Parks win award. I blame Scott Walker

This will upset critics of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker:

Milwaukee County Parks Director Sue Black has won a national award for her work advancing parks and recreation locally.

The award will be presented by the American Academy for Parks and Recreation and the National Recreation and Parks Association at their annual conference in October. Black's selection for the organization's ROSE award - it stands for Recognition of Significant Efforts - was confirmed Tuesday by Jackie Wallenstein, of the parks association.

This comes on top of an earlier announcement:

The county parks system also is a finalist this year for the association's gold medal award, for best managed park system in the U.S. That pick will be announced at the October conference.

Hard to complain about a crumbling park system when it's running up awards. Guess Doyle's surrogates will have to cancel those commercials.

That's why they call it a railroad

In my column this week for the Waukesha Freeman (just a couple of quarters for the deadtree edition), I questioned the leadership of the Waukesha County Board and their inaction on the proposed Regional Transit Authority in southeastern Wisconsin.  It was a timely piece, appearing the morning the Joint Finance Committee in the legislature was to consider the structure and funding of the RTA.

According to local environmental writer Jim Rowen, former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist said there were two stages to any transportation plan: “It’s too soon to know” and “It’s too late to do anything about it.”

By deciding to punt on this important question, the county board’s executive committee decided to push off the decision from possibly too early to possibly too late. The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee is expected to consider the RTA for southeastern Wisconsin today.

Contrary to Wolff’s assertion, the RTA is not an inevitability. There is a very real chance it may be defeated today, or else modified to only include Milwaukee County.

Waukesha County’s leadership could have taken the opportunity last week to express clearly the opposition of Waukesha residents to any proposal to include Waukesha County or any of its communities as part of the RTA. Such a clear statement that Waukesha County would never be a willing part of the RTA might have helped kill it.

Instead, Waukesha residents might wake up at the end of the state budget process to see Milwaukee County trying to suck more of our tax dollars to fund their buses and a train from Milwaukee to Illinois.

Even I could not foresee the Democrats' sense of self-preservation taking such precedence over any common sense. The Democrats, fearing a taxpayer revolt in Racine removing their Senator John Lehman, decided to exempt Racine and Kenosha counties from the proposed sales tax. However, Milwaukee County would be taxed, while Racine and Kenosha would receive representation on the RTA. Those counties would have representation, but Milwaukee County would not given how unreliable the suburbs within the county have proven in their support for a train or light rail system. Instead on the City of Milwaukee would have representation.

So we have no taxation with representation (Racine, Kenosha) and taxation without representation (Milwaukee County).

Waukesha County residents might take some false comfort in all this. After all, we have been spared in this opening round and a precedent has been set. Perhaps the city of Waukesha should petition the state to force Milwaukee County to build (and pay for) the pipeline necessary for Milwaukee to provide the City of Waukesha with water from Lake Michigan.

But the reality is the other precedent this sets. Waukesha County residents should be increasingly wary of any attempt to force them to subsidize Milwaukee's transit issues. That pressure will grow as the pressure on Milwaukee's taxpayers grows.

Unless we start taking firm stands now, the legislature may decide to punish our Republican representation, even as the state is currently punishing Milwaukee County residents who voted for Scott Walker as their County Executive.

Cooperation between the Waukesha and Milwaukee on transit is possible, such as the recent agreement between the City of Waukesha and Milwaukee County to eliminate the transfer fee between the two bus systems. But such cooperation must be as equals, and not imposed from the state.

Tom Barrett to get choo-choo trains

Michael Horne at Milwaukeeworld.com is reporting Congress settled the dispute between Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and City of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett over $91.5 million in federal transportation money.

The City of Milwaukee will receive a 60% share of the long-delayed $91.5 million of Federal Transportation funding. The money would fund a streetcar system in the City, a longtime policy issue for the Barrett administration.

Pat Curley. the chief of staff to Mayor Tom Barrett, said the mayor took the matter to congress last year after County Executive Scott Walker turned down the mayor's suggestion to split the funds 50%-50%.

Instead, Walker will get 40 per cent for his buses, and Barrett's 60 per cent will go toward a rail connector system and a brighter future.

Walker's boneheaded stubbornness cost the county $9.1 million this time!

Unfortunately, the continuing costs of the street car system to be built because of Barrett's stubborness will cost the taxpayers a lot more than $9.1 million in the long term.

Walker defends not taking the stimulus

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has an article in today's Wall Street Journal explaining why he did not submit a list for the federal "stimulus" bill.

Wisconsin now faces an unprecedented $5.75 billion budget deficit, fourth-largest in the nation. Many municipalities also face deficits. My county, however, finished fiscal year 2007 with a $7.9 million surplus and will break even for fiscal year 2008 when the books are closed next month. Why? Because we made tough budget decisions demanded by the taxpayers.

State and local officials who failed to do so are looking to the federal government for a bailout. But what happens when the stimulus money is gone? Is the federal government committed to funding the projects it will now underwrite forever? I'm not willing to bet on it.

The stimulus is a classic bait-and-switch. Once the highways are built and social-service case loads have increased, Wisconsin will be left with the bill to maintain the new roads and services. This will force Wisconsin to raise new taxes. Gov. Doyle and legislative Democrats are already discussing higher taxes on hospitals, retailers, employers and even Internet downloads to feed their spending addiction.

The stimulus is also a bait-and-switch on employment. While the stimulus package might create a few construction jobs, the federal money will run out and those workers will lose their jobs. Even worse, most of the money is actually spent on new government programs and on bailing out failed state and local governments.

For the vast majority of residents of my state, the stimulus funds will not help them pay the mortgage or replenish their depleted retirement savings as they worry about being laid off.

Kevin Binversie comments:

My problem - and this may be some residual thoughts from being on the Mark Green Gubernatorial campaign - was how Scott initially explained it. I’ve long wondered if Scott is even aware at times how every press release his office issues is dissected by the legions of liberals and Democrats in Madison and Milwaukee who’ve sworn almost a blood oath vowing his destruction.

This means Scott Walker (and his future gubernatorial campaign) must carefully parse his words when speaking to the state MSM. This doesn’t mean Scott can’t be Scott, it means he needs to make sure his message is clear from the moment it leaves his mouth or campaign office. He’s not going to have the advantage of simply sending off an email to Charlie Sykes to further explain what he meant, or getting on the phone to Mark Belling to bail him out of any future press conference or press release gaffes because the statewide left will not let him a chance to to explain things taken out of context in a 24/7 blog post-tweet-YouTube World.

Walker’s Op-Ed in today’s Wall Street Journal is a great step forward to making sure his message fits any future campaign.

RIP Gary Dobbert

Regardless of anyone's opinion of Gary Dobbert's role in the Milwaukee County pension scandal, he deserved better than this:

But when word of large six-figure backdrops became widely known in early 2002, a public uproar led to the forced resignation of then County Executive F. Thomas Ament and the recalls of seven county supervisors. Before he left office, Ament called for the resignations of Dobbert and two other top aides, former Corporation Counsel Robert Ott and former labor relations Director Henry Zielinski.

Ament said Sunday that Dobbert "was a fine public servant" and should be remembered that way. Family members declined to comment.

Nobody will ever confuse Ament with being a class act. After sticking the political knife into Dobbert (and making him the target for prosecution), Ament should have declined comment on Dobbert's passing and just offered his condolences instead.

Get that idiot off the fairway

This week we look for the Idiot Politician of the Week with a surgeon’s precision. Can we ask for a local?

How about a Coggs? Milwaukee County Supervisor Elizabeth Coggs? Because nothing puts the loco in local politics like a Coggs. Having learned about Milwaukee Alderman Mike McGee Jr. receiving a transportation allowance while sitting in jail, Coggs asked for a transportation allowance, too. Sorry Coggs, but you’re only guilty of criminal stupidity. No transportation allowance for you.

Down the hall from Coggs is Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway, who wants to raise taxes because people are too poor to drive to the suburbs.

I almost feel deprived out here in Waukesha. Here we only have Alderman and County Supervisor Kathy Cummings. Cummings was last heard arguing in the Waukesha Common Council against spending the money to upgrade the rail crossings because we would all eventually get used to the train horns. Since the city failed to get their application in on time, Cummings’ theory has been put to the test. I’d ask for her reaction, BUT I CAN’T HEAR HER OVER THE TRAINS.

Perhaps in a more quiet, tranquil, peaceful setting we can really concentrate on the task at hand and find this week’s Idiot Politician of the Week. Shh. It’s the U.S. Bank Championship celebrity golf driving event. Dr. Sheldon Wasserman, state representative from River Hills is about to tee off. Wasserman is facing State Senator Alberta Darling in the election, and Wasserman surrogates have raised questions about Darling’s health. Wasserman himself likes to add to the speculation by claiming a near-perfect attendance and voting record in Madison. Shhh. The doctor is about to tee off.

Oops. It looks a little short on that one! About 18 yards less than his opponent. He doesn’t look happy. After all, what idiot enters a golf driving contest against his political opponent after questioning her health, and then isn’t good enough to do better than her? When she out-drives him by a pretty good distance? When she’s older than him by 17 years? Whose health is in question?

I’ll tell you what kind of idiot. It’s our Idiot Politician of the Week Sheldon Wasserman. If he keeps making bone-headed decisions like this one, he’ll have plenty of time for golf lessons after an abrupt ending to his political career.

This just in

Because of a reference to Lee Holloway as "Wile Lee Holloway", competing pickets have formed outside the headquarters of the blog No Runny Eggs. PETA members and Warner Brothers cartoon characters are both protesting the blog's association of a thug like Holloway with the noble coyote (PETA) and cartoon characters.

PETA spokesmammal Sandi Madhen accused the blogger of speciesism, saying that associating Holloway with Wile E. Coyote was a reinforcement of the stereotype that coyotes are sneaky, dangerous scavengers.

Tensions rose between the two picketing groups when some PETA members accused the Road Runner of engaging in anti-coyote bigotry and oppression. Police moved the PETA demonstration across the street when boxes from Acme with unknown contents were delivered to the cartoon characters.

Blogger Jim Rowen was arrested when he attempted to drive an Acme train as part of the cartoon protest.

Lee Holloway remains a thug

Local blogger Steve Eggleston, writing about a memo by Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway, had the temerity to refer to the chairman as a "thug." Jim Rowen objects, and says that Eggleston is playing the race card.

At least one self-described "hard-boiled" righty blogger can't stop playing the race card.

That's the only conclusion you can come to when "Thug" - - a word that worked itself into the local vocabulary following particularly violent crimes, and especially during former Ald. Michael McGee's legal troubles - - suddenly becomes Holloway's middle name, too.

Apparently on at least one right-wing blog from the south Milwaukee suburbs - - and so far I'm not seeing anyone on the conservative side of the blogosphere take the race-baiter to task - - Holloway's 'crime' was supporting a sales tax increase, in a public policy debate, at the Milwaukee County Board.

Which he chairs, as the Supervisors' elected leader.

In other words, where he does his job.

Yes, readers outside greater Milwaukee and beyond, this is part of the heavily-racialized public debate that is endured here.

Rowen then points out a number of white politicians that supported raising taxes not commonly referred to as a "thug."

The word "thug" has its origins in a murder cult in India. The Thuggees were devoted to the death goddess Kali and their favorite method of murder was to take unsuspecting travellers and strangle them.

Today "thug" refers to someone who is a violent, often physically brutal, criminal in nature. The nice part about the word "thug" is that the ugly sound of the word wonderfully provides an aural texture to the thought being conveyed in such a small word. "Thug." The "ug" sound, like in "ugly" and "ugh" (or reversed in "disgust") quickly identifies an object of revulsion.

Like Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway. Let's face it. "Thug" is so much better as a short descriptor than almost any term to describe the chairman. It certainly rolls off the toungue more quickly than, "petty and violent kleptocrat and slumlord." Or even "brutish and corrupt".

Rowen attempts to make the case that Steve Eggleston was using the term because a) race, and b) Holloway's stand on taxes. Would it make Rowen sleep better if I accuse him of thuggish bullying with his cry of racism? After all, Rowen admits that Eggleston has used the term before to describe Holloway in other blog posts on other issues, but does not provide any evidence that Eggleston meant the term in a racilly pejorative fashion.

Rowen's only argument is that Holloway is an African American, Michael McGee Jr was an African American, conservatives have used the word "thug" to describe both. Perhaps Rowen should be more concerned why their African American constituents were tolerant of having thugs as their elected representatives.

Rowen owes Eggleston an apology, the word "thug" remains in circulation, and Lee Holloway remains a thug whether Rowen acknowledges it or not.

In the meantime, perhaps Rowen would be willing to take up the cause of the misuse of the term to describe other politicians? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Angry mob missed Juneteenth Day

Decided to riot today instead for FEMA. Rumored food stamp giveaway causes fights to break out. Patrick is getting the details.

In all seriousness, how much flood damage was done in the area of 12th and Vliet that requires federal aid?

Educating the Idiot Politician of the Week

Time for another installment of Idiot Politician of the Week. I didn’t want to, but I felt I owed it to them somehow.

Welcome to Cudahy where the mating call is, “I’m so drunk.” Yes, the punch line of Milwaukee County is too good for Wal-Mart. Casting the deciding vote was Mayor Ryan McCue. You may remember him from such documentaries as “Screw the Taxpayers” and “Your Milwaukee County Board: Good Work If You Can Get It.” According to McCue, well…, nothing. He’s refused to say why he’s opposed to Wal-Mart. He prefers to remain silent and be thought an idiot rather than open his mouth and remove all doubt.

Removing all doubt this week was former Vice President Al Gore, who took advantage of a cyclone that perhaps killed 100,000 people in Myanmar to suggest that it was the result of global warming. Perhaps if they had the Internet in Myanmar, they would understand that tornados have never happened before the introduction of the internal combustion engine, and really all those deaths have nothing to do with living in an especially impoverished third-world brutal kleptocracy.

Dropping into Milwaukee to remind us all why she was President Ronald Reagan’s biggest mistake, former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor told her audience that electing judges is wrong, and that Arizona has a better way. Of course, the Arizona method made her a judge, and her tenure on the US Supreme Court is strong evidence that an unaccountable judiciary is not a good thing.

Then there’s Senator Barack Obama who announced in Oregon he has traveled to “57 states” and has “only one left.” He must’ve figured it out using the same math that shows a windfall profits tax will lower gas prices. I’m not even going to comment on the apparent sad state of education in Illinois.

But speaking of the sad state of education, this week’s “Idiot Politician of the Week” is conspiracy theorist and Muslim convert Kevin Barrett who has decided to take on Congressman Ron Kind (D) as a Libertarian. Barrett once proved idiots are in control of UW-Madison when he was allowed to teach despite publicly supporting a theory that the events of September 11, 2001 were somehow planned and carried out by the US government.

Details of Barrett’s candidacy can be found in the online conspiracy theory newsletter Capital Times where associate editor John Nichols called Barrett, “the 9/11 skeptic” and “the media-savvy activist.” Nichols’ next interview will be with a spokesman for conspiracy theorists that don’t believe man walked on the moon. Unfortunately for Nichols, the Weekly World News is no longer publishing.

Barrett will fit in well with the misfits of the Wisconsin Libertarian Party. But aside from the wacko conspiracy theory, did he really feel the need to tell Nichols he plans to run an, “all-out no-holds-barred truth jihad”?

I’m sure local Muslims are wishing he would convert to something else. “Really, no problem, no death threats. Just go.” After all, other than the Libertarians, who would want to be associated with the Idiot Politician of the Week?

One among the dozen

Idiots, idiots everywhere. On the way home this evening I saw one idiot behind the wheel of a car honking her horn because the six cars in her lane weren’t moving. When they did move, they didn’t move fast enough for her and she honked her horn again. This time the car in front of her stopped and someone got out. Since we were east of 124th street, I didn’t stick around to see the end.

There were idiots abroad. Former Chief Idiot Jimmy Carter became a useful idiot for terrorists when he declared he had achieved peace in our time. Fortunately Hamas was more truthful than Jimmy when they pointed out that they did not accept the right of Israel to exist and that they would only offer Israel a ten-year truce provided Israel retreated to it’s (strategically untenable) pre-1967 borders. After said truce Hamas would go back to killing Israelis until the last Jew was gone.

But this week the idiots were out in force in Milwaukee County where the County Board had to vote 45 times to elect a new chairman. The new chairman is the same as the old one, violent slumlord Lee Holloway. Brian Fraley has the twelve who voted for Holloway on the final ballot.

1. Gerry Broderick
2. Toni Clark
3. Elizabeth Coggs-Jones
4. Marina Dimitrijevic
5. Lee Holloway
6. Willie Johnson Jr.
7. Christopher Larson
8. Theo Lipscomb
9. Michael Mayo Sr.
10. John Thomas
11. John Weishan Jr.
12. Peggy West

But we can’t have 12 idiot politicians of the week, can we? And we won’t. Supervisor Lipscomb voted “present” the entire time until the final vote because he didn’t feel it was right for a newcomer to make such a choice. Of course, when he ran for the office it was assumed by his constituents that they were asking him to precisely do that – make choices. And not later – now. Had he voted earlier, he could have broken the tie for second place, forcing the run-off between Holloway and Schmitt that much earlier. But he failed to do the one task his constituents required of him causing the whole embarrassing mess to drag out that much longer. What’s worse, when he finally made a choice so many hours after it all began, he made the wrong choice, making the whole affair that much more embarrassing to Milwaukee County.

So congratulations Supervisor Lipscomb. On the job less than a week and already you are the Idiot Politician of the Week. Who would've thought your constituents would miss James White as their supervisor?

At least they have the job title right

Why do the Milwaukee County taxpayers have to pay for a spokesman - the "Public Information Manager" - for the Milwaukee County Board? What other government body has one spokesman for 19 full-time (and over-compensated) elected officials? Are they all mute and incapable of typing?

And what information is the public getting? Here's the latest press release from PIM Harold Mester in it's entirety:

Milwaukee Co. Board: Lee Holloway re-elected chairman of Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors for 2008-2012 term
4/21/2008

Contact: Harold Mester, Public Information Manager

414/278-4051 or harold.mester@milwcnty.com

Sup. Mayo Elected 1st Vice Chair, Sup. West elected 2nd Vice Chair

Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voted this evening to re-elect Lee Holloway as County Board Chairman. Supervisor Michael Mayo, Sr., was elected 1st Vice-Chair and Supervisor Peggy West was elected 2nd Vice-Chair.

“I’m pleased that my colleagues have entrusted me to continue serving as Chairman of the Board,” said Holloway, who has served as Chairman since 2002. “I look forward to continuing my record as an inclusive Chairman leading the way on important decisions facing Milwaukee County over the next four years.”

Four new Supervisors, elected on April 1st, were also sworn-in:

• Theo Lipscomb, 1st District
• Christopher Larson, 14th District
• Joe Sanfelippo, 17th District
• John Thomas, 18th District

The next regular meeting of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 200 of the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

That's it. No mention of the time that it took to elect Holloway. No mention of the number of votes. None of the roll call votes. Zip. Nada. Just a friendly press release that could've been written by Holloway himself.

If the supervisors are so incompetent that they want to keep Holloway, the least they could do is fire Mester and issue their own press releases.

Decisions, decisions

History buffs will remember that Woodrow Wilson won his party's nomination in 1912 after 46th ballot at the Democratic National Convention that year. This is not a post on the liklihood of this year's Democratic Convention being so divided*.

Brian Fraley is reporting on the continuing struggle of the Milwaukee County Board to select a new County Board Chairman. As of 4:23 PM, Fraley reports they're on the 16th ballot.

On the (I think) 16th ballot: John Weishan with only the support of John Weishan was the lowest vote getter and will be dropped from future ballots. On the 16th Ballot: Schmitt 5, Holloway 5, Broderick 3, Coggs Jones 2, Marina D. 2, Weishan 1, Present 1.

I bet they break 46 attempts. You wonder why no opposition leader has emerged to County Executive Scott Walker, or why they were unable to oust Lee Holloway before, here's your answer.

Update! 5:46 PM Fraley is now reporting the impasse has reached the 33rd ballot.

I also did a little research and discovered that in 1924 the ballot round record for a presidential nomination at a national convention was set at 103 by John W Davis. He was the Democratic compromise nominee. The other two contenders were Alfred E Smith and William McAdoo (Woodrow Wilson's son-in-law).

Update! 7:51 PM Fraley taking a break for dinner until 9:00 PM after the 44th ballot revealed no movement towards a board chairman.
Holloway, Eight; Broderick, Five; Schmitt, Five; Present, One.

The supervisors must not have shared any popcorn.

Update! 9:02 PM Habemas princeps! Sorry, got carried away for a minute there. According to Fraley, Holloway pulled it out on the 45th ballot. The Milwaukee County Board is still run by a violent slum lord.

(*although, wouldn't it be great?)

Milwaukee County had a pension scandal?

Bruce Murphy takes a look at Milwaukee County's lawsuit against Mercer:

It is remarkable how little has been written about Milwaukee County’s suit against Mercer Human Resources Consulting. The stakes for county taxpayers are high. The county has hired actuarial experts who have estimated the total cost of the notorious November 2000 pension plan to be $600 million.

The county has also uncovered considerable documentation suggesting the Mercer did a shoddy job when it came to advising on and estimating the costs of the infamous “backdrop” program, which has allowed county employees to collect lump sum payments as high as $600,000 while also getting a monthly pension payment for life. If Mercer is found at fault, the county could win big. (Two years ago it asked for a settlement of at least $100 million.)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel stories have barely touched on the details in the court filings.

Murphy also discusses Dave Umhoefer winning the Pulitzer Prize for his work on the county buyback program first reported by Bruce Murphy.

The irony of the JS winning for writing about the county pension system, the story it didn’t cover until it was forced to, is remarkable. Even when it finally wins, there’s a dark cloud shading the silver lining.

But it’s still a Pulitzer, for a paper that’s never had one, and whose predecessor paper, the Milwaukee Journal, had last won in 1977. That’s a long dry spell. The victory validates the strategy of Kaiser to recruit nationally for talent. He did, and brought in enterprise and investigative editor Mark Katches, who had overseen two projects that were Pulitzer finalists at the Orange County Register. Katches seems like the real thing, and the JS appears to be giving him the resources needed to do investigations. I hope there are more Pulitzers to come for the paper.

The winning story involved a county buyback program that allowed employees to buy credit toward their pension for previous years of service, even though they had originally waived payments to the pension during those years (for seasonal jobs in their youth, etc.). Horne and McBride note that I wrote first about the county buyback program in 2002. True, but I did nothing about it. JS reporter David Umhoefer learned about the program and did a strong, in-depth story.

The paper hired two actuaries to crunch the numbers on this program, and they estimated a $50 million impact from several hundred employees who got a buyback. Of course, most of the cost actually came for those employees who were thereby vaulted into the elite group that benefited from the backdrop and the 25 percent bonus passed in November 2000 – the pension sweeteners I wrote about that may cost as much as $600 million and led to the ouster of eight elected county officials.

Still, Umhoefer added another discrete tale to the ongoing story of cronyism and greed that has characterized all aspects of the county pension scandal. More particularly, his piece dramatized the impact a daily paper’s beat reporter can have. Umhoefer took over the courthouse beat in 2002, just after the pension scandal hit, at a high-pressure time, when the county and the paper’s coverage of it were in the spotlight. He waded through all the cross-currents, covered the beat with energy and clarity, and brought that knowledge to bear in the buyback story. His Pulitzer winner, in short, was really the culmination of his work as a beat reporter. And yes, it did remind us of the enduring value of newspapers. Whether in print or online, most journalistic scoops are still being delivered by newspapers, and we all benefit from the work they do.

Gracious of Murphy, considering he could've wondered when he gets to throw out the first pitch at Miller park, too.

Follow-up Pulitzer

Jessica McBride had an excellent column yesterday in the Saturday Waukesha Freeman (just 3 small quarters at every corner newspaper box). Jessica looked at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Pulitzer Prize win, and wondered if they would be willing to share.

The newspaper’s Dave Umhoefer, who won journalism’s highest prize, is a good person and a good reporter, who exemplifies the best in journalism.

He was one of the first Wisconsin reporters truly skilled at computer-assisted reporting, which is the use of databases in investigative journalism. So, it’s not surprising that Umhoefer won the big award for a project that involved building a database from raw documents.

His story – exposing a faulty Milwaukee County pension buyback scheme – was great enterprise work. In an era of episodic reporting, Milwaukee journalism needs more like it.

But there’s something unfortunate about the newspaper’s failure to utter the words “Bruce Murphy” as it slaps itself on the back. The newspaper got a Pulitzer for a story that stemmed from a far bigger story it ignored and traditional journalism will never honor.

Murphy, now editor of Milwaukee magazine and a former Journal Sentinel reporter himself, broke the original, far more impactful Milwaukee pension scandal on Milwaukeeworld.com, one of the first journalistic blogs here. Ironically, a local public relations executive, Craig Peterson, created the blog to tell stories the traditional media didn’t.

Murphy revealed that Tom Ament and other administrators stood to reap multimillion-dollar pensions. The big scoop sat on the Web for weeks before the newspaper reported it. Murphy’s story – the first in Wisconsin in which a blog set the news agenda – was enormously influential.

It prompted Ament’s resignation, recalls, a tax revolt, the dramatic realignment of Milwaukee County politics through the election of a Republican county executive, and criminal charges.

The buybacks were not directly related to the pension backdrop lump sums. But Murphy ignited the reportorial focus on pensions and government, particularly in Milwaukee County.

Murphy is why the editors sent Umhoefer over to the county beat. I remember how the editors used to frantically run over to their computers to check Murphy’s site every morning, panicking that he was going to break yet another story they didn’t have. Which, inevitably, he did. Now they pretend the buyback story was something that just popped into their heads.

Normally I would have let this go. After all, Bruce Murphy's a big boy and doesn't need a defense in this community. But I couldn't, and probably for the same reason Jessica cited.

What pushed me to write this column, though, was a quote from Journal Sentinel Editor Martin Kaiser. Murphy’s successor at Milwaukeeworld.com, Michael Horne, was the one who singled it out. Kaiser, in the newspaper’s story about the Pulitzer, stated, “No one else is going to do investigations like this except newspaper staffs. That is what makes you relevant. You’ve got to provide news that people can’t get anywhere else.”

The problem is, someone did.

There was another pension scandal?

Michael Horne reminds us of another reporter's work on the Milwaukee County pension scandal for a certain website. That reporter is now editing some magazine while The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wins the Pulitzer Prize for a follow-up story. Such is the nature of the beast.

Update! You want irony? Look at the first comment on this Murphy's Law.

It's all Scott Walker's fault

Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway has announced he will not seek re-election.

Good riddance. If Holloway is that tired of being a politician, maybe four more years is too long?

Who says there isn't fat in the Milwaukee County budget?

It's all Scott Walker's fault.



(Ht: Illusory Tenant)