADISON, Wis. -- Prosecutors have charged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala with 20 criminal counts, including extortion, misconduct in public office and filing false reports with the state Elections Board.
If convicted on these felonies, he faces up to 90 years in prison and $200,000 in fines.
The charges against Chvala, who is an attorney, break down like this -- three counts of extortion, seven counts of misconduct in public office, one count of making unlawful political contributions, four counts of making campaign contributions exceeding lawful limits and five counts of filing a false report with the Elections Board. ( Read Full Criminal Complaint Against Chvala )
District Attorney Mike McCann says no other charges against elected officials are expected as a result of his investigation into Senate Democrats' alleged illegal activites.
In response to the charges, Chvala said he will resign as Senate majority leader -- after the Democrats select a new leader. But he also says that the charges are not true and he will fight them.
Chvala said after the charges were filed Thursday afternoon that McCann filed them to influence the elections, now less than three weeks away.
Pay For Play
"Pay for play" is a phrase you'll hear often during the Chvala case. WISC-TV's Toni Morrissey explained that what it relates to are the extortion charges against Chvala.
To give you a better idea, look at count No. 1 in the criminal complaint, Morrissey said. Chvala is accused of attempting to extort campaign money from the Wisconsin Wholesale Beer Distributors Association. After learning two members of the association contributed to his 2000 Senate opponent, Chvala allegedly called the then-association president and said, "What the hell are you guys doing?"
But the president told prosecutors he didn't know what Chvala was referring to.
Chvala allegedly shot back, "Well, you guys are contributing to my opponent. Don't you realize who I am?"
The president said he called Chvala later to explain the contributions came from members, not from the association. But the complaint says, "The defendant was angry again, and told (the president) that his people had made a big mistake. (He) knew that as the majority leader, the defendant had control over any legislation that was going to go thru the Senate. If he was opposed to your legislation, you were not going to be successful."
Chvala allegedly repeatedly asked the association president to match the contributions made to his opponent. The association president claims he refused, after which Chvala allegedly refused to meet with association representatives on legislation the association was lobbying to get.
Whatever Happened To Fightin' Bob La Follette?
The trials and tribulations of the Senate's majority leader are just the latest shocking headlines to tarnish the state's once stellar reputation, said UW political science professor Don Kettl.
"What's happened to Wisconsin politicians? It's a question people have started to ask literally around the world," Kettl said.
It's perplexing because this is Fightin' Bob La Follette country. Our former governor left a lasting legacy.
"What he really represented a century ago was an effort to pull politicians out of the hands of a narrow party leaders who were looking at only for themselves, out of the hands of corporate interests," Kettl said. "His real interest was the progressive idea of trying to put power back in the hands of ordinary citizens."
The Badger state established a tradition of having an honest, sincere almost wholesome political tradition -- many saw it as a model for the country.
Chvala appeared cut from the similar cloth. He entered the political fray two decades ago framing himself in the same language. He claimed, like Bob, to be fighting for us -- and eventually found himself leading Senate Democrats, trying to out-spend, out-maneuver and out-organize a Republican-controlled governor's office and Assembly.
"He's always felt, I think, that he was hanging on by his fingernails," Kettl said. "He's really seen Democrats in control of the state Senate as really the last outpost for the party, and something he tried to defend in any possible way he could.
"It's going to take five or six years to tell what the impact of this is going to be, but the impact is going to be dramatic, and people who are looking for different types of policies will at least have the chance to try them out," Kettl said.
Chvala put out a news release late Thursday afternoon listing a host of accomplishments, but Kettl says it's these felony charges that he will most likely be remembered.
Background On Caucus Scandal
Chvala, 47, is the second legislator charged in the yearlong investigation into allegations of illegal campaigning at the state Capitol.
Democrat Brian Burke is facing 18 felony charges on allegations he used his Capitol office to collect contributions in his campaign for attorney general.
The caucus investigations began last year after a Madison newspaper reported that legislative caucus employees were illegally coordinating campaign activities from their state offices.
The caucuses were created in the 1960s to do research for lawmakers. The partisan bodies were eliminated last year.
Chvala of Madison was first elected a senator in 1984 after a term in the Assembly. He's been Democratic leader of the Senate since 1995. He was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1994, losing to then-Gov. Tommy Thompson.
He is married and has two children. ( Read Bio )
Chvala
I'm trying but am already feeling like I'm beating my head against the wall. I keep hoping Ed will bow out the way Evans of South Dakota just did, for the sake of the state, but I don't have high hopes over this one at all.
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