Recall rally and petition circulation - notes and pics - Nov 19, 201

Just some random thoughts and photos from the rally yesterday.

Even though I am recovering from a cold, and being out in the cold and shouting in the street probably isn't the best thing for my health, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to attend the kick-off rally at the Capitol today. Besides, you can only stand so much "recovery" inside before you come down with another ailment: cabin fever.

So off I went, first to a pre-rally caffeination session at Barriques with some other lefties, and then up to the main rally. After walking around for a bit, I found a booth where you could grab supplies to circulate recall petitions. I had brought my own clipboard and pens, so all I needed was the paperwork: one recall petition for Walker, and  a second one for Kleefish.

We can't forget the recall for Kleefish, because if we get rid of Walker without getting rid of her, she'd become Governor. Hard to believe there would be anyone worse than Walker, but I think she would fit that role.

The organizers told me to stand at the top of State Street, on the Capitol side, but there were already so many volunteers there that I went down State Street a bit. We also had stickers to give people once they signed so that other people wouldn't bug them. I think I gave out ten times as many stickers as the number of signatures I got, but that's OK. People were glad to get a sticker, partly in support of the cause, and partly so they wouldn't keep being asked to sign. I gave stickers to little kids, teens too young to vote, out of state supporters, and citizens of other countries. It was wonderful to see so many people wanting to do anything they could to support the recall.

I finally filled all the sheets I had for both candidates and gave out all the stickers I had. I was feeling like it was time to get out of the cold, but I walked around a bit to see some of the signs. It all had a bit of a deja vu feeling, since we were all out in the cold, rain, and snow just 8-9 months ago. 

There were the creative signs; the Madison Fire Dept bagpipes and kilts; parades and signs from AFSCME, MTI, ATF, and other unions; even the Teamsters truck was back. Everyone was back in the street, shouting, chanting, marching, organizing, and being supportive of each other. There were smiles all around, but also that same frustration and anger, the feeling that our progressive state had been taken from us. 

 One thing I thought, as I walked around, was, "Well, it seems that Walker is good for a certain category of small business: Those in Madison selling food near the Square, and those printing and selling t-shirts, bumper stickers, and pins." The business was brisk at the food carts, bars, and coffee shops. You could hardly get in anywhere within two blocks of the Square. And there was a healthy selection of ways to express your feelings by wearing, pinning something on yourself, or sticking something on your car (or bike.)

I had a few errands to do, and as I entered one business, well away from downtown, one of the employees smiled and said, "I bet  know where you were today." She offered to sign my petition (I had picked up some extra sheets) without me saying anything, and another employee quickly came over as well. They both implied that they could only sign because the boss wasn't around, but they were very eager. (I don't want to get them in trouble, so I won't say where I was.) 

Everyone I know seems to be passing around petitions, volunteering to stand in the street, or knock on doors. I was worried that the energy would be gone by now, that people would be resigned to the regime, but it seems they were just waiting for the signal to rush back into action. I hope the action and momentum is as good in other parts of the state as it is here in Madison, because we are going to need it to get all the signatures in time.

Seriously, How hard is 400 signatures?

A judge recently ruled against a candidate that failed to get 400 signatures for a state senate seat. He was two signatures short after some of the signatures were ruled invalid.

I'm sure the Republican party will call foul, but really, 400 signatures to get on the ballot, and he failed? Volunteers got enough signatures to set up a recall election, but not enough to get their candidate on the ballot? How lame can the effort be?

Maybe it's because the people collecting signatures against Senator Dave Hansen were often paid, out of state people who didn't really care about the issues, but were just in it for the dough. I did data entry to challenge some of those recall petitions, and the work was very sloppy, and almost every petition from Green Bay were from someone from outside Wisconsin. (I personally think a person circulating a petition should have to be an eligible elector in Wisconsin, but that's just me.)

As a former elected officials, I have circulated many nomination papers. Four hundred signatures is a pretty low bar for an office that important, and everyone knows you always overshoot. When I had to collect 20 signatures to get on the ballot in Madison, I got 50. When the Democrats needed 15,000 signatures to recall a Republican Senator, they got 20,000, 25,000, even 30,000 signatures!

Rep. John Nygren is either extremely lazy or extremely politically incompetent. Either way, he didn't do the minimum to be on the ballot, and clearly doesn't deserve to be a State Senator. (Yes, it was probably his staff that is lazy and/or incompetent, but it is still the candidate's responsibility, and even the candidate alone should be able to get 400 signatures to get his name on the ballot.)

Questions about the Tea Party rally and participants

1. Why are their signs so lame? The left unquestionably has better signs. Is the right unable to be creative? Can they not think for themselves? I'm trying to not be snarky, but part of the fun and energy of all the rallies at the Capitol has been the great, creative, and often very funny signs. I see few of those at the rallies put on by the right.

2. How come they all get shuttled around in buses? Maybe I should be happy that they are not contributing to downtown traffic congestion, and I understand that Madison can be a confusing place to drive and park, but it just all seems so staged.

I was coming back from the Isthmus Green Day event, and stopped to talk to a group of people waiting to get on the yellow school buses staging in front of the Municipal Bldg. I asked where the buses were going, and how come the rally participants didn't stick around and spend some money/support our local small businesses. I think some of the people thought I was spying on them, and they didn't want to answer. But one guy said that, "Last year, the businesses wouldn't serve us." Which leads me to another question:

3. What kind of BS stuff is right wing radio and Fox News telling these people? When the guy said that they had been refused service, I asked him where. He said, he heard it on the radio. So I asked the crowd, "Who here has been refused service at a local business?" Of course no one raised their hand. I told the crowd that I was certain that any local business would be glad to take their money, and we always welcome people supporting our local businesses.

One guy suggested that I then support Johnsonville Brats. (Referring, I'm sure to the suggested boycott of Johnsonville and Brat Fest for supporting Walker.) Well, for one things, they aren't a Madison business. For another, that is a bit different than eating at a restaurant or shopping on State St.

4. Why do all the conversation I have with the right wing rally goers end up degenerating into talking points from talk radio and Fox TV on their side? And I'm not even trying to talk about politics. Besides asking them where the buses were going, and urging them to stick around and spend money locally, I stopped to thank a pair of women who were picking up trash at the Capitol. Honestly, I saw they were wearing buttons, and I assumed they were typical Madison anti-Walker protesters picking up after the Tea Party rally. But they had on Sarah Palin and other Tea Party buttons, so I thanked them for cleaning up.

They said, "Of course, there shouldn't be any trash." I replied that yes, that was one of the great things about all the rallies throughout this ordeal: that people have been very clean and neat, always cleaning up. They replied skeptically, "Oh, yes we've seen how clean it is." (I think they were being skeptical and snarky, and not honest, but maybe they were being truthful.) When I said, "Oh, have you been up here for other rallies?" they replied, "No, we've seen it on TV." Uh huh. What makes me think that they mean Fox News has been feeding them a bunch of lies about how trashed the Capitol and grounds were? I told them, no, really, it's been wonderful. Much less trash than any of the events, like Art Fair on the Square.

Another guy who did engage me, calmly at first, but then more stridently when I wouldn't bite, asked me, "If working is a right, how come the right to life sin't a right?" He wanted to talk about abortion, and somehow got sidetracked onto asking if I supported women aborting their fetuses that were the wrong gender - in India and China. The conversation had started on the topic of the buses and supporting local businesses, so I'm not sure how we ended up within 90 seconds on abortion, but it seemed that it was another case of using the right wing radio/TV talking points.

5. Why did Vicki McKenna immediately give me a shooting headache? OK, this might have been pure coincidence, but I was buying some cheese at the Farmers' Market when she came on stage. The moment her voice came through the loud speakers, I got one of those headaches that is a shooting pain in your temple, the ones that make me think I'm having a stroke. (Am I the only one that gets those? Should I be worried? It's been happening most of my adult life, and I'm still alive and healthy, so I've mostly been ignoring them, but I always worry that maybe my body is trying to tell me something.)

Walker is lying to transit advocates. What a surprise

This may not be news to many people, but for those that haven't been paying attention to all the nasty little turd bomb in the budget bill(s), here's an update on impacts on our transit systems.

From the Huffington Post (although this same article was posted in many other locations as well):

Under an obscure provision of federal labor law, states risk losing federal funds should they eliminate "collective bargaining rights" that existed at the time when federal assistance was first granted. The provision, known as "protective arrangements" or "Section 13C arrangements," is meant as a means of cushioning union (and even some non-union) members who, while working on local projects, are affected by federal grants. It also could potentially hamstring governors like Walker who want dramatic changes to labor laws in their states.

Darling and Vos of JFC really don't want to hear your opinion

The co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee – Sen. Alberta Darling and Rep Robin Vos – are really doing everything they can to skew the testimony in favor of their view. And on the flip side, they are doing everything they can to suppress the views of those who disagree with them.

Tales from the recall effort - WIAA Boys B-Ball Tournament

Inspired by the Daily Kos post on the recall efforts in Alberta Darling's district, I thought I'd share my own experiences from circulating recall petitions for three days at the WIAA tournament this week. There were a number of people out helping, so some of the stories are from others, or exchanges that I witnessed.

All three days were lovely spring days, and the Kohl Center isn't far from my house, so standing around outside in downtown Madison was no hardship. I wanted to feel like I could do something concrete about the situation i Wisconsin. After all the days spent at the Capitol, or supporting others up there, I didn't just want to give up after the bill had been passed.

So Thursday I headed down to Dayton St after getting an email asking for help. My first shift there were only one or two other people circulating petitions, but we got into a rhythm of announcing why we were out there, holding up our signs, and encouraging people to approach us to sign. Not only did I get a lesson in the spectrum of feelings about our efforts, but I also learned how the WIAA tournament was structured and saw people from all over the state pass by on their way to cheer on their teams.

One of the first issues we encountered had nothing to do with politics. The two hours that I had been assigned, the two teams were not from districts that we were targeting for recall. And the game tickets are sold for a set of two games, and we had arrived in the middle of the two-game set, so not many people were coming in and out.

When people finally started streaming out, we got what would come to be a typical mix of reactions. About 80% of the people walked by with absolutely no reaction whatsoever. They looked through us like we were the cement bollards nearby. This sort of confused me. Did their team lose, and they were in the mood for interaction? Were they so disinterested in the recall efforts? Or completely unaware of why we were there? Or maybe, being from smaller communities, they just weren't used to the sort of political actions that we in Madison see every day. On the other hand, maybe they just don't like talking to strangers.

Of the 20% that acknowledged that there were human beings standing on the sidewalk with some sort of purpose, there was a mix of reactions. Some people shook their heads, obviously not in sympathy with our efforts. Other people at least nodded or smiled, not stopping, but perhaps amused or in too much of a hurry to stop. Other people stared or paused to read our signs, then went on their way. We also got some thumbs up.

Of the small number of people that interacted with any of us, a few mumbled, "Get a job!" to the one young man sitting on one of the bollards. He actually has a job - he works for a Dem. Senator. Why do people think we don't have jobs? We also got plenty of "Hell, no!" or "Walker for President!" shoots.

Some people wanted to know where the petitions were for "Those Dems that ran away and didn't do their jobs." By the third day I wondered the same thing. There are actually recall efforts for a couple of Democratic  senators - although I'm certainly not going to give those efforts any support. With all the people in from all over the state, the recall efforts against the Dems was nowhere to be found, even when teams in those districts were playing.

On Saturday, we had enough volunteers that another woman and I walked up and down State St, trying to catch the throngs there. A number of people asked, "What does this have to do with high school sports?" I found this strange in two ways. First, I wasn't necessarily claiming it had to do with the WIAA. We were just trying to catch people as they visited. For the same reason, the people that suggested that I should be at the Capitol seemed to miss the point that the people we were looking for were at the Kohl Center. The question about the connection with high school sports also struck me as fairly naive. When state funding to schools is drastically cut, and local communities are legally prohibited from raising property taxes to make up the difference, sports will be endangered as well as art, music, and advanced placement programs.

And finally we had a fair number of people stop and talk, and most of those wanted to sign our petitions. But then the political details got in the way. Even though these people were supportive, many were unsure of the process. We had maps of the senate districts, because most people didn't know who their senator was. We had a lot of people want to sign, but they lived in districts held by Dems. "So I have to live there to sign to get rid of them?" Yes, that's the way it works, but we thanked them for their support.

A surprising number of people came by and said they had already signed a recall petition. These were mostly teachers, spouses of teachers, or family members of other union workers, but not all. We had lots of people thank us for being out there, and others saying, "I wish I could sign, but we have one of the good ones!" By their team colors, I could tell they lived in Dem districts.

A few other random observations:

Without a doubt, the crowds that hailed from districts represented by Democratic senators were friendlier than those from districts represented by Republican senators, even when the voting for those areas was fairly evenly split. The people from Merrill were far and away the nicest and overall most supportive. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that this is the first time in 46 years that Merrill has made it to the tournament.

After three days, people seemed to have figured out why we were there. There were fewer blank stares, and more interaction, other positive and negative. These people had probably walked by us a few times coming and going to games, and we had more people and bigger signs. Most people still just walked by, but there were more people likely to show some reaction, such as frowns, smiles, waves, thumbs up or down, a few words, etc.

Saturday's finals for Divisions 1 and 2 - the larger schools - were definitely the most productive times for us. We knew that there was at least one school playing in each of the finals that was in a district we were targeting, so we had plenty of people out. Although we knew these people had walked by before, now they were willing to stop and sign. Maybe the pressure of the semi-finals was over, or they knew this was their last chance to sign with us. The lead organizer also posited that many people from larger communities felt more at ease talking to us.

There were a couple of notable positive and negative interactions. On Saturday, a guy walked by a middle-aged male volunteer and pointed at him with these words, "You people should be shot!" Even though we had experienced people swearing at us - at times in front of their kid! - this really shocked me. Physical threats jut seem like such an overreaction, and really disturbing in light of the shootings in Tuscon.

Another man stood in front on me, towering over my 5'3" head and yelled at me, expecting me, I am sure to physically back away. All I could think was, "This guy really doesn't know me." I never felt physically threatened, and I stood my ground until he was done. I can't even remember what either of us said, but I know I didn't really try to argue with him, but also didn't let him believe he had intimidated me in any way.

Several volunteers were asked at some point for ID, not by police or anyone official, but by people who seemed to think that all this recall dust-up is cooked up and staffed by hired agitators from out of state. All the volunteers I spoke to were from Madison, although there might have been a Middleton or Verona person thrown in.

Sometimes you couldn't tell what a person was going to say when they approached. One older gentleman appeared to be ready to confront us, and then whispered, "Yeah, get rid of those bastards!" He told us he was a union worker for 40 years, and went on to impress on us all the things the unions had fought for that now benefits all workers. We had been bracing for a negative interaction, and the only problem we had was ending the conversation without being rude.

My favorite interaction of the three days occurred with a woman from Merrill. I was holding up a sign on my clipboard that read, "RECALL REPUBLICAN 8 SENATORS!" She apparently only saw the word REPUBLICAN, and frowned as she went by. "We're Democrats." she stated. When I pointed out that we were trying to get rid of the Republicans, that we felt were hurting our state, she turned around and apologized profusely. She hugged me and explained that she was very upset about the Governor's bill, that she was a teacher, and her husband a union man (forgot what field.) She thanked us profusely for being out there, and even agreed to be interviewed by a local TV station. When the interview was over, she came over and hugged me again.

I also want to thank the UW Police for their professionalism. One day we had a bullhorn, and an officer came over to very calmly tell us that we were welcome to be there, could collect signatures and do our thing, but we couldn't use the bullhorn. No amplification. We said, no problem and put it away. Another day, as we were getting volunteers organized, another officer approached us and just gave us an FYI that we were welcome to organize and such, he just asked us to not block people's movement as they came and went. Since we were mostly standing in front of or behind the flat-topped cement bollards - they are the perfect height to use as writing surfaces - we left the openings clear for the throngs.

So, overall, an interesting few days. It's good to be reminded that there are a variety of opinions out there, that some people fully support the Governor's tactics and budget, and others are completely apathetic or unaware of the issues. But it also feels good to be outdoors talking to people, fighting the fight for what we we feel is right. Each signature we collected is one more to add to the thousands we need in each district. We were told by many people that we'd never get enough, but as I responded, "You can at least try."

This is not what I would consider an "open" Capitol

For those not following closely, the Wisconsin state Capitol was been closed since Sunday night, Feb 27. People had been sleeping in the building to protest the Governor's "budget repair bill," and the Capitol Police decided that they wanted those people out - likely to spiff up the place for the Governor's formal budget address on Tuesday. Don't want to have any pesky opposition in there, with their protest signs, when the newly purchased puppet governor speaks to his masters and wealthy followers the public.

When people left peacefully on Sunday night, they were promised that the building would be reopened on Monday at 8 am, for "normal business hours." Well, come Monday morning, the building has remained shut. People lined up outside, but they couldn't get in. Because the state Capitol is required to be open any time state business is being conducted, and because it is a public building, a judge issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) to force the Capitol Police and Department of Administration (DOA) - who oversees all state buildings - to allow people in.

In a show of chutzpah that took my breath away, the DOA claimed that they were complying with the TRO, and the building was open. Well, if you want to stand in line for hours on end, tell the cops exactly which office you will be visiting, be escorted by armed officers to and from the office, and even be followed when you use the bathroom, I guess you might say it is "open." But most people would not say that.

Every year for over a decade I have gone to Washington, DC to meet with our Senators and Representatives during the National Bike Summit. We can enter the Senate and House office buildings freely, after a security check. You can walk up to and into the offices of any member of congress, even those that may not represent your state. I cannot imagine busy people - such as those that often want to meet with their elected officials - waiting outside for an armed escort and then going back outside to wait for another escort in and out for each meeting.

I have lived most of my adult life in Madison, and have been in and out of the Capitol so many times that I can't even think if it is hundreds or thousands of times. I have visited friends that work there, taken a tour, used the bathrooms on every floor, attended hearings, made official visits to legislators, taken pictures of this beautiful building, and just walked through the first floor as a shortcut. I know what it means to be "open," and the building is not open.

Yesterday, former Congressman Dave Obey, who represented northern Wisconsin for over 40 years, and previously served in the Wisconsin legislature for 6 years, tried to enter the Capitol, and was told to stand in line. Reps Peter Barca and Donna Seidel came out to talk to him. The video shot of the encounter makes me want to cry for my state. Obey took a very principled stand and insisted that he wasn't going to go in if the rest of the public couldn't also go in, but he had harsh words for Walker.

"I think the governor is a political bully and a political thug," Obey said, adding that Walker "should quit flexing his muscle" and work out differences with Democratic legislators, including the 14 senators who left the state to prevent a vote on the bill.

"I think the governor has needlessly divided the state," Obey said. "I can't think of a bill that will do more to weaken the future of Wisconsin. This is an anti-education, anti-union budget, and people ought to understand that."

That video tells a huge story. I wish the local and national media had given it more play.

Even staff cannot move about freely. Today Vicky Selkowe, a Capitol staffer for Rep. Cory Mason, posted this memo on her Facebook page:

To:                  WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE

From:             CAPITOL POLICE

RE:                  UPDATE:  CAPITOL ACCESS

Date:              March 2, 2011

Constituent Escorts & Badges

We have been attempting to improve constituent access to legislative offices, as best we can, while maintaining adequate security in the Capitol building.  The procedure to allocate eight badges to each legislator’s office has worked fairly well, but there have been problems with escorted visitors discarding their badges while en route to or from legislative offices so they can join visitors in the rotunda.  This defeats the purpose of the procedure and we are asking your assistance.

On Monday and Tuesday we utilized staff to assist with escorting visitors, however we received feedback that some representatives felt their staff members were overwhelmed with escort requests.  So on Wednesday we attempted to use police instead to facilitate escorts.  However, we received feedback that this method also had limitations.  Therefore, beginning tomorrow, Thursday, March 3, we are requesting a legislative staff member to meet your constituent visitors at the King Street entrance and escort them to your office along with a law enforcement officer.

Any of your office’s eight badges that are not used for the purpose for which they were issued will be taken from your office’s allotment of badges for the day.  Continued loss of badges or abuse of the badges’ intended purpose may further limit the availability of badges for your constituents, and after three incidents your office may forfeit its badge allocation altogether until conditions at the Capitol change.

Thank you for your cooperation with procedures that will allow constituents to continue visits to your office and for us to provide a safe and secure environment in the Capitol.

Key Card Access

As you know, key card access for Capitol staff was disabled on Monday.

We realize that Capitol staff members have been inconvenienced by the disabling of key card access, however this step was made necessary because a small number of staff members were seen to be abusing the key card access system by allowing some visitors to bypass building entry procedures.

If Capitol staff members can demonstrate they are willing to follow the procedures for building access that are currently in effect, we will consider temporarily restoring key card access and will monitor compliance to determine whether key card access can be permanently restored.

Arrangements for Lobby Days and Similar Events

The following plans for lobby days and similar events have been established to be in keeping with the existing queuing and badging procedures.  Lobby groups that wish to meet with legislators should reserve a hearing room via a legislator.  Lobby group members will queue and be badged at the King Street entrance as are all other visitors, and will be escorted to their reserved hearing room.  Because non-staff are not currently permitted free rein of the building, legislators will need to visit lobby groups in the hearing room (rather than the typical practice of lobby group members traveling from one legislator’s office to another).  Lobby groups may choose instead to visit individual legislators via the Constituency Visit procedures listed above, but must return their original badges to the King Street doors and obtain new badges prior to visiting a subsequent office.  Groups may also wish to consider hosting lobby days and similar events at a location other than the capitol if these access procedures are expected to result in undue inconvenience to attendees.

This is completely ridiculous. My emotions about this situation have fluctuated between anger, outrage, depression, sadness, and pain. The protesters have been peaceful and well-behaved. The excuse that the DOA has given for not allowing people inside is that some people have not come out. Well, if they won't come out, arrest them, and then let others come in. But the Walker administration won't do that, because they know that having peaceful protesters carried out of the Capitol will look bad. 

The building is not open, and the DOA Secretary and Governor are in contempt of a court order. They are the ones that should be arrested. 

WI state Capitol access tighter than airports

I reported on (OK, passed on from person reporting from the scene) a comment the Asst AG made regarding the Temporary Restraining Order to open the Capitol - i.e. the State has been arguing that the Capitol IS open, but access restricted to keep things under control. The Asst AG said that the Capitol restrictions are similar to an airport. “You can't get into an airport without an ID."

My Facebook comment was, "Of course you can. You just can't get to the GATES without an ID, boarding pass and TSA screening." Everyone has experienced going to airports - pretty much anywhere in the US to pick someone up or to catch a flight. You walk into the airport from the outside world - whether you walk, bike, take a taxi, arrive by bus, or drive your own car and park - and there are no restrictions to entering the airport. It's only when you want to get to the gates that the restrictions begin.

Here's a response from Drew Hanson, who entered the Capitol today:

I got into the Cap this morning because I had the printout in hand for a public hearing on some DNR rules. But that doesn't mean it was easy. I was questioned by armed police no less than six times, searched and then escorted to and from the hearing by armed police. When I needed to leave the hearing to use the restroom, two armed police stood outside the door. When I asked if I could stretch my legs after sitting through an hour of hearing testimony, I was directed to walk back and forth between two armed police who could keep an eye on me. It was far more intrusive and far more threatening than anything I have ever encountered in any airport. I cannot believe this is happening in the United States of America. This is not the way law abiding citizens should be treated in this country.

Huffington Post article on unbreakable Wisconsin spirit

I wrote a comment to this article in the Huffington Post, and thought I'd post it here as well. The article talks about how well organized, well-behaved, and steadfast the protests have been, especially inside the Capitol. It made me very proud to see our state and the people fighting to preserve our social justice traditions recognized in this way.

My comment:

I have been at or in the Capitol every day for two weeks now, although I have not spent the night. What you describe is what I have seen every day, and you are right, it is what our Governor should fear. These are Wisconsini­tes of all ages, jobs, areas of the state, and income levels. Most of the people are not even unionized employees. They are simply people that know right from wrong, and they know that Walker's plans are wrong.

Wisconsin has a strong tradition of caring for others, and this tradition is on display, both inside the Capitol and in the opposition to the budget as a whole. 

As several friends have said, "Walker severely underestim­ated us."

On February 13, when this all started, Bill Lueders of the Isthmus wrote, "The governor also knows exactly what kind of reaction -- sustained, militant, disciplined -- might put the kibosh on his power grab." In that same article he said,

Teachers and other public employees, on the other hand, are perfect victims. They aren't used to conflict, and they aren't very good at it. They will hoist their signs and chant their chants and lose their benefits and then their unions. 

Could they fight back and win? Absolutely. But it would take a lot more resolve than Scott Walker and the Republicans give them credit for. It would take all-out campaigns of nonviolent civil disobedience, including a willingness to risk physical abuse and mass arrest, again and again.

So, I think that not only did Scott Walker underestimate us, and specifically underestimated the people that live in Madison - did he forget where the Capitol and his office is located? - but I think that some pundits also underestimated us.

The Huffington Post caught the spirit of what is happening. Wisconsinites are a tough bunch, and they are willing to stand up and fight when they feel backed against the wall. If we can make it through the winters, and put our names on a waiting list for Packer tickets that is over 20 years long, we can keep showing up at the Capitol.

Now we really look like a third world country

The People have taken over the legislative building. 
Until today.

The events of the past two weeks in Madison [photos] have been amazing, inspiring, every-changing, and exhausting. To see people rising up, marching, yelling, putting their lives on hold to voice their outrage over Scott Walker's trumped up budget crisis, which is apparently going to be paid for - both figuratively and literally - by the people least able to afford cuts in government services, has been all-consuming for many of  us.

But as the events started, and as the protests progressed, from crowds rallying on the steps of the Capitol to full-scale occupation of the building by people willing to risk not just a bad sleeping environment, but also arrest, I have thought about how wonderful it is that we still live in a place where people can come into the seat of political power voice their opinions so loudly. At times it has been almost unbearable to stand in the center of the rotunda of the Capitol because of the crowds and noise. From 7 am to 1 am (I'm guessing) every day for almost two weeks, there has been drumming, chanting, singing, talking, yelling, and huge crowds inside the Capitol.

Signs were taped up (with carpenters' tape, so not to damage the walls) all over the Capitol: signs of protest, signs with directions on where to find help, humorous signs, emails from all over the state urging the Governor to reconsider his budget, and signs requesting supplies or compliance with rules. I marveled as this whole community developed inside this public building.

The People have taken over the legislative building. 

Where else would that be allowed? I have traveled in Latin America for 40 years, and I have never been inside the building where laws are made in any country. Maybe I could have gotten in on a tour, but I have never been able to just walk in to the building. In many cities, even entry to the local municipal building requires an appointment and an escort from a staff person.

In most of the world, a huge group of people protesting loudly outside a government building would risk beatings, tear gas, intimidation, or even death. But in Madison, WI, we have been able to bring tens of thousands of people to the steps of the statehouse every day, and thousands of people have set up protests indoors. Many of the people have even slept inside the Capitol. This is a true sign of democracy and the difference between a truly oppressive government - those in unstable third world countries - and the US. Despite the comparisons to Egypt that flew around, we are still allowed access to our seats of government and our representatives.

Until today.

The Capitol Police have announced that no further protesters will be allowed in the building. Why? "To prepare for the upcoming governor's budget address to the Legislature Tuesday."
First, does that mean that people not protesting are allowed in? How do they know whether someone is s protester or just wants to use the bathroom? Or maybe wants to see our beautiful Capitol, or wants to say hello to their representative. Are those people allowed in?

Sure, if you have an appointment, a staff person can come out and escort you in, but is that the way we want to restrict access to our elected officials? Even in Washington, DC, you can just pop in to the office of your Senator or Representative with no appointment. You may not get to see him/her, but you can come in to the office. You can actually stop in to any congressional office, even those not from your home state.

And this business of preparing for the Governor's address reeks of, "We don't want to see or hear from those that disagree with us, and we don't want the news media to be able to show them in the background as they come in for the address."

Very suspicious, in my view. Possibly illegal. Definitely a slap at democracy and free assembly. And I have seen real repression up close.

TIF Review Board: Edgewater, James Madison Park, blight, etc.

OK, I'm going to pull a Brenda and talk about a public meeting. The following may be a bit disjointed, but I don't have time and patience to straighten it out.

First a question: How is TIF going to make landlords maintain their property?

Mayor Dave - stop using Edgewater as an example

Note: I wrote this entry back in mid-June, right after the Mayor's State of the City address, and his announcement that he wanted to "fix the development process." I never posted it, because I wanted to add some links, and never got around to looking them up. 

Now Bob Dunn has threatened a counter suit to the one questioning the approval process. He's acting like a spoiled kid (again), and that just brought all this Edgewater stuff back. The Cap Times ran an editorial titled, "Coming to a neighborhood near you: less influence."  And Marsha Rummel has organized a neighborhood summit this Saturday to talk about the proposals to "fix the process."

So once again, the Edgewater rears its ugly head as example one of "what's wrong with the development process." Well, I think that should stop. Read what I initially wrote back on June 16. I was mad, and still am. 

The Mayor wants to "fix the development process." He said this immediately after the Landmarks Commission rejected the Edgewater plan for the first time, and now he has brought it back up in his State of the City speech and at the Economic Development Commission.

He should stop using the Edgewater as an example of a typical Madison process for a development, because it isn't typical, and it just reminds people how that project split the city. The Edgewater process was long and painful for two reasons. It was an expensive, controversial project that had some very good arguments against it (principally breaking just about every TIF rule and rejection twice by the Landmarks Commission), and the process was bungled by the developer and many of his allies.

And let me say right up front that I had no strong feelings about the Edgewater development as a building. My main objection was the TIF process, which violated almost every rule the Council and the Planning Department had put in place to safeguard the Madison taxpayers and make the TIF allocations fair to all applicants. It took a lot of bad faith and arrogance to anger me to the point of disgust about how the public process was being handled.

In my six years as alder and the time since, I have never seen a development handled so poorly. The list of missteps is far too long to enumerate here, but starts with the public involvement. It was clear from the start that the developer had no respect for public opinion, and he resorted to astroturf support when people spoke out against him. When the developer presented his plans to the public, he was sure that he would prevail, because he had lined up all the correct supporters behind the scenes, as is common in large cities where he is accustomed to operating.

The problem is that most of the Madison decision makers actually have respect for the public process, and they rebelled at the back room dealings that were going on. The citizens that volunteer their time on city commissions, city staff, and the immediate neighbors were disrespected and dismissed. City staff won't complain in public, because they have too much professionalism, but I was appalled by what I heard "off the record."

The Edgewater process amounted to dragging an unhappy, sick kid, kicking and screaming, to a folk or classical concert you want to see. You got the kid to the physical location you wanted, and you are there to see the concert, but  the kid is going to disturb everyone else at the event, make them sick, make them hate you for bringing the kid, and piss off the kid as well. Then you complain that you didn't enjoy the concert, and the sound wasn't very good.

At some point you have to say, "Is this really a good idea?" Perhaps the Edgewater had so many problems, not because the Madison development process is broken, but because it isn't a good project, and the developers screwed up the process themselves.

Mayor Dave - stop using the Edgewater as an example. How about looking at how smoothly the Target and the moderate-income housing next to it created barely a ripple. What about all the projects that were passed in your first six years? Even in this economy, there is construction almost everywhere you look (except the periphery, and I don't mind seeing sprawl stall a bit.)

If you want to reform the development process, look a bit beyond the last time someone stood up and said, "No." Look at all the times they said, "Yes," and see what made those projects so easy.

One community not willing to spend local dollars for bigger roads

Here's one answer to yesterday's question, which asked, "What road projects would be funded if citizens voted on each capital project?"

Apparently, the citizens of Franklin, WI desperately want a new interchange with I-94 to bring more people and traffic into their community. They say that it will help Northwestern Mutual expand, which will bring additional tax revenues for the city. Their share would be $500,000 out of a total $12.9 million project. But they don't want this interchange enough to pony up the money from local funds. They want others to pay their share. Citizens made it clear that they didn't want this road project to get any of their tax money.

From the article:

Oak Creek this week agreed to spend $4.4 million in tax-incremental financing money on the project, and Northwestern Mutual, which has a building near the site, agreed to give $1.6 million. But that leaves a $500,000 gap in the local share.

Franklin Alderman Tim Solomon said the interchange is too important to Franklin’s future to pass up, especially considering the potential benefit of any Northwestern Mutual expansion.

“Northwestern Mutual spent $2 million in taxes last year,” he said. “Spread that over 10 years, that’s $20 million, and they want this interchange. We need to make this happen.”

But Franklin residents at a Wednesday night Common Council meeting opposed spending city money to fill the gap.

Now, I don't know the area. I don't know the economic situation. I don't know if this is a god project or not. But it's clear that the citizens of Franklin feel they would rather lose out on this interchange than put any local funds into it.

So, what would happen in Madison if citizens were asked their thoughts on each road project?

To see what's planned for the next 5 years - with your Property tax dollars - attend the special briefing on Tuesday, May 4, 5:00 PM, in Room 201 of the City-County Bldg. It's not on the City's meeting schedule yet, but I assume it will be, as a quorum of the Council could be present.

Thoughts on the Edgewater and city process

Below is a letter I wrote today to a handful of city alders, ones with whom I feel I have a personal relationship. I got several positive reactions, so I thought I'd post it for the general public, at least those out there that know I have a blog, which isn't many. I made one or two editorial and grammatical changes from the original:

Dear former colleagues -

Although I'm sure you are way sick of hearing and talking about the Edgewater, I'm just dropping you a note to let you know where I stand. And I'm not for or against it!

However, I'm very cautious, bordering on suspicious, about how this whole process has happened. When I was on the Council, I was occasionally bullied by people – both by those that wanted something and those inside city government – to vote for (or against) something with which I was not entirely comfortable.  This treatment generally made me less likely to support the matter. That's what this feels like.

Whatever you do on Tuesday, or in the future, vote your conscience. You are all smart and thoughtful people, and I hope that you will use those skills, your heart, and hard information you may have to make the right decision.

But on a harsher note, I do not like the constant drum beat of inevitability that this project has maintained. I have been told that decent information and drawing were finally presented at the Landmarks Commission meeting on Monday, but I know that several commissions had asked for specific information in the past - such as rendering as to what the project would look like standing on Langdon or Wisconsin Ave, and not just the lovely close-up of the plaza - and yet never received the requested information. It felt like the developers were so certain that they had this thing in the bag, that they viewed commission meetings as a mere formality, not taking the input or requests of the commission members seriously.

We have a city process for a good reason, and it pains me to see both the developer and the Mayor show disdain for it. Yes, it may take awhile to get projects done in Madison, perhaps longer than in other cities our size. But that is because we value the input of citizens, city staff, neighbors, and others with a real and long lasting interest in the city. We don't make decisions in back rooms; we make them out in the fresh air, so everyone can know what is happening. To hear the Mayor dismiss the Landmarks Commission as, "a handful of unelected individuals," reeks of disrespect. I predict that comment will come back to bite Dave in the butt when the RTA referendum comes around.

So, dear friends and former colleagues, do what you think it right, but don't do it because you feel you have to. Don't do it because the Mayor would be mad. Don't do it because the unions are standing there glaring at you, or the press will write nasty things, or you got angry letters.

I'll be watching Tuesday via City Channel on my computer, with a big bottle of wine. Feel free to email or Face Book comments, ‘cause I can’t see all the boring, frustrating, or funny stuff at home.

Glad I'm not getting all the emails and phone calls,

Robbie