Chris Wright kicks off legislative campaign

Chris Wright, a Sturtevant Village Trustee for the past three years, kicked off his campaign for the State Legislature Monday, with a meet-and-greet at Mike and Angelo's.

Chris Wright with a fervent supporter, daughter Bria, 5

Wright, 33, is director of admissions for a non-profit post-secondary school in Union Grove for adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities. He holds a bachelor's degree in Christian studies, with a minor in sociology, from Kentucky's Campbellsville University.

A Republican, he is running for the 62nd District Assembly seat held for the past four years by Democrat Cory Mason. One reason he's running, Wright says, is that "communication between state and local officials is one-way," and he cites the Regional Transit Authority issue as an example. "I don't feel KRM benefits the people of Sturtevant," he says. "Logistically, to drive to where the station will be in Racine, and then ride to Milwaukee ... well, I could drive the whole way in the time that would take."

He's also opposed to the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority -- "an appointed board with taxing authority." Would he ever favor KRM? "If it could pay for itself," he says, adding, "This is not a great time for the added burden this would create."

He's a Brewers fan, but he's not a fan of the stadium tax, either. "And that's just been extended," he notes. "It's hard to find a way that benefits Racine County." And, "Then there's the cellphone tax, that's been added to landlines..." Speaking of politicians in general, he adds, "You just can't trust what they say."

Three issues he'd champion are:

• -- Fiscal responsibility: He'd like to improve the way government budgets, "to make it more forward-looking."
• -- Integrity: "I want to be able to lower taxes, but it's not going to happen overnight." He says the Village Board "has made every effort to be fiscally responsible."
• -- Business climate: "I want to find ways to improve the business climate." He cites a recent survey of 651 company chief executives that ranked Wisconsin 42nd of all 50 states. A few years ago, the state was ranked 26th. "When it comes to taxes and regulation, there are only three states ranked lower."

He said he would like to work with Rep. Robin Vos, the new governor and local leaders to find ways to improve the business and financial climate." He concedes that accomplishing that "is not my background," but says he would "find people with the expertise."

Wright was accompanied at his campaign kickoff by his wife, Mary -- today was their 7th wedding anniversary -- and their two children, daughter Bria, 5, and son, Luke, 3.

Follow Chris Wright on Facebook.

Democratic leaders, trying to protect Lehman, are killing commuter rail, insider says

Democrats are putting on a good show with efforts to pass a regional transit system in southeastern Wisconsin that would combine bus systems and allow KRM commuter rail to move forward.

But it's an open secret in the Legislature that Democratic leadership, particularly in the Senate, will not allow a transit proposal reach the floor for a vote, according to a Democrat insider with knowledge of the negotiations.

The RTA and KRM are DOA.

Democratic leaders have no interest in pushing any of the proposals circulating around the Capitol that would combine Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee counties into a regional transit authority paid for with some sort of combination of taxes, transportation aids and local government spending.

Majority Leader Russ Decker and other top Democrats are afraid pushing the proposal will force Democratic legislators to either vote for a tax increase or vote against KRM commuter rail. Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, is of particular concern because he's up for re-election this November against Republican Van Wanggaard.

"Lehman is terrified of voting for any sort of tax increase," according to the Democratic insider. "Call it the Petak effect."

Former state Sen. George Petak, R-Racine, switched his vote in the middle of the night in favor of a tax increase on Racine County to pay for the new Miller Park. Local residents threw him out of office and replaced him with Democrat Kim Plache.

Lehman is afraid voters will do the same to him. He's so skittish on the possibility he's even afraid to vote for fellow Racine Democrat Cory Mason's plan that would allow Racine County to join an RTA without passing a tax increase. The plan does call for a sales tax increase in Milwaukee, and Lehman is fearful he'll be linked to the tax increase.

Decker, who's trying to hold on to control of the State Senate through the November election, will not allow any transit legislation come up for a vote this spring, according to the Democratic insider.

"All of this is being done so Lehman doesn't have to vote on KRM," the insider said. "They want it to look like he supports it, but never has to vote on it."

The insider provided detailed specifics on how Democrat leaders in the Senate intend to kill the legislation. The plan was to have Sen. Jim Holperin, chairman of the Senate's Committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources, basically pass the bill (SB205) to Sen. Jeff Plale, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Utilities, Energy, and Rail, who would sit on it and refuse to allow it to come up for a vote.

"Once it gets to Plale it's in a blackhole," the insider said.

Holperin apparently complicated things by refusing to release the bill, the insider said. Regardless, Decker will never allow the full Senate to vote on an RTA for southeastern Wisconsin.

The Democratic insider added it may not matter. Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha need a "consistent dedicated source" of income to receive $250 million in federal money to build the KRM commuter rail system. That basically means they need to agree to a regional sales tax, which isn't going to happen.

Mason and Milwaukee Rep. Tamara Grigsby released a plan that would avoid a sales, wheel or room tax for Racine County, but that plan won't pass muster with the federal government, the insider said. Gov. Jim Doyle's plan is the best option, they said, but Democrats' efforts to protect Lehman will kill the proposal.

"The whole process is frustrating since the votes for a three-county RTA with a consistant funding source would pass is Lehman would stop playing politics and do the right thing," the insider said. "It's an easy vote for him, but he's trying to have it both ways."

In summary: the RTA is dead, and KRM commuter rail is dead along with it.

Great Lakes mayors warn: Don't mess with our water

Mayors Miller, Daley and Becker

Ten Great Lakes mayors had a clear message for the rest of the country today: Don't mess with our water.

They issued challenges to presidential candidates, Congress, state legislatures and Canadian Federal governments to protect the lakes, approve regional compacts and recognize the importance of "one of the largest surface freshwater supplies in the world."

And they made clear they want cities to have a seat at the table whenever Great Lakes issues are to be decided. Said Mayor Denis Lapointe of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, "When we talk about the Great Lakes, we're talking about economies and qualities of life. Cities are the level of government that invests the most money."

In response to a question, at the mayors' wrap-up press conference, about whether protecting the lakes would hamper the development of businesses that require water, Racine Mayor Gary Becker said, "We love industry. That's what cities were built around. But if it's done, we want it done right."

Becker, acting as host of the midyear meeting of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Board of Directors, said Congress must "move forward and pass legislation to implement the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy. Local governments are doing their fair share. Federal and state governments must step up and take some responsibility."


He noted that the Great Lakes water compact is still not before the Wisconsin legislature, despite having already been passed by Illinois and Minnesota. (It was signed by the eight governors two years ago this week.) The mayors specifically urged the state legislatures of Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to implement the compact; without passage in all states it cannot become law.

Becker laid out the key thrust very simply: "If you take water beyond the edge of the basin, you must return it. And in the same quality."

Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago said the group urges all presidential candidates to support the compact, through which Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces cooperatively manage lake waters. "Today, we call upon elected officials and candidates for office to publicly commit to concrete policy positions regarding the preservation and management of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence."

After the primaries, each presidential candidate will be sent a questionnaire seeking their positions "on a number of critical issues currently facing the Great Lakes region," Daley said. He noted that the eight Great Lakes states have 25% of the electoral votes. "Just one of our states could decide the election," Daley said. "This should be one of their agendas."

Mayor David Miller of Toronto -- after noting that "Racine is the leader in making sure beaches are swimmable and clean." -- said, "We're at a crossroads. Years ago, our agenda was leading edge.But now we must renegotiate the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which was last negotiated in 1987."

It's necessary to open it up, he said, because new issues -- like climate change, which has dramatically reduced lake levels -- have come to the fore.Mayor Ellen Anderson of the Town of the Blue Mountains agreed: "It costs $5 million to move a water intake pipe as lake levels recede."

Becker said he felt good as the meeting wrapped up at Wingspread, citing success in "elevating the issues." He noted that when Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico said, "The Great Lakes are awash in water," the mayors pounced and got the presidential candidate to rethink his position. "Trying to reshape Mother Nature will bite you," Becker noted wryly.

A light moment, when best laid communications plans went awry

Lehman's tax fix bill passes Senate; faces roadblock in Assembly

State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, is putting up a solid fight for $700,000 in state funds for the Racine Unified School District. But his efforts are likely to fail before Republicans in the Assembly.

Lehman's bill amounts to a wonkish, but important, distinction between levy credits and general state aids. A portion of the recently passed state budget will distribute $79.3 million in state money to school districts. The money was originally supposed to be distributed as general state aid. But the 4-month delayed state budget resulted in the money be given out as a school levy tax credit.

Here's where the change gets interesting: shifting the money to the school levy credit cost 299 school districts across the state an estimated $12 million in state aid. Where did that money go? It was funneled from 70 percent of the school systems in the state to a select 30 percent. How and why the money was moved is best left to policy wonks to explain. But the bottom line for Racine is Unified loses $700,000 in the change - money that will either require cuts or higher taxes.

Lehman's proposal, which passed the Senate on a bi-partisan 25-7 vote, would revert the funding back to the general state aids. It's unlikely, however, to pass the Assembly where leaders said they would not consider the legislation.

It's unclear why the Assembly won't take up the bill, particularly because its leaders have schools in their districts that will lose under the plan. Chalk it up to another example of bureaucracy getting in the way of common sense.

Lawmakers, listening

State Rep. Bob Turner, D-Racine, didn't get home from the legislative budget fiasco in Madison until 3 a.m. this morning. But he and State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, were on hand at the Cesar Chavez Community Center, as promised, at 10 a.m. for a listening session with northside constituents.

After a few minutes to bring the dozen participants up to speed on where the budget is -- short answer: it ain't -- they fielded questions, and strong opinions, from those present.

Questions about voter ID, drunk driving, cigarette taxes, tax breaks for seniors, legislative in-fighting.

CIGARETTE TAX: Partisan wrangling over an increase in the cigarette tax -- Republicans want an additional 75 cents per pack, Democrats want $1.25 -- was particularly galling to one woman. "People are getting sick and tired of government telling them what they can and cannot do. People know smoking is bad for you." A man added, In California you can't even smoke in your own apartment or condo!"

Both Lehman and Turner responded, almost in unison: "I'm never going to vote for that!"

Turner noted, "If my mother was alive, she'd hate my guts for supporting the $1.25 tax. She smoked all her life." Lehman said this is a bigger political issue in northern Wisconsin than here, and predicted there'd be a compromise. The tax increase, on top of already existing state cigarette taxes, is expected to reduce smoking by teenagers. (Neither could remember how much excise tax Wisconsin currently adds to a pack of cigarettes. We, with the benefit of Google, learn in a fraction of a second that it's now 77 cents; Wisconsin tax on smokes ranks 29th.)

SENIORS: "Will our legislature allow retirees to stay in the state," one man asked, adding, "If I lived in Georgia, I wouldn't have to pay any school tax." Others chimed in, "When is the state not going to tax Social Security?" "Why not freeze property taxes at 65?"

Lehman said proposals to exempt the first $10,000, $20,000 or more of property tax were an effort to help all low and middle-income taxpayers, not just the elderly. And next year, exemption of Social Security benefits from state income tax takes effect.

VIDEO GAMING: A question about lax enforcement of video gaming in taverns caused Lehman to note "the struggle between Indian gaming and small taverns. Small taverns are on the decline; they're not the gathering places they used to be." Laws against such gaming devices, he and Turner agreed, are not well-enforced.

DRIVING WITH CELLPHONES was something one respondent wanted the legislature to do something about. "A lot of people have contacted me about this," Lehman said, but he cited studies showing that other distractions -- talking, drinking coffee -- are just as hazardous. "Cellphone haven't changed accident rates," he said. And then he turned the question around, noting that in the cigarette tax discussion his questioners had opposed the government regulating what they do in their homes: "Do you want government going into your car?" Turner added, "There are adequate laws regulating inattentive driving now."

VOTER ID: "Why are you people in Madison opposed to it? Today it's helter-skelter; why not just require everyone to show an ID when they go to vote?" Lehman replied that this is not really a problem in Racine, and Turner recalled that there were fewer than half a dozen vote fraud cases statewide in the last election. Both pointed out that people have to show ID when registering to vote, and said that implementing a specific voter ID card would discriminate against the poor and disabled, who would have to make a special trip to get one. "We try to balance access to the polls and showing who the person is."

THE MESS IN MADISON: Lehman waxed philosophical when asked, "Why is there so little cooperation in government?"

"Redistricting! The creation of safe seats; there are very few competitive seats in Wisconsin. Robin Vos (R-Racine) said to me, 'I'm going to be the Representative (53rd District) as long as I live.' "

Referring to his own State Senate race last fall against Racine County Executive William McReynolds, Lehman said "Mac spent $400,000, and I spent $220,000. Including all that was spent, the race cost more than $1 million.

"There were only four competitive races like that in the state, out of 17 or 18 Senate races this year. Only 8 or 10 Assembly races are competitive.

"Could I even run against (U.S. Rep.) Paul Ryan? I don't think so; that sucker has been redistricted into a safe Republican seat."

Racine County, he said, is lucky in that the 21st Senate district is roughly 50/50, which is why Republicans and Democrats have traded control of it over the past decade: George Petak (R), Kim Plache (D), Cathy Stepp (R), and now Lehman (D). Pointing to his plastic chair in the gym, Lehman said, "You're looking at a guy sitting in a million-dollar seat."