Vote tomorrow, Milwaukee County, to defeat the plot against the County Board

[dragonlady]

Vote NO on the referendum to cut the supervisors' salary in half and take away their health insurance. It's another trick by the Republicans in the legislature to take power away from the people of Milwaukee County. Several grassroots groups have been working to spread the word about this, and we have a fighting chance to defeat it.

This message from Assembly candidate Jonathan Brostoff (formerly an aide to Supervisor Chris Larson) summarizes it well:

The passing of this referendum will have three negative and long term effects on our County:

1) A weakened County Board means weakened oversight of our County Executive. I believe the Board must remain an effective check on the power of our County Executive, a basic and important principle in ensuring good, responsive governance.

2) A weakened County Board reduces our local community's ability to resist the harmful agenda of Republican Governor Scott Walker and his legislature. This measure harms our capacity to enact reforms that make our community a progressive leader in our state. Without the County Board, the living wage ordinance would have never been enacted.

3) Finally, I find it disturbing that the Republicans are, in effect, seeking to exclude poor and middle class people from public service. By drastically reducing the compensation and benefits of County Supervisors, this measure would ensure that only people of means, of wealth, could afford to make a living as County Supervisors. There is nothing wrong with wealth, but there is something wrong in raising barriers to discourage the poor and middle class from running for public office. This is something we simply should not accept.

Serving as a County Supervisor is a full-time job. They must be responsive and directly accountable to us, their constituents. Milwaukee County Supervisors should have modest but adequate compensation for the considerable governmental and communal responsibilities their work entails.

County Supervisors provide an important check on the power of the County Executive, have the ability to enact meaningful progressive reforms, and serve as a vital link between us, the constituents, and the County services that make our communities livable. The people of this county deserve to have Supervisors who are working for them full time.

Tuesday, April 1--be there.

[unionthug777]

1. i'll be there !!

tired of our wormy governor.

[postulater]

2. Thanks, I'll vote NO.

[hue]

3. Will represent! Voting NO.

[AllyCat]

4. If I lived there, I would

But I will send some messages to fb friends who do...

[dragonlady]

5. Thanks to all who are supportive

As AllyCat says, it's not too late to bring it to the attention of friends who live in Milwaukee County.

[dragonlady]

6. I can't resist adding this message

David Bowen, a current supervisor and the leader on passing the living wage law, wrote the following about the referendum. I hope he rises higher in politics--we need more like him.

“As Election Day draws near it is important to think critically about the referendum on the ballot in Milwaukee County. It is important you understand the hypocrisy of those wealthy special interests supporting it. They do not and should not speak for the people of Milwaukee County.

“It should come as no surprise to you that wealthy special interests are pushing you to vote for a referendum to reduce the pay of your elected representatives on the County Board. Individuals who make astronomically more than we do want you to believe you would be better off with a legislative body with little oversight and few resources to monitor questionable uses of your tax dollars.

“Those who have crafted and influenced the language of the referendum all fall into the category of ‘wealthy special interests.’

“Those in the Greater Milwaukee Committee pushing this referendum do not understand how hard it is for you to pay for your bus ticket. The County Executive—whose wealth is evident—takes his six-figure salary and benefits from the County tax levy every year and doesn’t understand how expensive your childcare is every month. And the primary author of the referendum, who runs a million dollar taxicab monopoly, also admitted he only worked part-time as a supervisor but still took his full-time salary and benefits from your county tax dollars. He doesn’t understand how hard it was to pay for your heat this exceptionally cold winter.

“Maybe it’s time for the authors of this referendum to give back their taxpayer funded salaries, health care and pensions since they believe public service is not about the money.”[/(iv]

(H/T http://cognidissidence.blogspot.com/ a great blog for knowing what's going on in Milwaukee County)

[hue]

7. There is very low turnout, I was # 34 at 1230. Lawn signs read "Vote YES if you want Democracy!"

[dragonlady]

8. Are you in the suburbs with referendums on Citizens United?

Shorewood and Whitefish Bay are voting on the campaign finance constitutional amendment. The sign would apply to that, but definitely not to the supervisor pay referendum!

[AleksS]

9. I didn't know that!

I didn't know that!

Interesting. I hope the message doesn't get mixed up. It's tough to get people to vote Yes for one thing (CFR amendment) and No for another (gutting the county board).

[a kennedy]

10. Well, that didn't go to well.....County Board pay cut referendum easily passes

Voters Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a referendum on cutting Milwaukee County supervisors' pay by half and eliminating their future health and pension benefits.

With all of the votes counted, the measure easily won with 71% for the move and 29% against.

The strong backing for the cuts matched many predictions that voters would jump at the chance to enact the reductions. An advisory-only referendum on the topic in 2012 conducted in a dozen suburban communities resulted in strong support for converting Milwaukee County supervisor to a part-time job.

County Executive Chris Abele said, "I'm happy the voters of Milwaukee County had their voice heard on this important issue and I look forward to continuing to work with the board."

Supervisor Willie Johnson Jr., who opposed the pay cut, said the strong voter support was the culmination of a decade of effort to push conservative reforms.

"I still think the idea is to get conservative-minded people, fund their campaigns, get them on the board and try to rubber stamp the conservative agenda," Johnson said.

The changes from Tuesday's binding vote don't go into effect for two years — after the 2016 county supervisor elections. Supervisors' pay then will drop from $50,679 to $24,051, effectively forcing part-time status on them. The chairman's pay will go from $71,412 to $36,076.

Supervisors also will lose their county health insurance and won't get any additional credit toward a county pension.

Wow......that is a huge difference. Yikes.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/county-board-pay-referendum-easily-passes-b99236910z1-253485391.html

[dragonlady]

11. Yes, the majority bought into the right-wing radio spin

We'll see who can still afford to run for the County Board after this. It's a total power grab for the conservatives, who have a willing partner in the DINO Chris Abele. His view of "working with the board" is a lot different than ours. At least we did put up a fight.

On a happier note, all the candidates I voted for won their seats yesterday, which doesn't happen very often.

[a kennedy]

12. hey, that is great news......

I still weep for my birth state of Wisconsin.